A delegation of Inuit from Canada has travelled to Greenland for the opening of a new Canadian consulate in the capital, Nuuk, bringing a clear message to U.S. President Donald Trump: back off.
Susie-Ann Kudluk, vice-president of the Qarjuit Youth Council in Nunavik, said the visit is about showing support for Greenland and rejecting any suggestion the land could be taken over.
“That land is not for sale,” she said.
More than 60 Inuit delegates flew from Montreal to Nuuk on a charter organized by Makivvik Corporation, which represents Inuit in northern Quebec. The group attended the flag-raising ceremony for Canada’s new Consulate General.
Makivvik president Pita Aatami said Inuit across the Arctic share a deep connection.
“We are one people,” he said. “We can work together, but we don’t want to be controlled anymore.”
Canada is among the first countries to open a diplomatic mission in Greenland following Trump’s comments about the U.S. taking control of the self-governing Arctic island, which is part of Denmark.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand officially opened the consulate alongside Governor General Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General, who is Inuk from Nunavik. The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker CCGS Jean Goodwill was also in Nuuk for the event.
Greenland’s Minister Naaja Nathanielsen welcomed the move, calling it well-timed and meaningful.
“This is more than diplomacy,” she said. “It’s about kinship.”
Experts say the consulate is both symbolic and strategic, strengthening Canada’s ties in the Arctic and supporting Indigenous self-determination amid growing global tensions.
