Janine Lightfoot

Bio

Janine Lightfoot presently works for the Nunatsiavut Government under the Labrador Inuttitut Training Program (LITP) as the Project Manager. The LITP aims to revitalize the current state of Inuttitut in Nunatsiavut and the program will focus in large part on Adult Learners.

Janine has a degree in Native Studies and Political Science from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB. During her time at university she spent time as the Chair of the Native Student Council (NSC). Some of the events and lectures that were coordinated by the NSC were aimed at informing other students and the general public about the historical materialist understanding on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples.

Community
Raised in Makkovik, Labrador primarily by her grandparents, Janine was able to gain an understanding of the land and can appreciate how important this land is to the survival of Inuit ways of life and all people. She is determined to comprehend the various policies pertaining to development of the land and how it influences the lives of Inuit.

Issue of Investigation

As a Jane Glassco Arctic Fellowship recipient, Janine will examine, from a historical materialist perspective, resource development (both renewable and non-renewable) and how it affects Indigenous communities. She will assess the influence of resource development companies’ interest in the land and communities as well as the influence of the communities in the area of policy-making in relation to the development of the land.