Why Transferring Land and Resources to Nunavut Might be Unwise, According to Brian Giesbrecht

Hopes are high as it was announced that Nunavut, the land of the Inuit, officially took over control of the territory’s land, water, and natural resources, becoming the equivalent of Canada’s 11th province. The prime minister described it as the largest land transfer in Canada’s history—2,000,000,000 square kilometres.

But hopes were just as high when Nunavut was created in 1999, as the northern, Inuit portion of Northwest Territories. The agreement was hailed as something that could improve the lives of Nunavut’s troubled Inuit residents.

Unfortunately, those high hopes have not been realized. The problems facing Nunavut’s mainly Inuit population of 38,000 make it virtually impossible for them to successfully manage and govern their huge territory.

Simply put, Nunavuters are nowhere close to being ready for such an onerous responsibility. Nunavut has by far the worst social pathology numbers in the country. Teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, addiction, incarceration, suicide, and even tuberculosis are all shockingly high, while educational levels are dismally low.