Mandate, Roles and Responsibilities

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

INAC is responsible for two separate yet equally important mandates: Indian and Inuit Affairs and Northern Affairs. This broad mandate is derived largely from the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act, the Indian Act, territorial acts and legal obligations arising from section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867; however, the department is responsible for administering over 50 statutes in total.¹ Consequently, INAC’s mandate is complex and its responsibilities encompass a broad range of services.

In general, INAC has primary, but not exclusive, responsibility for meeting the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Northerners. To fulfill this mandate, INAC must work collaboratively with First Nations, Inuit and Northerners, as well as with other federal departments and agencies, provinces and territories. Increasingly, INAC’s role has become one of facilitating change and bringing together the partners and interests needed to implement Gathering Strength — Canada's Aboriginal Action Plan.

In Indian and Inuit Affairs, the department’s primary role is to support First Nations and Inuit in developing healthy, sustainable communities and in achieving their economic and social aspirations. INAC negotiates comprehensive and specific land claims and self-government agreements on behalf of the federal government, oversees implementation of settlements and promotes economic development. It is responsible for delivering provincial-like services such as education, housing, and community infrastructure to Status Indians on-reserve, and for delivering social assistance and social support services to residents on-reserve with the goal of ensuring access to services comparable to those available to other Canadian residents. The vast majority of these programs and services are delivered in partnership with First Nations, who directly administer 85 percent of Indian and Inuit Affairs Program funds. INAC is also responsible for ensuring the honourable fulfilment of the Crown’s obligations in lands, revenues and trusts, as well as for matters relating to First Nations governance. It serves as the delivery agent for training initiatives specific to administration of land and resources and as a compliance body for a number of legislative regimes including the Indian Act.

In Northern Affairs, INAC is the principal federal department responsible for meeting the federal government’s constitutional, political and legal responsibilities in the North. With legislative and policy authority over most of the North’s natural resources, INAC is the custodian and resource manager for an area occupying 40 percent of Canada’s land mass. INAC’s role in the North is extremely broad and includes settling and implementing land claims, negotiating self-government agreements, advancing political evolution, managing natural resources, protecting the environment and fostering leadership in sustainable development both domestically and among circumpolar nations. INAC’s approach in managing its responsibilities is based on partnership and the principles of sustainable development.

¹ For a complete list of legislation administered by INAC please refer to http://www.inac-ainc.gc.ca/pr/leg/index_e.html.
For a list of regulations currently in force and Planned Regulatory Initiatives for 2001–02 please refer to http://www.inac-ainc.gc.ca/pr/leg/reg/index_e.html. You may also obtain this information by contacting the departmental information kiosk at (819) 997-0380.

INAC also has unique relationships with other federal and arm’s-length organizations. Indian Oil and Gas Canada (IOGC) is currently under the jurisdiction of INAC and reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Trust Services. IOGC works closely with First Nations communities to develop harvesting of fossil fuel resources. The Indian Taxation Advisory Board (ITAB) is an arm’slength agency that deals with issues related to taxation and First Nations. ITAB maintains a First Nations taxation by-law gazette and provides advice on taxation issues related to the Indian Act as requested by INAC sectors. Once a unit within INAC, ITAB has undergone an 11-year devolution with a formal separation from INAC in 1998.

Canadian Polar Commission

The CPC operates as an independent agency (http://www.polarcom.gc.ca) under the Canadian Polar Commission Act and reports to Parliament through the Minister of INAC. Established in 1991 as Canada’s lead agency in the area of polar research, the CPC is responsible for monitoring, promoting and disseminating knowledge of the polar regions; contributing to public awareness of the importance of polar science to Canada; enhancing Canada’s international profile as a circumpolar nation; and recommending policy direction to government.

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