(Ottawa, ON) October 5, 2021 – On this week’s Roots & Hoots episode, host Gordon Spence, is pleased to be joined by former Premier of Nunavut Paul Quassa. Paul Quassa has had a long life in politics. From working in the Land Claims Department for Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, to his time as mayor of Igloolik, then being elected to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly, becoming Minister of Education, followed by time as Premier of Nunavut and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Paul Quassa shares with us his humour, his storytelling, and his wise perspective as a proud Inuk.

Born in an igloo near Igloolik in the 1950s, Paul describes being a part of that last generation of Inuit to be born into that old way of life which included traditional tasks and living out on the land. He lived with his family until the age of six when the Qallunaat (white people/non-Inuit) came to take the children to Residential School in Chesterfield Inlet. He speaks with Gordon about the shifts that happened throughout his life, including the shift from dog teams to snowmobiles.

Paul also spoke of his time at Residential School and how time away from his family affected his perspective. Breaking the family ties by removing children was so opposite to the Inuit way of life. Paul acknowledges that this was likely the purpose of these schools. There is even a reference to the disc numbers that were given to the Inuit, including his: E5-1231. Luckily this policy for naming people as numbers didn’t last but he regards it as a part of his naming story. The two talk about all the changes that have taken place over the last few decades, including how climate change is impacting life up North. Paul notes the way the Qallunaat used to look down on the Inuit instead of seeing them at an even level, and how this was meant to remove a sense of pride from the Inuit. Paul speaks to the journey that has been taken to reclaim that pride and what has been done to preserve the Inuit culture and sovereignty, including the success of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

The LHF has been in operation for more than 21 years as a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada. The LHF’s goal is to educate and raise awareness about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential School System, Sixties Scoop, Day Schools and other colonial acts of oppression on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Peoples.

The LHF has 25 exhibitions that are available for loan for free. One exhibition, Escaping Residential Schools: Running for their Lives, is now available through an animated virtual video, along with the Survivors’ Oral Testimonies. The exhibition examines the experience of Survivors of the Residential School System and raises awareness on the impacts it has on our communities. For more information on the project, please visit: https://legacyofhope.ca/project/escapingrs/ The LHF is working on making its other exhibitions also available online.

The LHF also has curriculum from K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops and Training, and Podcasts all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Day Schools. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding so as to eliminate racism and foster Reconciliation in Canada.

To purchase any resource, or an Orange T-Shirt or to donate to the LHF, or for more information about the LHF visit the website at www.legacyofhope.ca. Our charitable# is 863471520RR0001.