Nunatsiavut | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
| Anthem: Labradorimiut[1] | |
 Nunatsiavut's location in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | |
| Coordinates:56°32′34″N61°41′33″W / 56.54278°N 61.69250°W /56.54278; -61.69250 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Created | June 23, 2005 |
| Capital | Hopedale (legislative) Nain (administrative) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Consensus government within the parliamentary system of Canada |
| • Body | Nunatsiavut Assembly (Nunatsiavut katimajitsuangit) |
| • President | Johannes Lampe (since 2016) |
| • First Minister | Tony Andersen (since 2019) |
| • MHA | Lela Evans (since 2019) |
| • MP | Yvonne Jones (since 2013) |
| Area | |
• Total | 66,787.13 km2 (25,786.66 sq mi) |
| • Officially | 15,800 km2 (6,100 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 2,323 |
| • Density | 0.035/km2 (0.09/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−04:00 (AST) |
| Postal code prefix | A0P |
| ISO 3166 code | NL |
| Federal riding | Labrador (electoral district) |
| Provincial riding | Torngat Mountains (electoral district) |
| Website | nunatsiavut.com |
Nunatsiavut (/nuːˈnɑːtsiəvʊt/;Inuktitut:ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ) is anautonomous area claimed by theInuit inNewfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory inLabrador extending to theQuebec border. In 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to thegovernment of Newfoundland and Labrador. The constitution was ratified on December 1, 2005, at which time the Labrador Inuit Association ceased to exist, and the new Government of Nunatsiavut was established, initially being responsible for health, education and cultural affairs. It is also responsible for setting and conducting elections, the first of which was executed in October 2006. An election for the ordinary members of theNunatsiavut Assembly was held on May 4, 2010.[2] Its incumbent president isJohannes Lampe who assumed office in 2016.
InInuttitut/Inuktitut, Nunatsiavut means "Our Beautiful Land". This name was ratified by the Labrador Inuit Constitution and passed by the Labrador Inuit Association in 2002. A primary objective of autonomy is for the preservation of theInuit culture andlanguage, as well as the environment through environmental stewardship.
Nunatsiavut is counted in the census as Division 11.
The Labrador Inuit Association had filed aland claim for portions of Labradorian land in 1977.[3] In 1988, the Labrador Inuit Association, the government of the province of Newfoundland, and thegovernment of Canada began negotiations based on the land claim.[4] 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.[4]
On January 22, 2005, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut signed the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement[5] with the federal and provincial governments covering 72,520 km2 (28,000 sq mi) of land,[3] 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.[3] 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.[3] The agreement also establishes theTorngat Mountains National Park in the northern area of the land claim.
The Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement is a treaty between the Inuit of Labrador, the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the federal government of Canada, that is constitutionally protected under the aboriginal and treaty rights ofIndigenous peoples in Canada granted bysection 35 of theConstitution Act, 1982.[5]
The self-governance agreement included a transfer of $130 million from the federal government in compensation for the forced relocation of the Inuit in the 1950s;[6] $120 million to establish self-government; royalty payments from the provincial government for resource extraction; and land, mineral, and marine rights.[7] Unspecified benefits for Inuit in Labrador not within the settlement area were also part of the agreement.[3]
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.[8]
On December 1, 2005, the constitution was formally adopted, and a swearing-in ceremony was held for the first cabinet,[9] an interim government which consisted of members of the Labrador Inuit Association board of directors.[9] This day marked the official transfer of power from the provincial government to the newly formed Government of Nunatsiavut "to make their own laws relating to cultural affairs, education and health".[10]
In October 2006, Nunatsiavut held its first election to form a nine-member government, which was sworn in on October 16 inHopedale.[11]
In 2019, there were 150 Inuit children in the care of theDepartment of Children, Seniors, and Social Development. An independent review,A Long Wait for Change, was completed by the province's Child and Youth Advocate at the request of the Nunatsiavut government and released in 2019. It contained 33 recommendations, including providing the support needed to transition to an Inuit-led child welfare system in Nunatsiavut.[12]
On June 18, 2021, Nunatsiavut stated that it had begun the process of seekingdevolution of child protection services from the Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development with the goal for negotiations to conclude within three years.[13][14][15]
The land claim agreement provided for the establishment of the Government of Nunatsiavut to represent the residents of the land claim area and any Labrador Inuit living elsewhere in Canada. Nunatsiavut remained a part of Newfoundland and Labrador, but the Government of Nunatsiavut acquired the jurisdictional authority over health, education, and justice in the land claim area. Nunatsiavut operates under aconsensus government within the parliamentary system of Canada.
The legislature of the government is based in Hopedale, and its administrative centre is inNain. It is subject to theNunatsiavut Elections Act. TheNunatsiavut Assembly consists of a minimum of 16 members, including:
There are currently two Inuit Community Corporations,NunaKatiget Inuit Community Corporation andSivunivut Inuit Community Corporation,[18] and 18 members in the Assembly.
From the Assembly, a member will be elected to act as First Minister. The Assembly would act as a forum for discussion of laws, and it will oversee the Executive Council.
The Nunatsiavut Executive Council will be appointed by the First Minister. It will implement laws, develop and implement policy, initiate and prepare legislation, oversee the administration of the government, and be accountable to the Assembly.
Inuit Community Governments were established in Nain, Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet. Each consists of a municipal council, elected from and by both Inuit and non-Inuit residents, and is led by anAngajukĸâk, a chief executive officer and mayor, who must be Inuk.
Large settlements of Labrador Inuit outside the settlement area will be represented by Inuit Community Corporations.
The Angajukĸâk of each Inuit Community Government and the chairperson of each Inuit Community Corporation will represent his or her community in the Nunatsiavut Assembly.
There are seven departments headed by six ministers with Nunatsiavut Secretariat headed by the President of the Executive Council.[19]
Chapters 12 and 13 of the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement created the Torngat Wildlife and Plants Co-management Board, and the Torngat Joint Fisheries Board.[20]
While each community has government facilities, there are two key sites:
Nunatsiavut Government Head Office is located at 25 Ikajuktauvik Road inNain and houses the administrative functions of the Government of Nunatsiavut.
TheNunatsiavut Assembly sits atNunatsiavut Assembly Building inHopedale. The building opened in 2012, faces Hopedale Harbour[21] and is the first permanent home since 2008 (previous assemblies met at various locations in Hopedale).
Nunatsiavut's land claim includes the area surroundingHamilton Inlet and the coastline north to a point south ofDavis Inlet; the Mulligan River also forms part of the boundary. It also claims the land north of the Notakwanon River and as far north asCape Chidley. Nunatsiavut is the southernmost recognized Inuit territory in Canada.
Nunatsiavut's territory consists of two geographic regions. The southern portion contains Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville and Hopedale and has a population of 1,433 (as of 2016).[22] The northern portion contains Nain as well as the Torngat Mountains National Park. Nunatsiavut is located near theInnu communities ofNatuashish andSheshatshiu as well asNorth West River,Happy Valley-Goose Bay andCartwright. It is also near the Quebec settlements ofKuujjuaq andKangiqsualujjuaq.
The Labrador Métis Nation (LMN), unsuccessfully filed a challenge to Nunatsiavut's claim in theSupreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. The LMN's original land claim included all of Labrador south of Nain.[23]
TheMakivik Corporation had their claim to the coast betweenKilliniq Island andVoisey's Bay accepted in 1993; it later asked the federal government not to ratify Nunatsiavut's claims since it overlapped with their claim.[24]
Division No. 11 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates:55°04′39″N59°11′15″W / 55.07750°N 59.18750°W /55.07750; -59.18750 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Area | |
• Total | 69,371.46 km2 (26,784.47 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[25] | |
• Total | 2,323 |
| • Density | 0.033/km2 (0.087/sq mi) |
In the2021 Census of Population conducted byStatistics Canada, Division No. 11 had a population of2,323 living in780 of its845 total private dwellings, a change of-9.2% from its 2016 population of2,558. With a land area of 66,787.13 km2 (25,786.66 sq mi), it had a population density of0.03/km2 (0.09/sq mi) in 2021.[25]
| Canada Census Knowledge of official languages - Nunatsiavut, Newfoundland and Labrador[26][27] | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Total | English | French | French & English | Other | |||||||||||||
| Year | Responses | Count | Pop % | Count | Pop % | Count | Pop % | Count | Pop % | |||||||||
2016 | 2,555 | 2,525 | 98.8% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.8% | 10 | 0.4% | |||||||||
2011 | 2,360 | 2,335 | 98.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 10 | 0.42% | 10 | 0.42% | |||||||||
According to the 2011 census, 98.73% of Nunatsiavut's residents identify as Christian. 11.25% identified asAnglican while 79.62% identified as "Other Christian" (most likelyMoravian). 1.49% of Nunatsiavut's residents identified as having no religion.
According to the 2016 census, 91.8% of Nunatsiavut's residents are of Indigenous ancestry. Of the 2,350Indigenous Canadians, a total of 2,290 were Inuit, 35 wereMétis and 25 wereFirst Nations.[27]
Nunatsiavut grants enrollment to what it defines as two different ethnicities,Inuit and the Kablunângajuit (mixed Inuit-European).[28][29]
| Ethnic Origin | Percentage of Population |
|---|---|
| Inuit | 88.1% |
| English | 12.9% |
| Canadian | 7.4% |
| Norwegian | 4.5% |
| Scottish | 3.5% |
| French | 2.7% |
| Irish | 2.5% |
| First Nations (North American Indian) | 2.5% |
| Métis | 1.8% |
| German | 1.2% |
| Newfoundlander | 0.8% |
According to the Nunatsiavut government,[31] somebody who is a Kablunângajuk (plural: Kablunângajuit) is "an individual who is given that designation according toInuit customs and traditions". The Nunatsiavut government applies this designation to somebody who is either of mixed Inuit and non-Inuit descent or is not of Inuit descent but settled in what is now Nunatsiavut before 1940. Their ancestors were mainlyfur traders from places such as Quebec, Scotland, Norway and elsewhere who often married Inuit.[32]
The term Kablunângajuk means "person who resembles a white person". They were historically called terms such as "settlers" or "half-breeds".[28]
The Kablunângajuit are usually counted as Inuit byStatistics Canada so their exact population is unknown. As Nunatsiavut beneficiaries, they have all the same privileges as Inuit beneficiaries in the region.
In the 2016 census, 29.9% of Nunatsiavut's population was unemployed.[27] TheVoisey's Bay nickel mine is located about 35 km (22 mi) southwest of Nain.[33][34]
TheMVNorthern Ranger provided ferry service between Nunatsiavut's five communities as well asNatuashish,Happy Valley-Goose Bay,Cartwright andBlack Tickle.[35] In 2019 the ferry was replaced byMV Kamutik W.[36][37] All five settlements also have airports with flights formerly provided byAir Labrador and now served byAir Borealis.[38][39] No community in Nunatsiavut is road accessible; however, there have been some proposals to connect Nunatsiavut to theTrans-Labrador Highway.[40][41]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Media related toNunatsiavut at Wikimedia Commons
Nunatsiavut travel guide from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Nunatsiavut | ||||||||||||||||
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