Article content

The polar bear population is increasing according to federal affidavits submitted by Inuit groups, Blacklock’s Reporter reports.

“Inuit have not noticed a significant decline in the health of the polar bears,” the director of wildlife management for the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board wrote in a court affidavit.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'NOT GOING EXTINCT': Court documents claim Canadian polar bear population is thriving Back to video

“In fact Nunavik Inuit report that it is rare to see a skinny bear and most bears are observed to be healthy,” the affidavit read.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have used the polar bear population as evidence of the effect of climate change.

However, the affidavit claimed Nunavut residents have seen an “increase in the polar bear population and a particularly notable increase since the 1980s.” The affidavits were submitted in response to hunting quota cuts made by Environment Canada.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

Environment Canada cited “conservation concerns” as justification for the cuts. The Inuit challenge was ultimately dismissed.