Nunavut: The Birth of a New Territory

▪ 2000

Introduction

by David M.L. Farr  Canada witnessed the birth of a new territory in 1999, the first change in its internal boundaries since the admission of Newfoundland into the federation 50 years ago. (See Map—>.) The Inuit of the Eastern Arctic were given their own homeland, Nunavut (“Our Land” in the Inuktitut language). It is a vast territory—nearly as large as Alaska and California combined—spanning three time zones, extending 1.9 million sq km (733,600 sq mi), and representing almost one-quarter of Canada's landmass. Scattered over this enormous area, which reaches to the Arctic islands close to the North Pole, are some 25,000 people living in 28 recognized communities. About 85% of Nunavut's population is Inuit; the remainder are nonnatives who moved north to participate in government or economic activities. Inuits and non-Inuits have equal rights and are expected to play a part in the affairs of the new territory.

Origins

      The Inuit have lived on the barren northern reaches of North America for at least 4,000 years. Nomadic in lifestyle, they hunted seal, whale, and walrus and fished the icy waters of Hudson Bay and the Arctic archipelago. Their isolation was disturbed briefly from time to time. A thousand years ago the Norse arrived from Greenland; then came Elizabethan English sailors looking for the Northwest Passage, followed by American whalers, Canadian fur traders, missionaries from the south, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, bush pilots, and military personnel laying down an early-warning radar system across the north of the continent.

      After 1870 the Inuit lands became part of the Northwest Territories, a federal territory governed first from Ottawa and then from the territorial capital at Yellowknife, 2,400 km (1,500 mi) to the west. The western part of the territory was inhabited by Dene Indians and Métis (persons of mixed European and Indian ancestry), whose languages and cultures differed from those of the Inuit. In the 1970s the Inuit began pressing for their own homeland, in which they would be masters. Long negotiations between the federal government, which has the responsibility of protecting aboriginal people, the territorial government, and the Inuit followed. Two plebiscites, in 1982 and 1992, gave approval to a plan to create an Inuit territory and to define its boundaries. These run from the 60th parallel northwest along the tree line that separates the tundra on which the Inuit live from the sparse northern woodlands, the home of the Dene and the Métis, and then north across the Arctic islands to the North Pole.

      A land-claim agreement was drawn up and ratified; legislation was passed in the Canadian Parliament; and an implementation commission was established in 1997 to form a provisional government. Finally, on April 1, 1999, with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien looking on, the new jurisdiction of Nunavut was proclaimed.

The New Territory

      Nunavut has a form of government suited to its large size and small cohesive communities. There is a Legislative Assembly of 19 members elected from all the settlements. It met for the first time in March 1999 and from its members chose Paul Okalik, who had been called to the bar only a month before, as Nunavut's first premier, or government leader. His seven-member Cabinet, also elected, is responsible for administering the territory's limited self-government. Concerns close to the people are assigned to six of the ministers—those for education, social services, economic development, the environment, land use, and wildlife management. Some of these subjects are handled exclusively in Nunavut, while others are handled in cooperation with the federal government in Ottawa. There are no political parties in the legislature, and decisions are reached by consensus. The governmental framework is decentralized, with local bodies on the spot administering the scattered settlements. A civil service, some members of which were transferred from Yellowknife, is based at the new territorial capital, Iqaluit, a town of about 4,200 people situated at the southern end of Baffin Island. This service has 13 Inuit assistant deputy ministers, who are being trained for senior executive positions. It is hoped that Inuit will eventually fill 85% of civil service posts. A single-level judicial system, based on community policing and intended to call on traditional methods such as the “healing circle,” is in place.

      With the creation of the new territory, the Inuit gave up title to their land, receiving in compensation Can$1,140,000,000 (Can$1 = about U.S. $0.68), to be paid over 14 years. They also received absolute ownership and control of 18% of Nunavut. Although 90% of the Can$610 million annual budget of the territory comes from Ottawa, Nunavut looks with hope to the future for economic development. Minerals are the most important resources, with three gold and zinc mines in operation. Further exploration may reveal exploitable deposits of iron ore, nickel, uranium, and natural gas. Fur trapping and commercial fishing offer limited employment, the decline in the market for natural furs having hurt an age-old form of livelihood. The single largest cash income for most adult Inuit comes from the carving of local soapstone into small sculptures or the transformation of traditional designs into prints and drawings. Most of the distinctive Inuit art leaves Nunavut and is sold abroad. The spectacular scenery and unique ecology of the Arctic opens possibilities for tourism, and the Canadian government plans to establish three national parks in the new territory.

Facing the Future

      Nunavut faces daunting social problems in the years ahead. A rapidly rising population, which is growing three times faster than that of the country as a whole and half of which is under 20 years of age, represents a formidable challenge. Combined with these swelling ranks, however, is a per capita income half the national average, high unemployment, a low level of education (fortunately showing some improvement), substandard housing, and a disabling reliance on social assistance. With the Inuit faced with these bleak conditions, it is not surprising that alcoholism, drug addiction, family breakdowns, and personal violence are evident in their life.

      Inuit leaders are well aware of these problems and are convinced that a stronger economy is one key to a better life in their communities. They now possess the decision-making authority to cope with their social ills in their own way. In the space of 50 years, the Inuit have made the enormous leap from a Stone Age-like culture to the threshold of the computer age as they struggle to retain their identity and adapt it to modern times. They have survived for thousands of years in one of the harshest environments on Earth, but their greatest challenge is now before them. In meeting it, they have two significant strengths: optimism and resourcefulness. It is to be hoped that these qualities will join to determine the future of the Inuit's homeland.

David M.L. Farr is Professor Emeritus of History at Carleton University, Ottawa.

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