When was Nunavut established?
Answer
The Territory of Nunavut was established on April 1, 1999 when the federal Nunavut Act and Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act came fully into force, splitting the Northwest Territories and creating Canada's third territory; Nunavut covers about 2 million square kilometres and was the largest division of Canadian territory since the 1949 entry of Newfoundland.
Explanation
The Territory of Nunavut was established on April 1, 1999 when the federal Nunavut Act (S.C. 1993, c. 28) and Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act (S.C. 1993, c. 29) came fully into force, splitting the Northwest Territories and creating Canada's third territory. Nunavut covers about 2 million square kilometres of the Eastern Arctic, about 20 per cent of Canada's land area. The establishment was the largest division of Canadian territory since the 1949 entry of Newfoundland into Confederation. Nunavut's creation also implemented one of the largest Indigenous land claims agreements in history.
The Nunavut process began with the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (now Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami) campaign of the 1970s for an Inuit homeland. The Tungavik Federation of Nunavut (established 1982 to negotiate land claims) and the Nunavut Constitutional Forum and Western Constitutional Forum (established 1983 to design the territorial structures) led the political work. A 1982 plebiscite of Northwest Territories residents had approved division by 56.5 per cent to 43.5 per cent. The 1992 plebiscite (specifically of Inuit beneficiaries of the proposed land claim) approved the package by 84.7 per cent Yes.
The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed on May 25, 1993 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Indian Affairs Minister Tom Siddon, NWT Premier Nellie Cournoyea, and Tungavik Federation of Nunavut President Paul Quassa. The Agreement granted Inuit fee-simple title to 350,000 square kilometres of land, including subsurface mineral rights to 35,257 square kilometres; co-management of wildlife, environmental protection, and impact-assessment regimes; royalties from resource development on Crown lands; about 1.17 billion dollars in cash payments over 14 years; and the creation of the Inuit-controlled Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) as the long-term Inuit organisation. The Agreement is constitutionally protected under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
Nunavut's first elected Legislative Assembly took office on April 1, 1999. Paul Okalik (elected by his fellow MLAs in the consensus-government tradition rather than party-based competition) became Nunavut's first Premier. The territory's capital is Iqaluit (the former Frobisher Bay), with a population of about 7,500 in 2024. Nunavut has three official languages: English, French, and Inuktut (the unified term for Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun). The territorial Legislative Assembly building, designed in the round to reflect Inuit cultural preferences, opened in 1999. Nunavut's total population is about 39,000 (2024), of whom about 85 per cent are Inuit. The territory operates a non-partisan consensus government (without traditional political parties). Nunavut Day is celebrated annually on July 9, the anniversary of the 1993 Nunavut Act royal assent.
Why this matters for your test
Nunavut's creation was the largest Canadian territorial division of the 20th century and one of the largest Indigenous land-claims agreements ever. Recognising the April 1, 1999 establishment and the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Government of Nunavut; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
