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| Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut |
| Formation | 1982 |
| Dissolved | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Iqaluit, Resolution Island |
| Region served | Nunavut Settlement Area |
| Leader title | President |
| Leader name | Paul Quassa |
| Successor | Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated |
Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut was a representative Inuit organization that negotiated comprehensive land claims and self-determination arrangements leading to the creation of Nunavut. It acted as the primary Inuit claimant in the Nunavut Land Claims negotiations, coordinated regional Inuit organizations, and played a central role in the signing of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the political processes that led to the Nunavut Act and the establishment of Nunavut Territory.
The organization emerged from a lineage of Inuit political mobilization including James Arvaluk, Tagak Curley, Abraham Okpik, Aqqaluk Lynge, and institutions such as Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and Land Claims Agreement Coalition. Its formation in 1982 built on precedent set by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and earlier actions like the Anti-Polaris movement and activism tied to figures such as Joe Arlooktoo and Peter Irniq. High-profile engagements included negotiations with federal actors represented by officials from Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, ministers like John Crosbie, and legal counsel who referenced cases such as Calder v British Columbia (Attorney General) and statutes like the Nunavut Act during bargaining. The Federation coordinated with territorial institutions including Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly delegates and drew on political strategy used by leaders like Gus Seale and advisors historically linked to negotiations in Whitehorse and Ottawa.
Tunngavik Federation assembled delegates from regional entities comparable to Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated's later structure and incorporated leadership drawn from communities such as Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Pond Inlet, Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Igloolik, and Kinngait. Presidents and negotiators included prominent Inuit politicians like Paul Quassa, Tagak Curley, and Peter Irniq, working alongside negotiators who had experience with bodies like Inuit Circumpolar Council, Assembly of First Nations, and Métis National Council. Internal governance used conventions influenced by protocols from Nunavut Implementation Commission proceedings and patterned after organizational forms seen in Nunavik and the Nunatsiavut Government formation processes.
Tunngavik Federation's core mandate was to negotiate the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement on behalf of Inuit beneficiaries, securing surface and subsurface rights, wildlife harvesting rights, and financial settlements comparable to those in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement and Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement. Negotiations referenced Canadian legislative instruments such as the Nunavut Act and depended on political agreements with federal ministers including John Turner-era predecessors and successors. The resulting agreement established rights and institutions that interfaced with federal agencies like Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and institutions formed under the agreement, including land administration offices modeled after regimes in the James Bay Agreements.
During its existence Tunngavik Federation administered programs addressing Inuit employment, housing, education, cultural preservation, and health services by collaborating with regional service providers in communities like Arctic Bay, Pangnirtung, Taloyoak, Resolute Bay, and Sanikiluaq. Program design drew on policy frameworks advanced by organizations such as Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Health Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada, and engaged with training programs like those developed in partnership with Nunavut Arctic College and employment initiatives analogous to IsumaTV media projects. Cultural programs paralleled initiatives by the National Film Board of Canada and museums including Canadian Museum of History and the Nunavut Museum.
Tunngavik Federation functioned as the Inuit claimant organization and maintained direct relationships with Inuit beneficiaries across communities and with successor bodies such as Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated. It worked alongside regional corporations established under the land claims model similar to Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation stakeholders and Inuit-owned enterprises like Artcirq. The transition to Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated involved personnel and structural continuity with figures like Paul Quassa and interlocutors who later sat on boards in institutions such as Qikiqtani Inuit Association, Kivalliq Inuit Association, and Kitikmeot Inuit Association.
Tunngavik Federation shaped northern politics through advocacy tactics used in campaigns similar to those by Native Women's Association of Canada, the Assembly of First Nations, and international lobbying efforts with the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations. It influenced federal legislation culminating in the Nunavut Act and the ratification processes that involved parliamentary debates in the House of Commons of Canada and policy negotiation with prime ministers including Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien-era officials. The Federation's advocacy connected with environmental and wildlife policy debates involving organizations like World Wildlife Fund Canada and landmark disputes that referenced court decisions such as R v Sparrow.
The Federation's negotiated outcomes directly contributed to the creation of Nunavut in 1999, shaping territorial institutions including the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, the Nunavut Court of Justice, and public administration structures paralleling models in Yukon and Northwest Territories. Its legacy persists in legal frameworks used in contemporary land management, economic development projects with partners like Hudson's Bay Company and mining proponents such as Nunavut’s Mary River Mine stakeholders, and in cultural revival efforts associated with artists like Pitseolak Ashoona and leaders such as Leaders in Inuit self-governance. The Federation's work informed later rights-based dialogues at fora including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and remains a reference point in scholarship produced by academics affiliated with University of Toronto's Indigenous programs and researchers publishing in fields linked to Arctic Studies.
Category:Indigenous organizations in Canada Category:Nunavut