The Indigenous Territory of Nunavut

Nunavut is one of three territories in Canada, along with the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. It is located in northern Canada, the coldest region of the country. It extends over more than 2 million km², representing 21% of the total area of Canada^[1]. It has thousands of islands, including Baffin Island and Ellesmere Island.

In the Inuit language (Inuktitut), the word Nunavut means “our land.” In 2014, 33 330 people lived on this territory, close to 85% of whom were Inuit^[2].

The Inuit are an Indigenous people who have lived in the Arctic region of Canada for close to 1000 years. In 2021, the Inuit population of Canada was 70 545, of whom 44% lived in Nunavut^[3]. The term Inuk refers to a member of the Inuit people.

There are eight ethnic Inuit groups in Canada:

• the Labrador Inuit (Labradormiut)

• the Ungava Inuit

• the Baffin Island Inuit

• the Iglulik Inuit (Igluligmiut)

• the Caribou Inuit (Kivallirmiut)

• the Netsilik Inuit (Netsilingmiut)

• the Copper Inuit (Inuinnait)

• the Western Arctic Inuit

The Inuit language is divided into five main dialects. Those used by the Nunavut Inuit are Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.

Since they live in isolated regions, contact between the Inuit and Europeans occurred later than with other Indigenous nations. This meant that the Inuit were able to preserve their traditions and their culture remained unchanged until the mid-20^th century.

 

Traditional Way of Life

The Inuit were a nomadic people. They travelled using sled technology and dogs, providing a fast and efficient mode of transportation over ice and snow. Their way of life was adapted to the polar climate and the tundra. Nordicity was the basis of their culture. They travelled in small groups and followed herds of animals. In the winter, they hunted seal on the pack ice and in the summer they travelled inland to hunt caribou. They also hunted whales.

The products from their hunt allowed them to be self-sufficient:

• the meat served as food for the members of the group

• the skins and furs were used to make clothes and tents that protected them from the cold

• the bones and ivory served to make tools and sculptures

The Inuit only hunted what they needed.

Transformation of the Inuit Way of Life

Starting in the mid-19^th century, the Inuit began trading with Europeans who were coming to hunt whales or take part in the fur trade. The Inuit gradually left their self-sufficient economy and started hunting and fishing more commercially. The European goods (wools, metal items, firearms) they received trading with Europeans also changed their way of life.

In the 1950s, profound changes came with the forced relocation and settlement of the Inuit. With the goal of assimilation and sedentarization, the Canadian government made it a requirement for the Inuit to live in villages. Additionally, the federal government made school mandatory for their children.

Today’s Way of Life

Today, the Inuit are sedentary, living in permanent villages. While they no longer hunt as a means of subsistence, hunting and fishing continue to be a very important activity for the Inuit.

The communities now use new means of transportation, in addition to sledding, to travel over the land including snowmobiles, motor boats and planes.

The territory of Nunavut is managed by a government composed of 19 elected officials. Since the Inuit are the majority of the population, they are able to elect a government that takes into account their traditions and culture.

Given the large size of Nunavut, the government ensures a presence across the territory with offices in almost every community. These offices communicate with each other by videoconference so that the teams can talk to each other more easily.

There is very little planning and development beyond the 25 Inuit communities. There are no roads connecting the communities. Since they are isolated, there has been more development and infrastructure within the communities to respond to their needs. Each community has houses, a school, a community centre, stores, a health centre, a water supply and sewer system, and Internet access.

Nunavut also has an airport and maritime infrastructure, since everything is delivered by plane or ship. Planes are mostly used to deliver mail and perishable foods (fruits and vegetables). Ships are used to deliver everything else, including clothing, food, household products, furniture, toys, fuel, construction materials and even cars. The deliveries are made in the summer, from the end of June to October. The rest of the time, the communities are not accessible by water due to the ice.

Nunavut’s extreme climate and permafrost require special planning and development for the Inuit to survive in these winter conditions.

• Houses must be well insulated to protect the inhabitants from the cold.

• Water and sewer pipes and power lines must be above ground because the ground is permanently frozen.

• The construction of infrastructure of all types (roads, landing strips, houses, etc.) must be adapted due to the frozen ground. While permafrost is a solid base for construction, if it begins to thaw, this could present certain challenges.

The climate also has some advantages. In the winters, when the ocean, lakes and rivers are frozen, it is possible to travel on ice roads.

Mining activity requires the construction of infrastructure, in particular:

• a pit to extract the ore

• an ore processing plant

• warehouses

Since Nunavut’s mines are isolated, resources to develop transportation infrastructure (roads, airports and ports) are necessary to allow the mines to operate and export the ores extracted. Housing also needs to be built for mine workers who come from outside the region.

Access to these mineral resources and the development of the mining sector present some challenges.

When the Inuit were pressured to sedentarize in the 1950s and 1960s, they began to claim greater autonomy over their territory. They also demanded the creation of a government that would better represent their values and culture.

Before its creation, Nunavut was part of the Northwest Territories. Since most of the Inuit were living in the eastern part of the territory after the government’s push to establish Inuit villages up north, the idea was to divide the land in two in order to grant them greater autonomy.

In 1982, the government of the Northwest Territories held a referendum on a proposal to divide the territory. In total, 56% of people voted in favour. In the east, where the majority of the population are Inuit, 80% voted in favour.

The Nunavut Constitutional Forum was created to plan the division of the territory. Negotiations led to the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA). In 1992, the government of the Northwest Territories held another referendum on the agreement. It was approved by 84.7% of the population.

The NLCA was signed by the Government of Canada and officially entered into effect on July 9, 1993. Under this agreement, the Inuit made a number of gains such as:

• The creation of Nunavut in 1999

• The Inuit becoming the owners of 20% of the total area of Nunavut

• The Inuit’s ancestral rights being recognized over the entire territory

• The Inuit receiving $1.4 billion over a 14-year period

• The establishment of a government for the territory

• The Inuit having the right to participate in the management of the territory’s lands and resources

Before the official creation of Nunavut, several measures had to be put in place to guarantee the smooth running of this territory. Overseen by Chief Commissioner John Amagoalik, the Inuit community worked for the following six years to put in place the infrastructure and overall structure necessary for a new government, such as setting up government departments and training staff.

On February 15, 1999, the first elections were held to elect the members of the legislative assembly. Paul Okalik was elected premier. On April 1, 1999, Nunavut officially separated from the Northwest Territories and became the third Canadian territory.

Lack of Employment

The average age of the population of Nunavut is 27 years, which is much younger than the average age in the rest of Canada (41 years)^[9]. This means there are many individuals of working age. However, many people are unable to find jobs, resulting in high unemployment rates. There are many reasons for this. For example, few jobs are available and the general level of the population's education is low. This is because access to educational services in remote regions is difficult.

Without employment income, it can be difficult for people to meet their needs since food and other items are very expensive in Nunavut due to the remoteness and isolation of the territory.

One solution to address this lack of employment is to exploit the territory’s natural resources, which would create jobs and improve the population’s quality of life.

​​​​​Mines

Nunavut has a very promising mining sector. A few mines are already operating on the territory, and many initiatives are underway to open more mines.

Mines require the construction of significant infrastructure to extract, store and transport the resources. This infrastructure profoundly changes the territory and has many negative impacts on the environment. For example, mining waste can release many heavy metals that are toxic for the flora and fauna and can pollute drinking water sources.

Mines also disrupt the Inuit way of life. For example, when a mine opens on a traditional hunting territory, the noise causes game to flee to areas that are often less accessible to hunters. The planning and development of a mine requires a sharing of the territory between the Inuit population’s traditional activities and the mining activities.

One solution is to establish conditions that regulate the development of the mining industry. This could include implementing laws or regulations requiring the companies to minimize their negative impacts on the Inuit’s way of life and on the environment. Restoring the site once the mining activity is complete and asking for financial compensation are two examples of measures that could reduce the negative impacts.

Tourism

Tourism is another sector that contributes to the economic development of Nunavut. The territory’s big open spaces attract outdoor, hunting and fishing enthusiasts. There are also four national parks on the territory.

Tourism can be a significant source of revenue although income varies depending on the number of visitors. At this time, Nunavut’s tourism sector generates less profit than the mining sector. The main challenge is that Nunavut is an expensive destination, which, in turn, limits the number of tourists. As well, tourist infrastructure is limited. However, the impact of tourism on the environment is generally small, with tourism often promoting the Inuit way of life.

Nunavut is particularly vulnerable to global warming. The Arctic is one of the regions the most affected by climate change.

An increase in temperature of 3 to 7 degrees is predicted by 2030^[11]. Between 1948 and 2016, the average temperature in Nunavut increased by 2.7 degrees Celsius, while the average temperature in the rest of Canada increased by 1.7 degrees^[12].

This temperature increase is causing an acceleration in the melting of the ice melt (pack ice), the thawing of the permafrost, an increase in sea level and more precipitation.

Nunavut’s isolation and remoteness present a number of challenges for its inhabitants, such as:

• food insecurity

• housing crisis

• limited access to health care services

 

Food Insecurity

Due to the isolation and remoteness of the communities in Nunavut, food transportation is much more expensive. On average, food costs 2.2 times more in Nunavut than elsewhere in Canada.

Groceries are so expensive that many families in Nunavut are not able to cover all of their expenses. Since many inhabitants live below the poverty line, an increase in the price of groceries has serious consequences for the population.

In 2018, food insecurity affected 57% of the population of Nunavut^[13]. With the increase in food prices, rising to 7.4% between 2021 and 2022^[14], food insecurity will affect a growing number of families in Nunavut.

 

Housing Crisis

There has been a housing crisis (serious shortage of housing) for more than 20 years in Nunavut. The Nuvanut Housing Corporation builds 75 to 100 housing units each year, but that is not enough to meet the needs of the territory’s population. Between 250 and 300 housing units need to be built each year in order to manage housing for the entire population^[15].

This is an unrealistic goal for a number of reasons, starting with the significant increase in the price of construction materials, in addition to very high transportation costs. The materials must be transported directly to each community since the communities are not connected to each other by roads. What’s more, the building season is very short, which limits the number of housing units that can be built in a year.

The housing crisis primarily affects the members of the Inuit community, who represent 85% of the population of Nunavut. Many families live in houses that date back more than 50 years, and have had few or no renovations since.

Approximately 56% of Inuit houses are overpopulated, with up to 20 people living in some of them. This leads to other issues in terms of disease, mental health and substance abuse (drugs and alcohol). The suicide rate, for example, is 10 times higher in Nunavut than in the rest of Canada^[16].

 

Limited Access to Health Services

With isolation and remoteness comes limited access to health services. With no large urban centres on the territory, families in Nunavut must often travel to get specialized medical care.

Some care can be provided at the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, but there are families that have to travel much further for medical specialties that are not available in Nunavut.

Each year, hundreds of children must travel more than 2800 km to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). In 2019, some 544 children from Nunavut were treated there. The trip can be very challenging for families, who must take two planes and travel more than 12 hours to get to Ottawa. Once there, the different languages and culture can sometimes make the stay difficult. It is not unusual for these families to have to leave their community for several weeks at a time. Even if the cost of the travel and accommodation are paid for, certain families cannot afford to be without income for several weeks. Parents are often separated from their children, since their transportation costs are rarely reimbursed.

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