Labrador | |
|---|---|
| Etymology:Portuguese | |
| Nickname: "The Big Land" | |
| Motto: Munus splendidum mox explebitur (Latin for 'Our splendid task will soon be fulfilled') | |
| Anthem: "Ode to Labrador" | |
 Labrador (red) within Canada | |
| Coordinates:54°N62°W / 54°N 62°W /54; -62 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Ceded to Great Britain by theTreaty of Paris | 1763 |
| Became part of theProvince of Lower Canada | 1791 |
| Transferred toNewfoundland Colony | 1809 |
| Area | |
• Total | 294,330 km2 (113,640 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 26,655 |
| • Density | 0.091/km2 (0.23/sq mi) |
| Time zones | UTC−4 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−3 (ADT) |
| UTC−3:30 (NST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−2:30 (NDT) |
| MP | 1 |
| MHA | 4 |
| Ethnic groups | English,Innu,[1]Inuit,Métis |
Labrador (/ˈlæbrədɔːr/) is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province ofNewfoundland and Labrador.[2] It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its population. It is separated from the island ofNewfoundland by theStrait of Belle Isle. It is the largest and northernmost geographical region in the fourAtlantic provinces.[3]
Labrador occupies most of the eastern part of theLabrador Peninsula. It is bordered to the west and south by the province ofQuebec. Labrador also shares a small land border with the territory ofNunavut onKilliniq Island.
Theindigenous peoples of Labrador include the NorthernInuit ofNunatsiavut, the SouthernMétis ofNunatuKavut, and theInnu ofNitassinan.[1][4]
Labrador is named afterJoão Fernandes Lavrador, a Portuguese explorer who sailed along the coasts of theLabrador Peninsula in 1498–99.[5]
Labrador's name in theInuttitut/Inuktitut language (spoken inNunatsiavut) isNunatsuak (ᓄᓇᑦᓱᐊᒃ), meaning "the big land" (a common English nickname for Labrador[6]).
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Labrador has a roughly triangular shape that encompasses the easternmost section of theCanadian Shield, a sweeping geographical region of thin soil and abundant mineral resources. Its western border with Quebec is the drainage divide of the Labrador Peninsula. Lands that drain into theAtlantic Ocean are part of Labrador, while lands that drain intoHudson Bay are part of Quebec. Labrador's extreme northern tip, at 60°22′N, shares a short border with Nunavut on Killiniq Island. Labrador also has a maritime border with Greenland. Northern Labrador's climate is classified aspolar, while Southern Labrador's climate is classified assubarctic.
Labrador can be divided into four geographical regions: the North Coast, Central Labrador, Western Labrador, and the South Coast. Each of those regions is described below.
From Cape Chidley toHamilton Inlet, the long, thin, northern tip of Labrador holds theTorngat Mountains, named after an Inuit spirit believed to inhabit them. The mountains stretch along the coast from Port Manvers toCape Chidley, the northernmost point of Labrador. The Torngat Mountain range is also home toMount Caubvick, the highest point in the province. This area is predominantly Inuit, with the exception of a small Innu community,Natuashish.[7][8][9][10][11] The North Coast is the most isolated region of Labrador, withsnowmobiles, boats, and planes being the only modern modes of transportation. The largest community in this region isNain.[12]
Nunatsiavut is an Inuit self-government region in Labrador created on June 23, 2005.[13][14][15] The settlement area comprises the majority of Labrador's North Coast, while the land-use area also includes land farther to the interior and in Central Labrador. Nain is the administrative centre.
Central Labrador extends from the shores ofLake Melville into the interior. It contains theChurchill River, the largest river in Labrador and one of the largest in Canada. The hydroelectric dam atChurchill Falls is the second-largest underground power station in the world. Most of the supply is bought byHydro-Québec under a long-term contract. TheLower Churchill Project will develop the remaining potential of the river and supply it to provincial consumers. Known as "the heart of the Big Land", the area's population comprises people from all groups and regions of Labrador.
Central Labrador is also home toHappy Valley-Goose Bay. Once a refuelling point for plane convoys to Europe duringWorld War II,CFB Goose Bay is now operated as aNATO tactical flight training site.[16][17][18][19] It was an alternate landing zone for the United States'Space Shuttle.[20] Other major communities in the area areNorth West River[21] and the largeInnureserve known asSheshatshiu.[22]
The highlands above the Churchill Falls were once an ancient hunting ground for theInnu First Nations and settled trappers of Labrador. After the construction of the hydroelectric dam at Churchill Falls in 1970, theSmallwood Reservoir has flooded much of the old hunting land—submerging several grave sites and trapping cabins in the process.[23]
Western Labrador is also home to theIron Ore Company of Canada, which operates a large iron ore mine inLabrador City. Together with the small community ofWabush, the two towns are known as "Labrador West".[24]
From Hamilton Inlet toCape St. Charles/St. Lewis,NunatuKavut is the territory of theNunatuKavummiut or Central-Southern Labrador Inuit (formerly known as the LabradorMétis).[25] It includes portions of Central and Western Labrador, but more NunatuKavummiut reside in its South Coast portion: it is peppered with tiny Inuit fishing communities, of whichCartwright is the largest.
From Cape Charles to the Quebec/Labrador coastal border, the Straits is known for its Labrador sea grass (as is NunatuKavut) and the multitude of icebergs that pass by the coast via theLabrador Current.
Red Bay is known as one of the best examples of a preserved 16th-centuryBasque whaling station. It is also the location of four 16th-century Spanish galleons. Thelighthouse atPoint Amour is the second-largest lighthouse in Canada.MV Kamutik, a passenger ferry between the mainland andSt. Barbe on the island ofNewfoundland, is based inBlanc Sablon, Quebec, near the Labrador border.[26]L'Anse-au-Loup is the largest town on the Labrador Straits.[27]L'Anse-au-Clair is a small town on the Labrador side of the border.
Most of Labrador (fromCartwright north and west) usesAtlantic Time (UTC−4 in winter, UTC−3 in summer). The south eastern tip nearest Newfoundland usesNewfoundland Time (UTC−3:30 in winter, UTC−2:30 in summer) to stay co-ordinated with the more populous part of the province.
Most of Labrador has asubarctic climate (Dfc), but northern Labrador has atundra climate (ET) and Happy Valley - Goose Bay has ahumid continental (Dfb) microclimate. Summers are typically cool to mild across Labrador and very rainy, and usually last from late June to the end of August. Autumn is generally short, lasting only a couple of weeks and is typically cool and cloudy. Winters are long, cold, and extremely snowy, due to theIcelandic Low. Springtime most years does not arrive until late April, with the last snow fall usually falling during early June. Labrador is a very cloudy place, with sunshine levels staying relatively low during spring and summer due to the amount of rain and clouds, before sharply dropping off during September as winter draws nearer.[citation needed]
Labrador is home to a number of flora and fauna species. Most of the Upper Canadian and Lower Hudsonianmammalian species are found in Labrador.[28] Notably thePolar bear (Ursus maritimus) reaches the southeast of Labrador on its seasonal movements.[29]
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Early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Innu (formerly called Montagnais) and Inuit, although these peoples also made significant forays throughout the interior.
It is believed that theNorsemen were the first Europeans to sight Labrador around 1000 AD. The area was known asMarkland inGreenlandic Norse and its inhabitants were known as theSkrælings.
In 1499 and 1500, the Portuguese explorersJoão Fernandes Lavrador andPero de Barcelos reached what was probably now Labrador, which is believed to be the origin of its name.[30]Maggiolo's World Map, 1511, shows a solid Eurasian continent running from Scandinavia around the North Pole, including Asia's arctic coast, to Newfoundland-Labrador and Greenland. On the extreme northeast promontory of North America, Maggiolo place names includeTerra de los Ingres (Land of the English), andTerra de Lavorador de rey de portugall (Land of Lavrador of the King of Portugal). Farther south are the phrasesTerra de corte real e de rey de portugall (Land of the Royal Court and of the King of Portugal) andTerra de pescaria (Land for Fishing). In the 1532 Wolfenbüttel map, believed to be the work ofDiogo Ribeiro, along the coast of Greenland, the following legend was added:As he who first sighted it was a farmer from the Azores Islands, this name remains attached to that country. This is believed to be João Fernandes. For the first seven decades or so of the sixteenth century, the name Labrador was sometimes also applied to what is now known as Greenland.[31] Labrador ("lavrador" in Portuguese) means husbandman or farmer of a tract of land (from "labor" in Latin) – the land of the labourer. European settlement was largely concentrated in coastal communities, particularly those south of St. Lewis and Cape Charles, and are among Canada's oldest European settlements.
In 1542, Basque mariners came ashore at a natural harbour on the northeast coast of the Strait of Belle Isle. They gave this "new land" its Latin nameTerranova. A whaling station was set up around the bay, which they calledButus and is now named Red Bay after the red terracotta roof tiles they brought with them. A whaling ship, theSan Juan, sank there in 1565 and was raised in 1978.[32]
TheMoravian Brethren ofHerrnhut,Saxony, first came to the Labrador Coast in 1760 to minister to the migratory Inuit tribes there. They founded Nain, Okak, Hebron, Hopedale and Makkovik. Quite poor, both European and First Nations settlements along coastal Labrador came to benefit from cargo and relief vessels that were operated as part of theGrenfell Mission (seeWilfred Grenfell). Throughout the 20th century, coastal freighters and ferries operated initially by theNewfoundland Railway and laterCanadian National Railway/CN Marine/Marine Atlantic became a critical lifeline for communities on the coast, which for the majority of that century did not have any road connection with the rest of North America.
Labrador was part ofNew France until theFrench and Indian War. By theTreaty of Paris (1763), which ended the war, New France (including Labrador, though excluding the islands ofSaint Pierre and Miquelon southwest of Newfoundland) was transferred to the British, who administered the northern portion of it as theProvince of Quebec until splitting it in two in 1791, with Labrador located inLower Canada. However, in 1809, the British Imperial government detached Labrador from Lower Canada for transfer to the separate, self-governingNewfoundland Colony.
As part ofNewfoundland since 1809, Labrador was still being disputed byQuebec until the BritishPrivy Council resolved their border in 1927. In 1949,Newfoundlandentered into confederation, becoming part of Canada (see above articles for full information).
Labrador played strategic roles during bothWorld War II and theCold War. In October 1943, a GermanU-boat crew installed an automated weather station on the northern tip of Labrador near Cape Chidley, code-namedWeather Station Kurt; the installation of the equipment was the only-known armed German military operation on the North American mainland during the war. The station broadcast weather observations to the German navy for only a few days, but was not discovered until 1977 when a historian, working with theCanadian Coast Guard, identified its location and mounted an expedition to recover it. The station is now exhibited in theCanadian War Museum.[33]
The Canadian government built a major air force base atGoose Bay, at the head ofLake Melville during the Second World War, a site selected because of its topography, access to the sea, defensible location, and minimal fog. During the Second World War and the Cold War, the base was also home to American, British, and later German, Dutch, and Italian detachments. Today, Serco, the company contracted to operateCFB Goose Bay is one of the largest employers for the community ofHappy Valley-Goose Bay.
Additionally, both theRoyal Canadian Air Force andUnited States Air Force built and operated a number of radar stations along coastal Labrador as part of thePinetree Line,Mid-Canada Line andDEW Line systems. Today, the remaining stations are automated as part of theNorth Warning System; however, the military settlements during the early part of the Cold War surrounding these stations have largely continued as local Innu and Inuit populations have clustered near their port and airfield facilities.
During the first half of the 20th century, some of the largestiron ore deposits in the world were discovered in the western part of Labrador and adjacent areas of Quebec. Deposits atMont Wright,Schefferville, Labrador City, and Wabush drove industrial development and human settlement in the area during the second half of the 20th century.
The present community ofLabrador West is entirely a result of the iron ore mining activities in the region. The Iron Ore Company of Canada operates theQuebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to transport ore concentrate 578 km (359 mi) south to the port ofSept-Îles, Quebec, for shipment to steel mills in North America and elsewhere.
During the 1960s, theChurchill River (Labrador name: Grand River) was diverted atChurchill Falls, resulting in the flooding of an enormous area – today named the Smallwood Reservoir afterJoey Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland. The flooding of the reservoir destroyed large areas of habitat for the threatened Woodland Caribou. A hydroelectric generating station was built in Labrador as well as a transmission line to the neighbouring province of Quebec.[34]
Construction of a largehydroelectric dam project atMuskrat Falls began in 2012 byNalcor Energy and the Province of Newfoundland.[35][36][37][38][39] Muskrat Falls is 45 km (30 miles) west ofHappy Valley-Goose Bay on the Grand River (Newfoundland name: Churchill River). A transmission line began construction in October 2014 and was completed in 2016 that delivers power down to the southern tip of Labrador and underwater across the Strait of Belle Isle to the Province of Newfoundland in 2018.[40]
From the 1970s to early 2000s, theTrans-Labrador Highway was built in stages to connect various inland communities with the North American highway network atMont Wright, Quebec (which in turn is connected by a highway running north fromBaie-Comeau, Quebec). A southern extension of this highway has opened in stages during the early 2000s and is resulting in significant changes to the coastal ferry system in the Strait of Belle Isle and southeastern Labrador. These "highways" are so called only because of their importance to the region; they would be better described as roads, and were not completely paved until July 2022.[41]
A study on afixed link to Newfoundland, in 2004, recommended that a tunnel under theStrait of Belle Isle, being a single railway that would carry cars, buses and trucks, was technologically the best option for such a link.[42][43][44] However, the study also concluded that a fixed link was not economically viable.[45] Conceivably, if built with federal aid, the 1949 terms of union would be amended to remove ferry service fromNova Scotia toPort aux Basques across theCabot Strait.
Although ahighway link has, as of December 2009,[46] been completed across Labrador, this route is somewhat longer than a proposedQuebec North Shore highway that presently does not exist. Part of the "highway",Route 389, starting approximately 212 kilometres (132 mi) from Baie-Comeau to 482 kilometres (300 mi), is of an inferior alignment, and from there to 570 kilometres (350 mi), the provincial border, is an accident-prone section notorious for its poor surface and sharp curves. Quebec in April 2009 announced major upgrades to Route 389 to be carried out.
Route 389 and the Trans-Labrador Highway were added to Canada'sNational Highway System in September 2005.
Labrador constitutes a federal electoral district electing one member to theHouse of Commons of Canada. Due to its size, distinct nature, and large Aboriginal population, Labrador has one seat despite having the smallest population of any electoral district in Canada.[47][48][49] Formerly, Labrador was part of a riding that included part of the Island of Newfoundland.[50] Labrador is divided into four provincial electoral districts in theNewfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly.[51]
In 1809, Labrador was transferred from Lower Canada to the Newfoundland Colony, but the inland boundary of Labrador had never been precisely stated.[52] Newfoundland argued it extended to the height of land, while Canada, stressing the historical use of the term "Coasts of Labrador", argued the boundary was 1 statute mile (1.6 km) inland from the high-tide mark. As Canada and Newfoundland were separateDominions, but both within theBritish Empire, the matter was referred to theJudicial Committee of the Privy Council[53] (in London). Their decision set the Labrador boundary mostly along the coastal watershed, with part being defined by the52nd parallel north. One of Newfoundland's conditions for joining Confederation in 1949 was that this boundary be entrenched in the Canadian constitution.[53] While this border has not been formally accepted by the Quebec government, the Henri Dorion Commission (Commission d'étude sur l'intégrité du territoire du Québec) concluded in the early 1970s that Quebec no longer has a legal claim to Labrador.[54]
In 2001, Parti Québécois cabinet ministersJacques Brassard andJoseph Facal erroneously reasserted that Quebec has never recognized the 1927 border:
Les ministres rappellent qu'aucun gouvernement québécois n'a reconnu formellement le tracé de la frontière entre le Québec et Terre-Neuve dans la péninsule du Labrador selon l'avis rendu par le comité judiciaire du Conseil privé de Londres en 1927. Pour le Québec, cette frontière n'a donc jamais été définitivement arrêtée.[55][The ministers reiterate that no Quebec government has ever formally recognised the drawing of the border between Quebec and Newfoundland in the Labrador peninsula according to the opinion rendered by the London Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1927. For Quebec, this border has thus never been definitively defined.]
A Royal Commission in 2002 determined that there is some public pressure from Labradorians to break from Newfoundland and become a separate province or territory.[56]
After decades of negotiation with the provincial and federal governments, theNunatsiavut region of northern and northeastern Labrador was created in 2005 as an autonomous region with its own electedAssembly and executive drawn from members of the region's Assembly. Some of theInnu nation would have the entirety of Labrador become a homeland for them, much asNunavut and Nunatsiavut is for theInuit, as a good portion ofNitassinan falls within Labrador's borders; a 1999 resolution of theAssembly of First Nations claimed Labrador as a homeland for the Innu and demanded recognition in any further constitutional negotiations regarding the region.[57]
Labrador's Innu became status Indians under theIndian Act in 2002.Natuashish became afederal Indian reserve in 2003.[58][59]Sheshatshiu became afederal reserve in 2006.[22]
The Labrador Inuit Association had filed aland claim for portions of Labradorian land in 1977.[60] In 1988, the Labrador Inuit Association, the government of the province of Newfoundland, and thegovernment of Canada began negotiations based on the land claim.[61] An agreement-in-principle was achieved in 2001, and on May 26, 2004, the agreement was ratified by over 75% of eligible voters subject to the land claim.[61] On January 22, 2005, the Inuit ofNunatsiavut signed the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement[15] with the federal and provincial governments covering 72,520 km2 (28,000 sq mi) of land,[60] including the entire northern salient of Labrador north ofNain as well as a portion of the Atlantic coast south of there. The agreement also includes 44,030 km2 (17,000 sq mi) of sea rights.[60] Although the Inuit will not own the whole area, they were granted special rights related to traditional land use, and they will own 15,800 km2 (6,100 sq mi) designated Labrador Inuit Lands.[60] The agreement also establishes theTorngat Mountains National Park in the northern area of the land claim. The agreement was ratified by the Labrador Inuit, theGeneral Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, and theParliament of Canada, where it receivedRoyal Assent on June 23, 2005, whereafter elections would be held for the Nunatsiavut Assembly and self-government would begin.[13]
In the late 1970s, the Labrador Metis Association was created by the inhabitants of Labrador's southern coast to gain recognition as a distinct ethnocultural group,[25] as at the time despite a pre-existing treaty protected under the constitution, the "Inuit-Metis" were considered to be merely the descendants of Inuit who had joined Western society.[62] Little was known about the history of the "Inuit-Metis" of the time. In 2006, the Labrador Metis Association initiated a project withMemorial University of Newfoundland to better understand their past through the Community-University Research Association (CURA).[25] Following research by CURA, the "Labrador Metis" were understood to be a continuation of the Inuit of southern Labrador.[62] In 2010, the Labrador Metis Association changed its name to reflect their newly discovered heritage, and became theNunatuKavut Community Council.[63] The Southern Inuit ofNunatuKavut,[64] who are also seeking self-government, have their land claim before the Government of Canada. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador refuses to recognise or negotiate with the Inuit of NunatuKavut until their claim has been accepted by the Government of Canada.[65]
The Labrador region, with its 26,655 population,[66][67] is lower than any of theNorthern Canada territories,Yukon,Northwest Territories andNunavut.Newfoundland Island contains the majority of the population of the province ofNewfoundland and Labrador.
The municipalities of Labrador are mainly under 1,000 in population.
| Town | 2021[68] |
|---|---|
| Happy Valley-Goose Bay | 8,040 |
| Labrador City | 7,412 |
| Wabush | 1,964 |
| Sheshatshiu | 1,410 |
| Nain | 1,204 |
| Natuashish | 856 |
| Churchill Falls | 732 |
| L'Anse-au-Loup | 692 |
| Agvituk | 596 |
| North West River | 560 |
| Cartwright | 439 |
| Port Hope Simpson | 403 |
| Forteau | 377 |
| Makkovik | 365 |
| Rigolet | 327 |
| Mary's Harbour | 312 |
| Charlottetown | 292 |
| L'Anse au Clair | 219 |
| Postville | 188 |
| St. Lewis | 181 |
| Red Bay | 142 |
| West St. Modeste | 102 |
| Black Tickle | 87 |
| Pinware | 64 |
| Lodge Bay | 61 |
| Capstan Island | 55 |
| Mud Lake | 54 |
| Pinsent's Arm | 43 |
| Norman's Bay | 15 |
| Paradise River | 5 |
| Factor | Labrador Census Division 10[70](excludes Nunatsiavut-Nain) | Labrador Census Division 11[71](Nunatsiavut-Nain) | Canada[72] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,332 | 2,323 | 36,991,981 |
| Male/Female split | 50.7%/49.3% | 50.0%/50.0% | 49.3/50.7% |
| Median age (years) | 39.2 | 32.8 | 41.6 |
| Median household income (2020) | $115,000 | $77,500 | $84,000 |
| Employment insurance benefits (2020) | 3.4% | 6.8% | 1.4% |
According to the 2011 Census, Labrador was 55.1% White, 18.5% Inuit, 15.6% Metis, and 8.6% First Nations (Innu).[citation needed]
To safeguard their rights, resources, and culture against outside threats, the Innu people of Labrador formed the Naskapi Montagnais Innu Association (NMIA) in 1976
Over the years, many variations have been used: Terraagricule (1558); Land of Labor (1575); Estotilandt (1597) or Estotilande (1656); Terra Cortereale (1597); New Britain (1656).
... he had the consuming curiosity of the born explorer which must always see the other side of the hill or the other end of the river.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Labrador Act, 1809. – An imperial act (49 Geo. III, cap. 27), 1809, provided for the re-annexation to Newfoundland of 'such parts of the coast of Labrador from the River St John to Hudson's Streights, and the said Island of Anticosti, and all other smaller islands so annexed to the Government of Newfoundland by the said Proclamation of the seventh day of October one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three (except the said Islands of Madelaine) shall be separated from the said Government of Lower Canada, and be again re-annexed to the Government of Newfoundland.'
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