Reflections from Rankin Inlet
We've asked a few of the CLA interns to share some thoughts about their experiences this summer. This first post (below) is from JoAnne Barnum, a UBC law student working with Keewatin Legal Services in Rankin Inlet.Rankin Inlet is a beautiful little hamlet located off the northwest coast of the Hudson Bay where I have been fortunate enough to spend the last couple of months. With a population of 2300, a relaxed, small-town approach to daily life abounds, as does a warm inviting sense of community. I am here working with the Legal Services Board of Nunavut. My time with the LSB has been extremely rewarding and instructive, helping me to better understand the dynamics of legal aid provision in Canada's North.
Exploring the edges of town; in front of the frozen Hudson Bay
Legal aid plays an important role in many jurisdictions; in Nunavut, however, legal aid is essentially the beginning and end of available legal representation. Unlike other jurisdictions where a relatively small percentage of the population is financially eligible for legal aid, here a majority of people qualify for and require legal aid. Further, there really are no alternatives, as nearly all the practicing lawyers in Nunavut work for either the Department of Justice or the LSB. This reliance, combined with an ever-increasing rate of criminalization in Nunavut, has placed a great amount of pressure on the LSB to function extremely efficiently in providing quality legal services to Nunavummiut.My position with the LSB is that of a policy analyst; consequently, I've become extremely familiar with not only the legislation governing the LSB's activities, but also a greater body of Nunavut legislation with varying degrees of implications on the LSB's authority in providing legal services. However, as we are located in the regional clinic, I have also been called on by staff lawyers to aid them in their day to day clinic work. So far, I’ve had the opportunity to sit in on show cause hearings and pre-trial family court appearances, provide legal information to clients that would otherwise not be eligible to receive legal aid because of their subject area of inquiry (eg wills and estates), and conduct client interviews prior to court appearances.As amazing as the more “work-related” components of my internship have been, I would like to take this opportunity to reflect more generally on my experience in Nunavut to date. While I have stayed in small communities before, it has never been for this long; I have worked with aboriginal groups, but never before with the unique, captivating Inuit; and I have plenty of outdoors experience, but not in a place quite like this, where I can run along a frozen coast line at the end of June. Every day is breathtaking and filled with new experiences.As my background is in ethnography, I’ve been especially intrigued by some of the cultural practices and traditions here. From the beautiful carvings and jewelry that locals sell door to door every evening (just the other night, I had a late night vendor visit at 1130pm) to the beautiful language I am now accustomed to hearing all around me, there have certainly been days where I have had to remind myself that I am in fact still in Canada. I never thought that the exciting events of walking on sea ice, gutting my first Arctic Char with an ulu (Inuit knife), gathering beautiful wildflowers and running from herds of mosquitoes could all happen within the same month.
My first arctic char
Nunavut Day, July 9th, saw nearly the entire hamlet flocking to the community hall for beautiful live music from local artists, delicious varieties of food, face painting for children, bannock making on the shore of Williamson Lake, and a multitude of other fun summer games. The only road in the hamlet was closed, so you know the event was a pretty big deal. The music and feasting continued on throughout the day into the night. The Square Dance did not even begin until nearly 11pm and went on into the early morning. When I asked a friend what made Nunavut Day so special when Canada Day had been just a week earlier and National Aboriginal Day was just a few weeks before that, he explained that "Nunavut Day is our day. Only ours. Our land, our Nunavut. What deserves more celebration than that?"
The amazing band that played on Nunavut Day
We have entered the time of year when much of the hamlet has disappeared out on land to hunt and fish for the short period when the conditions are as great as they are now. I too look forward to spending my weekends in the nearby national park, looking for nice hikes and walks, and doing a little bit of fishing. My time here has exceeded my expectations in multiple ways. It has clarified my legal career objectives and has enabled me to reflect on the importance of good governance. It has also allowed me to appreciate the intricacies of legal practice in the context of the often contradictory legal systems of the Canadian justice system and traditional Inuit legal systems, and to realize the need for cultural understanding and bridging in administering these systems. Most importantly my internship has allowed me to experience the beauty of the Inuit people and the land they call home, "our land", Nunavut.
The longest day of the year in Rankin - the sun never really set