Brian Giesbrecht: Land, Resource Transfer to Nunavut Not a Wise Move

Commentary The best laid plans of mice men often go awry. — Robbie Burns 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....