British woman apologizes for claims she set a record in Nunavut

Samuel Wat · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 2:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A British traveller has issued an apology aft claiming she was the archetypal pistillate to solo traverse Nunavut's – and Canada's – largest island.

Camilla Hempleman-Adams completed the trek from Qikiqtarjuaq to Pangnirtung, done the Akyashuk Pass, past month. 

Many media outlets astir the satellite reported her arsenic the archetypal pistillate to trek solo crossed Baffin Island, causing outrage among immoderate Nunavummiut. 

Inuit Heritage Trust said it doesn't maintain such records. Neither does Parks Canada, which pointed retired that "Inuit person inhabited Inuit Nunangat since clip immemorial, leaving footprints, past and cognition crossed each lands, passes, and accepted places successful the North, Nunavut, and Auyuittuq National Park."

In a written connection to CBC News, Hempleman-Adams apologized for the offence her claims person caused. 

She said earlier the trip, she researched and verified the accuracy of her assertion with Parks Canada and section outfitters successful Qikiqtarjuaq and Pangnirtung.

"However, if this accusation is incorrect, I apologize unreservedly for making an incorrect assertion and for causing offence," she said. 

"I person heavy respect for the land, its people, and their history. I person traveled successful this portion aggregate times and clasp immense admiration for its nature, civilization and traditions … and I stay committed to learning from this acquisition and engaging with the assemblage with the utmost respect."

Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, who pushed for Hempleman-Adams to contented an apology, said it was severely needed.  

"She misrepresented Baffin Island arsenic a full and the country and conscionable the past of radical who were present earlier colonization," Kabloona said.

Every Inuk has a communicative of agelong journeys crossed Nunavut, she said, and she's presently mapping retired a way her household utilized to instrumentality from Chantrey Inlet successful the Kitikmeot region to get to caribou hunting grounds. 

On 1 of those occasions, her grandma gave commencement to Kabloona's father. 

"And past 2 days later, they got up and kept walking due to the fact that they had to find food," she said.

"That's conscionable what everybody's grandma did."

Kabloona besides believes determination isn't capable acquisition – oregon quality sum – astir Inuit past successful Canada due to the fact that of colonization, truthful she said she isn't amazed that radical overseas don't cognize astir it either. 

"People everyplace don't cognize astir Indigenous past due to the fact that it was purposely rewritten oregon due to the fact that Indigenous accounts of things weren't taken seriously," she said.