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LABRADOR INUIT LAND CLAIMS ACT RECEIVES ROYAL ASSENT

OTTAWA (June 23, 2005) - The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act (Bill C-56) received Royal Assent today. This is the final step in a ratification process that has also been successfully completed by the Labrador Inuit and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. This important piece of legislation will bring into effect a forward-looking agreement negotiated by Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Labrador Inuit Association – the first modern-day treaty negotiated in Atlantic Canada.

“I am very pleased by the speedy passage of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act through Parliament,” said the Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. “I wish to thank all Parliamentarians for their support and express my best wishes to the Labrador Inuit as they begin their new journey through the implementation of the Agreement. As the first agreement to combine land claims and self-government in Atlantic Canada, it will not only establish certainty over land use and title in Labrador, but also enable the Labrador Inuit to assume greater control over their own communities. Through this historic agreement, the Labrador Inuit will gain access to the lands, tools and resources they need to build a brighter and more prosperous future for their communities.”

The Agreement sets out details of land ownership, resource sharing and self-government. The Agreement provides for the establishment of the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area (Settlement Area) totalling approximately 72,500 square kilometres (28,000 square miles) of land in northern Labrador, including 15,800 square kilometres (6,100 square miles) of Inuit-owned lands, known as Labrador Inuit Lands. The Settlement Area also includes an adjacent Ocean Zone of 48,690 square kilometres (18,800 square miles).

Under the terms of the Agreement, Canada will transfer $140 million to the Labrador Inuit, as well as $156 million for the implementation of the Agreement.

William Andersen III, President of the Labrador Inuit Association, called the day historic. “The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement has achieved a balance between the long term interests of Canada as a whole, and the interests of the Inuit of Labrador. The Agreement will also deliver a spectacular addition to the heritage of all Canadians by creating the 9,600 square kilometres Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve. We believe that our Land Claims Agreement is worthy of the support of all Canadians and will enable us to build a partnership that will strengthen both the federation and the Inuit of Labrador.”

The Agreement will come into force on a date to be set by the Governor In Council. The effective date will coincide for both federal and provincial acts, the Tax Treatment Agreement, the creation of the Nunatsiavut Government, the Inuit Community Governments, the creation of the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve and the ancillary agreements that will accompany the Agreement.

For further information, please contact:

Campbell Morrison
Press Secretary
Minister Andy Scott's Office
INAC
(819) 997-0002

Marilyn Butland
Communications Consultant
Labrador Inuit Association
(709)-727-3171 or (709)-753-0794, ext. 23

Backgrounder - The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act

Frequently Asked Questions About the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement

The Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Highlights

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