| Relations Couronne-Autochtones et des Affaires du Nord Canada | |
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2019 1880 (historic) |
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
| Headquarters | Gatineau,Quebec, Canada |
| Employees | 4500+ |
| Ministers responsible | |
| Deputy Minister responsible |
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| Website | www |
Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC;French:Relations Couronne-Autochtones et des Affaires du Nord Canada)[NB 1] is the department of theGovernment of Canada responsible for Canada's northern lands and territories, and one of twodepartments with responsibility for policies relating toIndigenous peoples in Canada (the other being theDepartment of Indigenous Services, or ISC).
CIRNAC, along with ISC, were established to replace theDepartment of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND).
The department is overseen by two cabinet ministers, theMinister of Crown–Indigenous relations (whose portfolio includestreaty rights and land negotiations) and theMinister of Northern Affairs.[1] Its headquarters is inTerrasses de la Chaudière, in downtownGatineau, Quebec.[2]
"First Nation"[3] has been used since the 1970s instead of the wordIndian, which some people found offensive.[4]
The termIndian is used for legal and historical documents such asStatus Indians as defined by theIndian Act. For example, the term "Indian" continues to be used in the historical and legal document, theCanadian Constitution and federal statutes. The then-Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada used the termInuit in referring to "an Aboriginal people inNorthern Canada, who live inNunavut,Northwest Territories,Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador. The word means 'people' in the Inuit language — Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk."[4]
Eskimo is found in historical documents about Canadian Inuit.The termAboriginal is commonly used when referring to the three groups of indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, andMétis) as a whole.[4] It is also used by Aboriginal people who live within Canada who claim rights of sovereignty or Aboriginal title to lands.
CIRNAC is one of the federal government departments responsible for meeting the Government of Canada's obligations and commitments toFirst Nations, Inuit and Métis, and for fulfilling the federal government's constitutional responsibilities in the North. The department's responsibilities are largely determined by numerous statutes, negotiated agreements and relevant legal decisions. Most of the department's programs, representing a majority of its spending - are delivered through partnerships with Aboriginal communities and federal-provincial or federal-territorial agreements. CIRNAC also works with urban Indigenous people, Métis and Non-Status Indians (many of whom live in rural areas).[5]
CIRNAC supports indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to:
CIRNAC also works with urban First Nations, Métis andNon-Status Indians (many of whom live in rural areas) through theOffice of the Federal Interlocutor.[6] CIRNAC also manages the resources of federal lands, including land and subsurface leases and resource royalties.
In 1755, theBritish Crown established theIndian Department. TheGovernor General of Canada held control of Indian affairs, but usually delegated much of their responsibility to subordinate civil secretaries. In 1860, the responsibility for Indian affairs was transferred from theBritish government to theProvince of Canada; the responsibility for Indian affairs was then delegated to the Crown Lands Department Commissions Responsible for Indian Affairs.[citation needed]
Thefederal government's legislative responsibilities for First Nations and the Inuit derive from section 91(24) of theConstitution Act, 1867 and responsibility was given to the Secretary of State for the Provinces Responsible for Indian Affairs. In 1876, theIndian Act, which remains the major expression of federal jurisdiction in this area, was passed and a series oftreaties[7] were concluded between Canada and the variousIndian bands across the country.
The responsibility for Indian Affairs and Northern Development rested with various government departments between 1873 and 1966. TheMinister of the Interior also held the position of Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs after the Indian Affairs Department was established in 1880. In 1939, federal jurisdiction for Indian peoples was interpreted by the courts to apply to the Inuit. A revisedIndian Act was passed in 1951.
From 1950 to 1965, the Indian Affairs portfolio was carried by theMinister of Citizenship and Immigration. On October 1, 1966, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development was created as a result of theGovernment Organization Act, 1966.[8] Effective June 13, 2011, the department began using the applied title Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in addition to the legal name of the department.[9]
The Northern Development part of the department has its origins in theDepartment of the Interior, a body created by thenPrime MinisterJohn A. Macdonald for the purpose of administering theDominion Lands Act of 1872. When the Department of the Interior dissolved in 1936 (with theNatural Resources Acts transferring control over natural resources to thePrairie provinces), Indian Affairs fell under the purview of theDepartment of Mines and Resources. However, the need for social and health-care services in the North led to the establishment of the Northern Administration and Lands branch in 1951, which led to the creation of the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources in 1953. This became the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in 1966.[9][10] Under theFederal Identity Program, the department is known as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.
Beginning in the early 20th century, the Government of Canada sponsored annual expeditions to theCanadian North. These expeditions yielded extensive photographic documentation of the lives of northern indigenous peoples by participating explorers, engineers, scientists and medical staff.
Explorer, photographer, filmmaker, writer and lecturer Richard S. Finnie accompanied numerous expeditions to the North. His first voyage was aboardCGSArctic, under the command ofCaptain Bernier in 1924. During the 1930–1931 expedition to the Western Arctic, Finnie served as filmmaker. Lachlan T. Burwash, an exploratory engineer with the Department of the Interior, made a survey of the east coasts ofHudson Bay andJames Bay, and theBelcher Islands in the late 1920s.
Zoologist Joseph Dewey Soper travelled to theBaffin Island (Qikiqtaaluk) region in the late 1920s in order to document the landscape, as well as the plant and bird life.J.G. Wright, Superintendent of Eastern Arctic Patrol andNational Film Board photographer, served on the 1945–1946 expedition sponsored by theCanadian National Institute for the Blind. As the Regional Director ofFamily Allowances forYukon and theNorthwest Territories, S.J. Bailey served as part of the Eastern Arctic Patrol beginning in the late 1940s.
In August 2017, theTrudeau ministry announced the dissolution of theDepartment of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) and announced that it would be replaced by theDepartment of Indigenous Services and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.[11][12] This came into effect as of July 15, 2019.[13] The transition was not instantaneous, withOrders-in-Council initially separating the portfolios, and formal legislation constituting the new departments being passed in July 2019.[14][15]
According to Trudeau, the rationale behind the restructuring was that "the structures in place at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada were created at a time where the approach around theIndian Act, the approach around our engagement with indigenous peoples, was very much looked at in a paternalistic, colonial way". The new departments are consistent with the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' recommendations to improve the delivery of services dramatically and fast-track self-government.[1]
CIRNAC has offices in ten (10) regions, at headquarters and to deal with oil and gas leases. The offices are further divided into the broad divisions of treaties and aboriginal government; lands and economic development and education and social development. Northern Development is represented in only the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut (NU) regional offices and headquarters.
TheNunavut Land Claims Agreement was implemented in 1993 between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and the Government of Canada subject to theConstitution Act of 1982. The territory of Nunavut was formed in 1999. CIRNAC has major responsibilities for managing the lands and resources of Nunavut.
With respect to the Inuit ofNunavut, the department and its Minister have the challenge of implementing the Conciliator's Final Report, dated March 1, 2006 on the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Contract Negotiations for the Second Planning Period 2003-2013 "The Nunavut Project" authored byThomas Berger.[17] This report recommends an increase in Inuit participation in Nunavut's federal and territorial public service.
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