Nunatsiavut (; iu, italics=no, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ) is an autonomous area claimed by the

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

extending to the

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

border. In 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government 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 the

Nunatsiavut Assembly The Nunatsiavut Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nunatsiavut, Canada. History On January 22, 2005, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut signed the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement with the federal and provincial governments cover ...

was held on May 4, 2010. The Nunatsiavut Assembly was dissolved on April 6 in preparation for the election. Its incumbent president is

Johannes Lampe Johannes Lampe is a Canadian politician who is the current President of Nunatsiavut, an autonomous Inuit region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Career Lampe was sworn in as president in May 2016 after being the only cand ...

who assumed office in 2016. In

Inuttitut Inuttitut, Inuttut, or Nunatsiavummiutitut is a dialect of Inuktitut. It is spoken across northern Labrador by Inuit, whose traditional lands are known as Nunatsiavut. The language has a distinct writing system, created in Greenland in the 1760s ...

/ 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 the Inuit culture and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

, as well as the environment through environmental stewardship. Nunatsiavut is counted in the census as Division 11.

Self-governance

The Labrador Inuit Association had filed a

land claim A land claim is defined as "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include aboriginal land claims, A ...

for portions of Labradorian land in 1977. In 1988, the Labrador Inuit Association, the government of the province of Newfoundland, and the

government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

began negotiations based on the land claim. 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. On January 22, 2005, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut signed the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement with the federal and provincial governments covering of land, including the entire northern salient of Labrador north of Nain as well as a portion of the Atlantic coast south of there. The agreement also includes of sea rights. Although the Inuit will not own the whole area, they were granted special rights related to traditional land use, and they will own designated Labrador Inuit Lands. The agreement also establishes the

Torngat Mountains National Park Torngat Mountains National Park () is a Canadian national park located on the Labrador Peninsula in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The park encompasses of mountainous terrain between Northern Quebec and the Labrador Sea. It is the la ...

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 of Indigenous peoples in Canada granted by section 35 of the

Constitution Act, 1982 The ''Constitution Act, 1982'' (french: link=no, Loi constitutionnelle de 1982) is a part of the Constitution of Canada.Formally enacted as Schedule B of the ''Canada Act 1982'', enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Section 60 of t ...

. 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; $120 million to establish self-government; royalty payments from the provincial government for resource extraction; and land, mineral, and marine rights. Unspecified benefits for Inuit in Labrador not within the settlement area were also part of the agreement. The agreement was ratified by the Labrador Inuit, the

General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador The General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador (known as the General Assembly of Newfoundland until 6 December 2001) is the legislature of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the m ...

, and the Parliament of Canada, where it received

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

on June 23, 2005. On December 1, 2005, the constitution was formally adopted, and a swearing-in ceremony was held for the first cabinet, an interim government which consisted of members of the Labrador Inuit Association board of directors. 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". In October 2006, Nunatsiavut held its first election to form a nine-member government, which was sworn in on October 16 in Hopedale. In 2019, there were 150 Inuit children in the care of the Department 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. On June 18, 2021, Nunatsiavut stated that it had begun the process of seeking devolution of child protection services from Department of Children, Seniors, and Social Development with the goal for negotiations to conclude within three years.

Nunatsiavut Assembly and Executive Council

Nunatsiavut Assembly Building in Hopedale

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 a consensus government within the parliamentary system of Canada. The legislature of the government is based in Hopedale, and its administrative centre is in Nain. It is subject to the ''Nunatsiavut Elections Act''. The

consists of a minimum of 16 members, including: * a president, who chairs the Nunatsiavut Executive Council, * ten ordinary members (one each from Hopedale,

Makkovik Makkovik (Inuit: ''Maggovik'') is a town in Labrador in eastern Canada. It had 365 residents in 2021. The main industry is snow crabbing and there is a fishing cooperative. Makkovik is only accessible by air or sea. History The Makkovik area has ...

, Postville and

Rigolet Rigolet ( Inuttitut: ''Tikigâksuagusik'') (population 310) is a remote, coastal Labrador community established in 1735 by French-Canadian trader Louis Fornel. The town is the southernmost officially recognized Inuit community in the world. Loca ...

; two each from Nain, the

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: ''Vâli'') is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located in the central part of Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Churchill River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest popul ...

, Northwest River and Mud Lake area, and all Inuit elsewhere in Canada) * the ''Angajukĸâk'' (mayor) of each of the five Inuit Community Governments (one each in Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet) * the Chairs of the Inuit Community Corporations. There are currently two Inuit Community Corporations, ''NunaKatiget Inuit Community Corporation'' and ''Sivunivut Inuit Community Corporation'', 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 an ''Angajukĸâk'', 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.

Departments

There are seven departments headed by six ministers with Nunatsiavut Secretariat headed by the President of the Executive Council. * Department of Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology * Department of Education and Economic Development * Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism * Department of Health & Social Development * Department of Lands and Natural Resources * Department of Nunatsiavut Affairs * Nunatsiavut Secretariat

Wildlife, Plants, and Commercial Fisheries Co-management

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.

Government buildings

While each community has government facilities, there are two key sites: Nunatsiavut Government Head Office is located at 25 Ikajuktauvik Road in Nain and houses the administrative functions of the Government of Nunatsiavut. The

sits at Nunatsiavut Assembly Building in Hopedale. The building opened in 2012, faces Hopedale Harbour and is the first permanent home since 2008 (previous assemblies met at various locations in Hopedale).

Geography

Nunatsiavut's land claim includes the area surrounding

Hamilton Inlet __NOTOC__ Hamilton Inlet is a fjord-like inlet of Groswater Bay on the Labrador coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Together with Lake Melville, it forms its province's largest estuary, extending over inland to Happy V ...

and the coastline north to a point south of

Davis Inlet Davis Inlet was a Naskapi community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, formerly inhabited by the Mushuau Innu First Nation. It was named for its adjacent fjord, itself named for English explorer, John Davis, who in 1587 char ...

; the Mulligan River also forms part of the boundary. It also claims the land north of the Notakwanon River and as far north as

Cape Chidley Cape Chidley is a headland located on the eastern shore of Killiniq Island, Canada, at the northeastern tip of the Labrador Peninsula. Cape Chidley was named by English explorer John Davis on August 1, 1587, after his friend and fellow explorer ...

. 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). The northern portion contains Nain as well as the Torngat Mountains National Park. Nunatsiavut is located near the Innu communities of Natuashish and

Sheshatshiu Sheshatshiu () is an Innu federal reserve and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The reserve is approximately north of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Some references may spell the community's name as Sheshatshit, ...

as well as

North West River North West River is a small town located in central Labrador. Established in 1743 as a trading post by French Fur Trader Louis Fornel, the community later went on to become a hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and home to a hospital and school s ...

and Cartwright. It is also near the Quebec settlements of

Kuujjuaq Kuujjuaq (; iu, ᑰᑦᔪᐊᖅ, i=no or iu, ᑰᔾᔪᐊᖅ, i=no, label=none, "Great River"), formerly known as and by other names, is a former Hudson's Bay Company outpost at the mouth of the Koksoak River on Ungava Bay that has become ...

and

Kangiqsualujjuaq Kangiqsualujjuaq (; ) is an Inuit village located at the mouth of the George River on the east coast of Ungava Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. Its population was 956 as of the 2021 census. Names The settlement's original name, Fort Sever ...

Towns

* Hopedale *

* Nain * Postville *

Land disputes

The

Labrador Métis Nation , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

(LMN) filed a challenge to Nunatsiavut's claim in the

Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador is the superior court for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to hear appeals in both criminal and civil matters from the Provincial Court and design ...

. The federal government has also suggested that the LMN join Nunatsiavut. The LMN's original land claim included all of Labrador south of Nain. The

Makivik Corporation Makivik Corporation ( iu, ᒪᑭᕝᕕᒃ ᑯᐊᐳᕇᓴᑦ, script=, ; french: Société Makivik) is the legal representative of Quebec's Inuit, established in 1978 under the terms of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the agreement t ...

had their claim to the coast between

Killiniq Island Killiniq Island (English: ''ice floes'') is a remote island in southeastern Nunavut and northern Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located at the extreme northern tip of Labrador between Ungava Bay and the Labrador Sea, it is notable in that it ...

and Voisey's Bay accepted in 1993 and later asked the federal government not to ratify Nunatsiavut's claims since it overlapped with their claim.

Census Division No. 11

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Division No. 11 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Unorganized subdivisions

* Subdivision C * Subdivision E

Demographics

Languages

Knowledge of official languages

Religion

According to the 2011 census, 98.73% of Nunatsiavut's residents identify as Christian. 11.25% identified as Anglican while 79.62% identified as "Other Christian" (most likely Moravian). 1.49% of Nunatsiavut's residents identified as having no religion.

Ethnic origin

According to the 2016 census, 91.8% of Nunatsiavut's residents are of Indigenous ancestry. Of the 2,350

Indigenous Canadians In Canada, Indigenous groups comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Although ''Indian'' is a term still commonly used in legal documents, the descriptors ''Indian'' and ''Eskimo'' have fallen into disuse in Canada, and most consider them ...

a total of 2,290 were Inuit, 35 were Métis and 25 were

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

. Nunatsiavut grants enrollment to what it defines as two different ethnicities,

and the Kablunângajuit (mixed Inuit-European).Being and becoming Inuit in Labrador
/ref>

Kablunângajuit

According to the Nunatsiavut government, somebody who is a Kablunângajuk (plural: Kablunângajuit) is "an individual who is given that designation according to Inuit 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 mainly fur traders from places such as Quebec, Scotland, Norway and elsewhere who often married Inuit. The term Kablunângajuk means "person who resembles a white person". They were historically called terms such as "settlers" or "

half-breed Half-breed is a term, now considered offensive, used to describe anyone who is of mixed race; although, in the United States, it usually refers to people who are half Native American and half European/white. Use by governments United States I ...

s". It is also sometimes used to refer to the people of the unrecognized NunatuKavut region. The Kablunângajuit are usually counted as Inuit by Statistics Canada so their exact population is unknown. As Nunatsiavut beneficiaries, they have all the same privileges as Inuit beneficiaries in the region.

Employment

In the 2016 census, 29.9% of Nunatsiavut's population was unemployed. The Voisey's Bay nickel mine is located about southwest of Nain.

Transportation

The MV ''Northern Ranger'' provided ferry service between Nunatsiavut's five communities as well as Natuashish,

, Cartwright and

Black Tickle Black Tickle ( Inuttitut: ''Kikkertet'') is a " remote Aboriginal settlement" and designated place in Newfoundland and Labrador on the Island of Ponds. In the 2021 census Black Tickle had a population of 87. Locations in Labrador south of Blac ...

. In 2019 the ferry was replaced by . All five settlements also have airports with flights formerly provided by Air Labrador and now served by

PAL Airlines PAL Airlines (formerly Provincial Airlines) is a Canadian regional airline with headquarters at St. John's International Airport in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.Trans-Labrador Highway The Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) is a highway located in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the primary public road in Labrador. Its total length is . The complete paving of the highway was completed in July 2022. The ...

Notable people

Caubvick Caubvick (fl. 1773) was an Inuk from Labrador, a wife of one of George Cartwright's Inuit friends. The highest peak in all of Labrador and east of the Rockies is named in her honour, Mount Caubvick. Her name comes from the Inuktitut word for "wolv ...

, namesake of

Mount Caubvick Mount Caubvick (known as Mont D'Iberville in Quebec) is a mountain located in Canada on the border between Labrador and Quebec in the Selamiut Range of the Torngat Mountains. It is the highest point in mainland Canada east of the Rockies. The m ...

* Randy Edmunds, Member of the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...

for

Torngat Mountains The Torngat Mountains are a mountain range on the Labrador Peninsula at the northern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador and eastern Quebec. They are part of the Arctic Cordillera.

(2011-2019) *

, 3rd President of Nunatsiavut (2016-) * Sarah Leo, 2nd President of Nunatsiavut (2012–16) *

Mikak Mikak ( – October 1, 1795), also known as Micock, Mycock, or Mecock, was born in Labrador, Canada and died at Nain, Newfoundland and Labrador. She was one of several Inuit to travel to Europe in the 18th century and return to North America, ...

, one of the first Inuit to travel to, and return from, Europe in the mid 1700s. *

Natan Obed Natan Obed is a Canadian politician who has served as president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) since September 2015. Early life Although born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Obed considers Nain, Nunatsiavut,where he was raised, as his ...

, President of the

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada") previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...

* Keith Russell, former Member of the House of Assembly for

Lake Melville Lake Melville is an estuary of Hamilton Inlet (itself an extension of Groswater Bay) on the Labrador coast of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Comprising and stretching inland to Happy Valley-Goose Bay, it forms part of th ...

(2011–15), former provincial cabinet minister *

John Shiwak John Shiwak (1889 – November 21, 1917) was a Newfoundland sniper during the First World War. He was a member of the Newfoundland Regiment and noted as one of the best snipers in the British forces during the war. Shiwak, an Inuk, lived at ...

, soldier * Abraham Ulrikab, former

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

resident * Marlene Winters-Wheeler, speaker of the assembly

References

External links

* *
Government of Nunatsiavut
at the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

at the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador {{Subdivisions of Newfoundland and Labrador Inuit territories Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador Proposed provinces and territories of Canada Regions of the Arctic Indigenous peoples in Newfoundland and Labrador