Inuit in Nunavut are suing the federal government over a decision to hand over a sizeable portion of fishing licences off Nunavut’s coast to a coalition of Mi’kmaw First Nations in Atlantic Canada.

In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) asked the federal court to quash a decision by Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to transfer the licences for Greenland halibut and shrimp from seafood company Clearwater Foods to the coalition, after the Mi’kmaw group partnered to buy the company in January.

NTI represents all Inuit in Nunavut, while QIA represents Inuit in the