BURSTThe Greenlandic flag was raised at the Nunavut Legislative Assembly on Jan. 20, just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump shared a photo online with U.S. flags covering Canada and Greenland on a map.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen warned his people to prepare for a possible American invasion just one hour before the flag raising in Nunavut.
Paul Irngaut, acting president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., the largest Inuit organization in the territory, said Nunavummiut support Greenlanders.
”We’re standing behind Greenland,” Irngaut said, clarifying that the U.S. is not the enemy.
Premier John Main and his eight cabinet members, along with the regular MLAs, watched as the flag was sent up the pole.
Among them was Fred Pedersen, MLA for Cambridge Bay, who has ties to Greenland.
“I was born there. I have family there. They’re feeling very unsettled,” Pedersen, who’s originally from Maniitsoq, Greenland. “We support you. Canada is part of NATO. NATO is standing by with its allies.”
On. Jan 19, Trump posted a digitally altered photo of himself on social media in the Oval Office, inside the White House, surrounded by European and British leaders.
In the spurious photo, a map of North America sits beside Trump with Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela bearing the American flag.
Earlier that day, Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer jointly declared that Greenland’s future belongs to its people to decide with Denmark, according to Carney’s office.
Carney reiterated his government’s intention to ramp up military spending.
“Canada is significantly increasing its Arctic security by strengthening our military and investing in critical infrastructure. Canada will continue to work with allies to also protect this critical region — NATO’s northern and western flanks,” Carney said.
On Jan. 13, Main said Nunavut stands in solidarity with Greenland, and that the two territories share cultural, linguistic and familial ties.
Meanwhile, Premier R.J. Simpson told CBC’s Rosemary Barton on the weekend that what Trump is doing could send the world back to a “different way of operating” and that it’s concerning.
“I grew up in a world that’s been relatively peaceful,” he said. “Nothing has been that close to home and maybe that’s not the natural order of western society.”
Trump’s talk of possibly using the military in any action right outside of Canadian territory is something that should be taken seriously, he added.
“When you look at a map of North America — Greenland is a big chunk, we have Alaska to the west and the United States to the south — I’m sure Trump took a look at the map and thought it should all be the same colour,” he said.
Several Nordic ambassadors are in Yellowknife this week with the goal of increasing co-operation between the NWT and Nordic nations. They include Hanna-Leena Korteniemi, Ambassador of Finland; Nikolaj Harris, Ambassador of Denmark; Signe Fenja Burgstaller, Ambassador of Sweden; and Audbjorg Halldorsdottir, Ambassador of Iceland. Jon-Age Oyslebo, deputy head of mission for the Norwegian Embassy, is also part of the group.