Politics of Nunavut

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The politics of the Nunavut involves not only the governance of the Nunavut but also the social, economic and political issues specific to the territory. This includes matters relating to local governance and governance by the federal government of Canada, the inclusion of the aboriginal population in territorial affairs, and the matter of official languages for the territory.

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Key to the politics and governance of Nunavut are the limits on the jurisdiction of the territorial government. Territories of Canada have no inherent jurisdiction and only have those powers devolved to them by the federal government. [1] [2] [3] The devolution and delegation of power to the territory has always been a factor in the territory's politics.

A hallmark of politics in Nunavut is that it operates as under a “consensus government” system. [4] Candidates for election to the territorial legislature do not stand as members of a political party. [4] While some candidates may express an affiliation or membership with a party, party membership is not recognized in the legislature. [4] As a result, the Members of the Legislative Assembly select a Premier by way of a secret ballot, rather than on the basis of party affiliation (see Responsible government). [4]

Local governance has been a long-standing issue in the territory. This includes not only the loss of local government authority from the period from 1905 to 1951, when Ottawa asserted direct control over the governance of the Northwest Territories, but also related matters of aboriginal self-governance and land claims. [5] This latter issue lead, in part, to the division of the former Northwest Territories into the present Northwest Territories and Nunavut. [6] [7] [8]

Language has also been a long-standing issue in Nunavut politics. French became an official language, along with English, in 1877. [9] Under Official Languages Act, which became law in 2013, and the Inuit Language Protection Act, which became law in 2008, the official languages of the territory are English, French, Inuktitut, and Inuinnaqtun. [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Department of Justice Canada (1985). "Northwest Territories Act" . Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  2. ↑ Department of Justice Canada (2002). "Yukon Act" . Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  3. ↑ Department of Justice Canada (1993). "Nunavut Act" . Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Nunavut assembly to choose premier, cabinet in secret ballot vote". Lethbridge News Now. 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  5. ↑ Bartlett, Richard (1978-10-01). "The Indian Act of Canada". Buffalo Law Review. 27 (4): 581. ISSN   0023-9356.
  6. ↑ Dacks, Gurston (1986). "The Case against Dividing the Northwest Territories". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 12 (1): 202–213. doi:10.2307/3550729. ISSN   0317-0861.
  7. ↑ Abele, Frances; Dickerson, Mark O. (1985). "The 1982 Plebiscite on Division of the Northwest Territories: Regional Government and Federal Policy". Canadian Public Policy / Analyse de Politiques. 11 (1): 1–15. doi:10.2307/3550376. ISSN   0317-0861.
  8. ↑ Légaré, André (2008-09-01). "Inuit identity and regionalization in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic: a survey of writings about Nunavut". Polar Geography. 31 (3–4): 99–118. doi:10.1080/10889370701742845. ISSN   1088-937X.
  9. ↑ Aunger, Edmund A. (1998). "The Mystery of the French Language Ordinances: An Investigation into Official Bilingualism and the Canadian North-West—1870 to 1895". Canadian journal of law and society. 13 (1): 89–124. doi:10.1017/S0829320100005597. ISSN   0829-3201.
  10. ↑ Tranter, Emma (2023-10-01). "Nunavut reviewing its language laws for the 1st time". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
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