Land claim deal sets stage for new Canadian territory

The creation of a new territory in Canada’s north is a step closer to reality.

The federal government in Ottawa and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut in the Northwest Territories recently reached agreement on the last three issues crucial to a final land-claim settlement with the Inuit of the N.W.T. Resolved were items dealing with a process for the creation of a new territory to be known as Nunavut (land of the people), the payment schedule for capital transfers to be paid to Inuit as part of their land-claim settlement, and funding for implementation training.

The new territory, to take in the eastern portion of the existing N.W.T., would encompass about one-fifth of Canada’s land mass. Representatives of the current N.W.T. government sat in on the discussions; ultimately, there will be two separate territorial governments for the N.W.T.

It is anticipated the final agreement will be referred to an Inuit ratification vote in April, 1992, to be followed by approval of ratification legislation by Ottawa.

“I’m happy,” said Maureen Jensen, president of Noble Peak Resources (ASE), a junior with exploration projects that will fall within the boundaries of Nunavut. Jensen said the uncertainty of the past few years has been allayed by the latest agreement.

Graham Farquharson, president of the Nanisivik mine division of Conwest Exploration (TSE), which operates a zinc-lead-silver mine on Baffin Island in the Arctic, expects business relationships will continue as they have in the past.

“Our experience with the Inuit people has generally been positive,” especially if they stood to benefit economically, he said.

The land-claim settlement will affect about 350,000 sq. km of land. Some 14,000 Inuit (out of an area population of 18,000) are eligible to vote. A plebiscite to confirm the proposed boundary for the division of the Northwest Territories is planned prior to ratification of the final agreement. Implementation training will involve a $13-million fund while capital transfers will involve $580 million (1989 dollars) to be paid out during a 14-year period.

Meanwhile, the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has released a report titled “It can be done” to promote native participation in mining.

The report’s contents include a checklist to assist mineral companies contemplating activities on or near aboriginal lands; a summary of a number of socio-economic agreements; case studies of programs and policies designed to improve the well-being of aboriginal peoples; and initiatives undertaken by mineral associations to increase aboriginal participation in mining. Also, in Alberta, Ottawa and the Siksika Nation recently celebrated the signing of a settlement agreement for the band’s claim related to the Bassano Dam minerals. The Siksika Nation will receive $4.9 million as compensation for lost revenues. In addition, in August of this year, Ottawa repurchased the subsurface mineral rights for $35,037 in order to restore them to the band.

The claim relates to events earlier this century when the CPR acquired 2,855 acres of Blackfoot Reserve No. 146 for an irrigation reservoir (the Bassano Dam). The land transfer, letters patents and certificates of titles issued to the railway failed to reserve the mines and minerals for the benefit of the Siksika Nation.