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Nunavik Inuit |
| Category: | People | |
| Sub Category: | Inuit of Canada |
| Place: | |
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| State/Country: | Northern Quebec, Canada |
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| Alternative Names: | Nunavit Inuit
Nunavimmiut
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| Summary Information: | |
Approximately 10,000 Nunuvik Inuit inhabit the northern area of the Quebec in the Nunavik region covering 560,000 square kilometres. They have occupied the north for between 4,000 and 8,000 years. The 1950s saw the Canadian and Quebec governments decide to implement a major relocation program in Nunavik, encouraging the Nunavimmiut to move into government housing where health and education services were also provided. This interrupted the traditional lifestyle of the Inuit of the north and resulted in government dependency. Most Nunavik Inuit were relocated to permanent settlements in the late 1950s and 1960s and the children sent to mandatory residential schools. The mid 1970s however, saw the Inuit regain some level of control over language, culture and governance. The James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the first of contemporary Canadian land claim settlements, marked the start of limited Inuit control over self-governance, language and culture. The Makivik Corporation is now heading efforts to establish autonomous government in Nunavik. In 2002 the Nunavik Inuit Marine Region Agreement-in-Principle was signed which extends the Nunavik Inuit claim to the offshore area known as the Nunavik marine region.
A Nunavik Commission has been established to consult and report on the establishment of a new Arctic government. It is envisaged by the Nunavimmiut that the law-making powers of the Nunavik Assembly would extend to the ability to pass laws regarding health, justice and education and the protection of language and culture. Any natural resource development would also require the consent of the Assembly. The report of the Nunavik Commission was tabled in 2001 and must be agreed to by the Canadian and Quebec governments. It can then be presented to the Nunavik community for referendum. Should it be accepted by the electorate, the process to establish a new government would commence. The Commission's Report envisages in this case that the Nunavik Assembly and Government would hold its first elections in 2005. |
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