Department of Indian and Northern Affairs
| Affaires autochtones et du Nord Canada | |
| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1966 |
| Type |
Department responsible for
|
| Jurisdiction | Canada |
| Employees | 4500+ |
| Annual budget | CAD$ 8.1 billion (2015) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Deputy Minister responsible |
|
| Website | www |
The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND), referred to by its applied title under the Federal Identity Program as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), (French: Affaires autochtones et du Nord Canada), is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples in Canada, that comprise the First Nations,Inuit, and Métis.
Its headquarters are in Terrasses de la Chaudière, in downtown Gatineau, Quebec.
Pursuant to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act the term "Indian" remains in the department's legal name, although the term "Indigenous" is used in its applied title under the Federal Identity Program.
First Nation, has been used since the 1970s instead of "the word "Indian," which some people found offensive." The term "Indian" is used for legal and historical documents such as Status Indians as defined by the Indian Act. For example, the term "Indian" continues to be used in the historical and legal document, the Canadian Constitution and federal statutes. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada used the term Inuit in referring to "an Aboriginal people in Northern Canada, who live in Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador. The word means "people" in the Inuit language — Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk." Eskimo is found in historical documents about Canadian Inuit. The term "Aboriginal" is commonly used when referring to the three groups of indigenous peoples as a whole. It is also used by Aboriginal people who live within Canada who claim rights of sovereignty or Aboriginal title to lands. The department is overseen by the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs. The current minister, since November 2015, is Carolyn Bennett. The last minister under the Conservative government that lost the 2015 federal election was Bernard Valcourt. James Moore acted in the position between Valcourt and the previous minister John Duncan.
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