The People: Cultural Diversity and a Rich Heritage

Northern Canada is first and foremost the homeland of Indigenous communities. Attachment to the land and dependence on local resources for physical and spiritual sustenance are deeply rooted characteristics of their cultural heritage. Each of the Inuit groups and First Nations identifies with a traditional territory, shaped by thousands of years of continuous occupation. Their communities are scattered over this immense region, located mainly on major rivers and along the coastline. Many are accessible only by air or seasonal sea and river transport.

In the Yukon, approximately 21 percent of the population of 31 000 are Indigenous; in the Northwest Territories, 50 percent of the 42 000 are Indigenous; while in Nunavut, 85 percent of the 25 000 are Indigenous. In Nunavik and northern Labrador, Inuit and First Nations make up a majority of the resident population. United by a common language, there are some 41 000 Inuit living in 53 communities across northern Canada. First Nations often make up the majority population in another 46 communities. The most startling demographic feature of the Indigenous population is its youth - as many as 50 percent are under the age of 15 years - setting the stage for some important challenges in the near future that will be shaped by the needs of this very young society.

Apart from early explorers, fortune seekers, and missionaries, non-Indigenous people did not make their way into the North in any numbers until the early to mid-1900s. Even then, this was a transient population engaged in government services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, military activities, and resource exploration and extraction. Today, more and more people are making the North their permanent home. The majority of these residents live in the larger administrative centres such as Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Kuujjuaq, Iqaluit, and Inuvik.

The Physical Geography: A Vast and Diverse Region

The Canadian North is characterized by a diversity of physical landscapes, climates, and ecosystems. Daytime temperatures can fall well below minus 50 degrees Celsius in the winter, whereas in the summer, some areas can reach temperatures in excess of 30 degrees Celsius. There is abundant freshwater. The tundra, subarctic forests, coastal plains, mountains, and Arctic seas support a rich variety of wildlife. Wildlife and plants are equally varied from tiny summer flowers to the grandeur of migrating caribou herds and thousands of Canada geese. Certain species, especially birds and some marine mammals, migrate long distances and link the Arctic with temperate, tropical, and even Antarctic regions. The Arctic is a breeding ground for millions of migratory birds. It is a region of global importance.

Wind patterns and water currents create a wide range of climatic and ecological conditions for varied animal and plant species, making the North an early warning system for the rest of the planet. Once viewed as pristine, the North now suffers from the effects of air- and water-borne pollutants and global warming. Ozone depletion subjects northern ecosystems to high levels of ultraviolet radiation, with as yet unknown consequences. The effects from military activities, industrial developments, and human communities, particularly from waste disposal, have caused site-specific disruptions. Given the fragility of its ecosystems, the North is slow to recover from the impacts of human activity. Thus, there is a requirement for coordinated processes that will balance conservation and development needs.

The Economy: Optimism and Opportunity

Sustainable development in the Canadian Arctic faces unique challenges and difficulties: remote access to primary markets, limited transportation infrastructure, high transportation and communication costs, lack of capital, high energy costs, and a small population with few industrial skills and little formal education. These factors create an uneven distribution of economic opportunities in the North.

Until the 1800s and early 1900s, the economy was based on traditional activities. This subsistence economy shifted dramatically with the advent of whaling activities in the eastern Arctic and the expansion of the fur trade into the North, making cash and trade goods important commodities for the Indigenous population. Today's economy can be characterized as a mix of wildlife harvesting, wage employment, and social assistance payments.

Direct employment in government and in government support services accounts for the largest percentage of wage income, followed by primary resource extraction industries such as mining for gold, silver, lead, zinc, and diamonds; oil and gas development; and, to a much lesser extent, fishing and forestry. Worldwide there is a growing market for northern products, including meat, fish, arts and crafts, and Arctic technologies. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry with as yet unknown potential. For the most part, local economic development projects have been heavily subsidized by the federal and territorial governments.

With recent land claims agreements, Indigenous communities now have increasing access to investment capital - and they are using it. There are many new and interesting economic programs under way. Airlines, offshore and high seas fisheries, cultural tourism, transportation companies, mining and hydrocarbon development, and joint ventures with other development interests are helping to create a new economic momentum. For example, Canada's second largest airline company, First Air, is Inuit-owned and -operated.

"Within all of the communities, particularly the larger regional centers, economic activity is becoming much more diversified. Yet an emphasis on new economic opportunities has not diminished the deeply entrenched desire of Inuit to maintain a hunting way of life. While a casual observer of community life may not encounter traditional activities, close ties to the land remain fundamental for all Inuit." -Inuit Tapirisat of Canada, The Inuit of Canada

The Political Setting: Adapting to New Realities

Most of the Canadian Arctic is administered by and through three territorial governments. Over the past 30 years, the political evolution of these northern territories has led to the establishment of representative and responsible government in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. More recently, on April 1, 1999, a new, distinct territory called Nunavut was established in the eastern Arctic. The creation of Nunavut will bring government closer to Arctic residents of this region, most of whom are Inuit. The Government of Canada is now exploring the transfer of control and management of lands and resources to northern territorial governments.

The Constitution Act, 1982 recognized and affirmed the Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. Rights that existed at that time by way of land claims agreements or subsequently acquired were included within the meaning of treaty rights. Since the mid-1970s, negotiation processes have been undertaken by the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous communities to settle long-standing land claims and to address aspirations to self-government.

The settlement of Indigenous communities' land claims and the negotiation of self-government arrangements over the past two decades have resulted in new governance institutions, systems, and processes intended to promote Indigenous cultural and social practices and engender greater participation in the management of lands, resources, and the environment.