Hence there were Inuit Canadians who as late as the s had little or no exposure to outsiders. Permanent settlement into communities was for many Inuit a phenomenon of the fifties and sixties.
One of the biggest challenges facing the leaders of Nunavut will be to find a way out of the economic dependence that has become the most debilitating legacy of colonial relations. Politically the Arctic islands became part of Canada in , though virtually nothing was done about them until when William Wakeham, co-chairman of an international boundary commission, ceremonially hoisted a flag at Kekerten Island in Cumberland Sound, now a historic Territorial park.
Map of Canada, Nunavut outlined. It was not until that an appointed council composed of Ottawa-based civil-servants, began to actively govern the Arctic and instituted the series of annual eastern Arctic ship patrols that brought supplies and services to coastal communities. The status of Inuit, legally uncertain, was settled in in the Supreme Court of Canada decision Re: Eskimos , which determined Inuit were a federal responsibility and in effect, aboriginal citizens; however, Inuit were not directly consulted about the governance of their lands and communities until the late fifties.
In Abraham Okpik became the first Inuk appointed to the territorial council. In the council expanded to include seven elected members, with Simonie Michael the first Inuk elected.
Slowly the territorial council evolved into an elected, representative body, with Inuit actively involved in its workings. By the early seventies, Inuit in N. By the eighties, the ITC represented Inuit across the nation. Nunavut was a long-standing goal from the ITC, which presented the notion formally as early as its first land claim in A lengthy treatise would be needed to detail the twists and turns around the question of division that occupied Inuit politicians in the late seventies through the eighties.
Suffice to say, however, that a generation of astute political leaders emerged among Inuit, many of them women, who with patience, determination, creativity, and will achieved a vision: Nunavut.
Rather, their particular situation as majority occupants of the Arctic has led them to promote the notion of increased power for their public governments as opposed to aboriginal governments as a vehicle for their political aspirations. They will be able to use their substantial majority to elect enough Inuit politicians that the government of Nunavut will be theirs. At least, they are able to do so for the foreseeable future. Nunavut is in part the creation of a land claim, the Nunavut Land Settlement Agreement, which stipulated in one section the division of the N.
The land claim is now administered by a body called the Nunavut Tungavik Incorporated, which, as a large capital and landholder, will be a major player representing the Inuit interests in Nunavut. Recommendations setting up the Nunavut government were made by a body called the Nunavut Implementation Commission.
It was chaired by John Amagoalik, widely acknowledged as a founder of the territory. Its work ended in when an interim commissioner, former member of parliament Jack Anawak, was appointed to carry out its recommendations. Over the past six years, the Inuit community has been engaged in frenetic activity to have in place by the April 1, , deadline, the human and material infrastructure demanded by the new government.
Over the next eight years increased responsibilities will be devolved to the Government of Nunavut. By the end of that time it will be a province-like jurisdiction as the N. Inuktitut is an official language in the new territory. In , there were 4, active resident anglers in the NWT. Over 20 world sport fishing records have been set in the NWT. Principal species sought include lake trout, arctic grayling, arctic char, northern pike, walleye, and whitefish.
Although The territorial government owns 83 percent of the forests and the federal government controls the remaining 17 percent. In , it was producing nearly six percent of the world's diamonds by value. Mining is by far the largest private sector of the NWT economy. Production in included 2, kilograms 6, That year, the NWT provided percent of the value of Canada's diamond and tungsten production.
The NWT also produced small amounts of silver, sand and gravel, and stone in The first major gold discovery in the western NWT was made in on the west side of Yellowknife Bay, an area than is still mined. In , the discovery of diamonds in the NWT started one of the largest land claim rushes in recent Canadian history.
Four additional pipes were being sampled. Oil and gas exploration and development are important to the territory's economy, but the industry is open to wide fluctuations in world markets. The Norman Wells oil field has been in production since The field was expanded in New gas discoveries around Fort Liard came on stream in Initial production rates of 50 million cubic feet per day have been achieved. In , 1.
That year, million cubic meters Over 83 percent of merchandise exports from the three territories were pearls and precious stones including diamonds. Inuit arts and crafts account for a great amount of retail income in the NWT, spread out over a wide geographical area. About one in 14 persons of working age in the NWT earns some income through the sales of craft items. Services related to tourism have become increasingly important sources of income.
The fiscal year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Major expenditure areas were health, education, public works, social services, municipal and community services, NWT housing corporation, renewable resources, transportation, and economic development and tourism.
The NWT has no provincial sales tax. The territorial income tax rates in ranged from 7. In , there were live births in the NWT, a decrease of 8. There were deaths that year, a 3. The NWT was one of only four provinces or territories to have an increase in the number of deaths in The life expectancy in was These were the second-lowest life expectancy rates in Canada.
Only Nunavut had lower life expectancy rates. Reported cases of selected diseases in for the NWT included gonococcal infections, ; chicken pox, 68; giardiasis, 10; and salmonellosis, 8. Larger communities such as Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River, and Fort Smith have well-equipped hospitals; smaller communities have nursing stations.
Air ambulance Medevac service is available throughout the NWT and is coordinated by the local nursing stations.
Excessive alcohol consumption is a health problem in the NWT. Smoking rates are among the highest in Canada. In , there were 12, households in the NWT, and the average number of persons in a household was 2. Due to permafrost and a short construction season, the cost of building a house is more expensive in NWT than elsewhere in Canada. In , 8, households lived in single-detached houses, households lived in apartments in buildings with five or more stories, households lived in mobile homes, and 3, households lived in other dwellings, including row houses and apartments in buildings with fewer than five stories.
Elementary and secondary schools are supported by eight community boards of education and by the provincial Department of Education. There are 46 public schools offering instruction in English, 2 schools offering instruction in French, and 3 private schools.
There were approximately 9, students enrolled in all schools in Postsecondary community college enrollment in western NWT in was about 1, full-and part-time students. Nearly every community in the NWT has artisans who produce clothing, accessories, tools, weavings, beadwork, jewelry, or carvings. Other skilled crafts include the making of birchbark baskets, moose-hair tuftings, and porcupine quillwork.
Inuvik is the site of the mid-summer Great Northern Arts Festival, which draws artisans from throughout the territory. Yellowknife has 3 radio stations 2 AM and 1 FM. Recently, tourism has become increasingly important.
The NWT offers a variety of landscapes of great natural beauty, which are well-suited to fishing, wildlife observation, and other outdoor activities. Local sporting organizations for such sports as badminton, basketball, track and field, and volleyball are popular in the territory, as are canoeing and kayaking.
Famous early fur traders included Sir Alexander Mackenzie b. Scotland, — , who explored the Slave River and Great Slave Lake area, and American Peter Pond — , who established the first trading post. Nellie Joy Cournoyea b. Ethel Blondin-Andrew b. Actress Margot Kidder b. Bumsted, J. The Peoples of Canada. New York: Oxford University Press, Daitch, Richard W. Northwest Territories. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, Holmes, J.
The Story of Fort Steuben. LeVert, Suzanne. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, Moore, Christopher. The Big Book of Canada. Toronto: Tundra Books, Roy, Geoffrey.
Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, Weihs, Jean. Facts about Canada, Its Provinces and Territories. New York: H. Wilson, Goverment of Northwest Territories. Statistics Canada. Travel Canada: Northwest Territories. Toggle navigation. Northwest Territories Population Profile. Northern Exploration The Northwest Territories include many islands, lakes, rivers and the northernmost portions of mainland Canada.
Growth During World War II Since land in the Northwest Territories is so remote and its climate is so harsh, it was largely overlooked by settlers and developers for decades after its creation. The Issue of Land Claims The issue of settling Aboriginal, or native, land claims in the Northwest Territories as well as in other parts of Canada emerged in the s.
Web sites Goverment of Northwest Territories. User Contributions: 1. Renae Sherman. I would have falled if it wasn't for this useful website! This site helped me on my Canada report so much. It gave me over 3 Pharagraphs of info. Thanks again, Noah C. Thankz again Kashfia Rahman.
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I'll definatly come back to nationalencyclopedia again. Seth r. Thanyou so much for this website i would have failed my project on canada. By , the Territorial Assembly was almost entirely elected.
It was granted responsible government in Official status for the French language was terminated in The NWT then moved to impose centralized state control over the denominational school system. This ensured national control of the settlement process. It also integrated the West into the national economy. However, as a result, the territorial government was denied the revenue from lands and resources, as well as control of development, that the provinces enjoyed except for Manitoba.
Other factors also contributed to western resentment. Protective tariffs benefited central Canada. The CPR operated as a monopoly for years to ensure its viability. Vast areas of land were granted to the railways and the HBC. And freight rates were structured to benefit the railways at the expense of the farmer. The struggle to wrest provincial status from a resistant federal government, led most notably by Frederick Haultain , helped to entrench in the territories a deep suspicion of Ottawa.
It also established a history of protest and a commitment to ideals of local control and direct democracy. The increasing protests bore fruit in September See Autonomy Bills. However, Ottawa entrenched public and separate school systems in the provincial constitutions. It also retained federal control of public lands and natural resources in the new provinces, making the process highly controversial. Search The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Remember me. I forgot my password. Why sign up? Create Account. Suggest an Edit. Enter your suggested edit s to this article in the form field below. Accessed 14 November In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published February 07, ; Last Edited December 20, The Canadian Encyclopedia , s.
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