(Ottawa) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signed an agreement Thursday transferring control of land and resources in this mineral-rich Arctic region to the local government of Nunavut, marking the largest land transfer in Canadian history.
Created in 1999, this territory has deposits of gold, precious stones, minerals, rare earths, as well as oil and gas. And today, global warming makes the Arctic territory, mainly populated by Inuit, more accessible to mining and maritime transport.
“This is a place rich in culture, traditional knowledge, essential minerals and other resources that we need to build tomorrow’s economy together,” declared the head of the Canadian government, referring to “a moment important in the history of Nunavut” and “in the history of the country”.
“With this increased control, you will have more say and you will experience greater prosperity,” Justin Trudeau told Inuit representatives during a ceremony in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut.
Two million square kilometers of land and water will be transferred from the federal government of Canada to that of Nunavut, he added.
“Our lands and resources are now in the hands of our people,” said Nunavut Premier P. J. Akeeagok.
After decades of negotiations, this agreement must be implemented over the next three years.
It is one of the most remote and least populated regions in the world with around 40,000 inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Inuit.
In addition to transferring responsibility for lands and resources to Nunavut, this territory gains the right to collect royalties.
In the 1960s, Ottawa began to gradually transfer responsibilities for health, education, social services, etc. to its Arctic territories (which do not have the same status as the provinces).
Nunavut is the last territory, after the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, to obtain total control of its lands.