What is Inuit governance in Canada?

Inuit governance in Canada operates through four regions of Inuit Nunangat (the Inuit Homeland), each with its own comprehensive land-claim agreement and varying degrees of self-government. The four regions are the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (in NWT), Nunavut (the territorial government), Nunavik (in northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (in northern Labrador). Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) is the national Inuit organisation representing Canadian Inuit at the federal level.

The Inuvialuit Final Agreement of June 5, 1984 (effective July 25, 1984) was the first comprehensive Indigenous land-claim agreement in Canada and the model for subsequent claims. The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) is the principal Inuit institution in the western Arctic. Co-management is delivered through the Inuvialuit Game Council, the Wildlife Management Advisory Council, the Fisheries Joint Management Committee, and the Environmental Impact Screening Committee.

Nunavut is the only Canadian jurisdiction with an Inuit-majority population (about 84 per cent Inuit). The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement of May 25, 1993 (effective July 9, 1993) is the largest Indigenous land claim in Canadian history, transferring title to about 18 per cent of Nunavut's land area to the Inuit, providing $1.14 billion in capital, and establishing co-management of wildlife, environment, and land-use planning. The territorial government of Nunavut, established April 1, 1999, exercises provincial-style authority. Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) is the Inuit organisation that holds land-claim rights and represents Nunavut Inuit interests.

Nunavik in northern Quebec was established by the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement of November 11, 1975 (the first modern Indigenous land claim in Canada, prompted by the James Bay hydroelectric project). Nunavik is administered by the Kativik Regional Government (a regional municipal government), the Makivik Corporation (the Inuit-owned business and political body), and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. About 14,000 Inuit live in Nunavik's 14 communities. Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador was established by the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement of January 22, 2005 (effective December 1, 2005). Nunatsiavut is the only Inuit region with a self-government agreement (the Labrador Inuit Constitution), with about 2,500 Inuit citizens in five communities. The Nunatsiavut Government has authority over education, health, social services, and language. The federal Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (since 2017) coordinates federal-Inuit relations across all four regions.