Evaluating Key Informant Perspectives on Inuit Self-Determination and Economic Participation in Nunavut

Abstract

The negotiation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (1993) and subsequent creation of the territory of Nunavut in 1999 have been considered by some to be the beginning of the nation to nation reconciliation between the Inuit of the Eastern Arctic and Canada. The institutions of public government that were created through this agreement are intended in part to support Inuit in shaping their economic livelihoods in the territory on their terms. However, it is unclear how territorial and regional planners and decision-makers in positions of power conceptualize “successful economic development” in Nunavut and what implications this could have for Inuit self-determination. Key informants from the Government of Nunavut (GN) and several Inuit and Land Claims Organizations (ILCOs) were interviewed (n=17) to understand how they conceptualize successful development in the territory and what they think is needed to attain their vision. A framework for Indigenous nation building (Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development), developed from three decades of research, is used to analyze the interview results. The results of this qualitative analysis indicate that key informants interpret their role toward Inuit self-determination as promoting Inuit participation in Nunavut’s market-based, wage-labour economy. This has important implications for possible GN and ILCO coordination and collaboration in their socio-economic efforts on behalf of Nunavummiut.