Artifact #5: A Photo of an Inuit Family on Board the C.D. Howe

Citation:

Inuit family on board the C.G.C C.D. Howe at Grise Fiord [Ausuittuq, Nunavut]. Photograph. Archives Canada, Catalogue no. K58-001-61. https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Home/Record?app=FonAndCol&idNumber=3198713&ecopy=e002216381

Label:

The photo shows an Inuit family from Pond Inlet aboard the C.G.S C.D Howe at Grise Fiord. The C.D. Howe was the principal vessel which transported all the Inuit people destined for Resolute and Grise Fiord, as well as the vessel responsible for continuous resupply to the settlements.  To encourage migration to the North via the Howe, the RCMP parroted promises of a higher quality of life at the new settlements and a guarantee to return home in two years if the expectations of the Inuit were not met.  As well, allegedly, the RCMP deceived individuals into believing that family members had already agreed to their own relocation, in order to encourage others to join their loved ones.  No records of these allegations exist, unsurprisingly as they occurred verbally, but Inuit testimonies do recall these manipulative tactics.  Victims also attest that families were split on board the Howe without their prior knowledge, some being sent to Grise while others were sent to Resolute.  The option to return was also quickly rescinded owing to its supposed ‘financial complexities’.  Taken together, the relocation appears more as a concerted effort at coercing families, with little regard for human rights.

Bibliography:

Privy Council Office. High Arctic Relocation: International Norms and Standards. By Russel L. Barsh. Catalogue no. Z1-1991/1-41-3E. Ottawa, ON: Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2016/bcp-pco/Z1-1991-1-41-3-eng.pdf