Nunatsiavut | ||
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Autonomous area | ||
Nunatsiavut's location in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Country | Canada | |
Province | Newfoundland and Labrador | |
Created | 23 June 2005 | |
Capital |
Hopedale (legislative) Nain (administrative) |
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Government | ||
• Type | Consensus government within the parliamentary system of Canada | |
• President | Johannes Lampe (since 2016) | |
• First Minister | Kate Mitchell (since 2014) | |
• MHA | Randy Edmunds (since 2011) | |
• MP | Yvonne Jones (since 2013) | |
Area | ||
• Resource rights | 72,520 km2 (28,000 sq mi) | |
• Officially | 15,800 km2 (6,100 sq mi) | |
Population (2006) | ||
• Resource rights | 2,160 | |
• Density | 0.03/km2 (0.08/sq mi) | |
Time zone | AST (UTC-04) | |
Postal code prefix | A0P | |
ISO 3166 code | NL | |
Federal riding | Labrador (electoral district) | |
Provincial riding | Torngat Mountains (electoral district) | |
Website | nunatsiavut.com |
Nunatsiavut /nuːˈnɑːtsiəvᵿt/ is an autonomous area claimed by the Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in Labrador extending to the Quebec border. In 2002, the Labrador Inuit Association submitted a proposal for limited autonomy to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The constitution was ratified on 1 December 2005, at which time the Labrador Inuit Association ceased to exist, and the new Government of Nunatsiavut was established, initially being responsible for health, education and cultural affairs. It is also responsible for setting and conducting elections, the first of which was executed in October 2006. An election for the Ordinary Members of the Nunatsiavut Assembly was held on 4 May 2010. The Nunatsiavut Assembly was dissolved on 6 April in preparation for the election. Its incumbent president is Johannes Lampe who assumed office in 2016.
In Inuttut, Nunatsiavut means "Our Beautiful Land". This name was ratified by the Labrador Inuit Constitution and passed by the Labrador Inuit Association in 2002. A primary objective of autonomy is for the preservation of the Inuit culture and language, as well as the environment through environmental stewardship.
Nunatsiavut is counted in the census as Division 11.
The Labrador Inuit Association had filed a land claim for portions of Labradorian land in 1977. In 1988, the Labrador Inuit Association, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the government of Canada began negotiations based on the land claim. An agreement-in-principle was achieved in 2001, and on 26 May 2004, the agreement was ratified by over 75% of eligible voters subject to the land claim.