Nunavut creation referendum, 1992

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A referendum on the creation of the territory of Nunavut was held between 3 and 5 November 1992 in the territory set to become the new territory. [1] It was approved by 69% of voters. [2] On 25 May 1993 the Mulroney government and the TFN signed the Nunavut Agreement. On 10 June 1993 the federal Parliament passed two laws dividing the Northwest Territories and providing for the formation of Nunavut on 1 April 1999. [2]

Nunavut Territory of Canada

Nunavut is the newest, largest, and most northerly territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map since the incorporation of the province of Newfoundland in 1949.

Northwest Territories Territory of Canada

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,786, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2018 is 44,445. Yellowknife became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.

Contents

Background

A 1982 referendum had approved the division of the Northwest Territories and the creation of a new territory, later to become Nunavut. The federal government gave a conditional agreement to the plan seven months later. [3] In December 1991 the federal government reached an agreement with the Inuit on their land claims, with the "Parker line" set as the boundary between the existing territory and the new one. [4] This was approved in a referendum in May 1992. [4]

The Government of Canada, officially Her Majesty's Government, is the federal administration of Canada. In Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council. In both senses, the current construct was established at Confederation through the Constitution Act, 1867—as a federal constitutional monarchy, wherein the Canadian Crown acts as the core, or "the most basic building block", of its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The Crown is thus the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Canadian government. Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the Canadian Constitution, which includes written statutes, court rulings, and unwritten conventions developed over centuries.

The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. The Inuit languages are part of the Eskimo–Aleut family. Inuit Sign Language is a critically endangered language isolate used in Nunavut.

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For69
No31
Invalid/blank votes
Total100
Registered voters/turnout9,64881
Source: Direct Democracy

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References

  1. J. Patrick Boyer (1996) Direct Democracy in Canada: The History and Future of Referendums, Dundurn, p260
  2. 1 2 Nunavut (Canada), 5 November 1992: Creation of Nunavut Direct Democracy (in German)
  3. Peter Jull. "Building Nunavut: A Story of Inuit SelfGovernment". The Northern Review No. 1 (Summer 1988). Yukon College. pp. 59–72. Retrieved February 16, 2009.
  4. 1 2 Northwest Territories (Canada), 4 May 1992: Border with Nunavut Direct Democracy (in German)

See also

The Nunavut Land Claim Agreement was signed on May 25, 1993, in Iqaluit, by representatives of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut, the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. This agreement gave the Inuit of the central and eastern Northwest Territories a separate territory called Nunavut. It is the largest Aboriginal land claim settlement in Canadian history. The NLCA consists of 42 chapters, which addressing a broad range of political and environmental rights and concerns including wildlife management and harvesting rights, land, water and environmental management regimes, parks and conservation areas, heritage resources, public sector employment and contracting, and a range of other issues. The agreement indicates two areas that are the focus of the agreement: the first area consists of the Arctic islands and the mainland eastern Arctic, and their adjacent marine areas; the second area includes the Belcher Islands, its associated islands and adjacent marine areas.