Parliament ratifies Nunavut land claim

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The Inuit of the eastern Northwest Territories are now the largest private land owners in Canada and well on their way to forming their own government.

The final agreement of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut's land claim was ratified by the federal Parliament June 10 and received royal assent the net day.

With royal assent the Nunavut final agreement and accompanying legislation creating an Inuit-controlled territory have the force of law and are protected under the Canadian Constitution.

The Inuit, always cautious, have still not celebrated. Paul Oklik, a TFN spokesman, said the real celebration will not happen until the claim's implementation plan is signed July 9 in Coppermine.

"Then we'll party."

Under the final agreement the Inuit receive direct ownership of 353,610 square kilometres, an area larger than the combined areas of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. In addition they receive 36,257 square kilometres of subsurface rights, a cash pay out of $1.4 billion over 14 years and a percentage of resource royalties.

The Inuit will also have the Northwest Territories divided in half, forming their own territory called Nunavut, meaning Our Land. Since the 17,500 Inuit will be the majority in the new territory, they will have de facto self-government. 1999 is the date set for Nunavut to come into existence.

Border disputes between the Inuit and the Dene of the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Saskatchewan were resolved at the last minute with the settlement of overlap agreements.

At the same time the land claim by the Council of Yukon Indians has received a set-back. The House of Commons was set to rise for the summer June 16 and the land claim had not yet been dealt with, which means it could be delayed for as long as 18 months.

According to a spokesperson in NDP leader Audrey McLaughlin's office, 10 of the 14 bans with land claims outlined under the agreement have not ratified it yet and don't want to be locked into a deal with the four who have.

The date set for calling the House back is Sept. 20, but Prime Minister Kim Campbell may call it back earlier. On June 11 CBC Whitehorse reported that Kim Campbell would make the CYI claim a priority.