Issues affecting First Nations people in Nunavut, Canada

Nunavut and the Inuits:

      The First Nations people most common in Nunavut are the Inuits.  Nunavut is a land of 136,000 square miles with a population of 31,556, yielding a population density of just 0.23 people per square mile.  As it is such a remote part of Canada, there is little information on the territory even today.  However, the land is naturally frozen land host to harsh winters and cold summers, more than half of Nunavut is frozen for more than half of the year.  This obstacle alone makes the development of the land for business near impossible. 

      Of the 25,000 Inuits living in Canada, 20,500 live in Nunavut, therefore the situation there portrays the hardships and experiences of the Inuits well.  The economy as a whole suffers from a high cost of living, lack of skilled labor, and a plethora of bureaucracies hindering the process of business growth.  The Northwestern Territories is where the majority of stable business takes place in the Northern Canada.  As a result, Nunavut businesses seeking territory grants have been forced to use Northwestern contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers if at all possible.  Aside from this being a difficult hurdle, businesses also suffer costs from high inflation of the Northwestern Territories. 

      In 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was enacted to help promote business by overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles mentioned above.  In effect this Agreement allowed Nunavut to become a Territory by law, and therefore freed the Inuits residents to take advantage of the economic boom that has stricken the region in recent times.  More specifically, the agreement gave the 136,000 square miles of Nunavut to the Inuit peoples, as well as 1.1 billion dollars compensation.  It also included rights to a share in mineral, oil, and gas development, and a voice in decisions regarding land and water resources.  One thing Nunavut is rich in is ores such as: copper, lead, silver, and zinc.  However, the lack of paved roads and poor infrastructure has prevented these resources from being utilized.  Now, Inuits actually rely on mining as a significant source of income.

      The creation of Nunavut itself is a great step forward in Inuit and First Nations peoples rights.  Nunavut was governed out of Yellowknife, Northwestern Territories until April 1999, when Iqaluit became the new capital.  The Inuits are the first of First Nations peoples to gain self-governance.  This success is captured in the Inuktitut meaning of Nunavut, “our land”. 

Sources:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/nunavut1.html