Devolution

Devolution is a process of transferring authority from one government to another. In Canada’s North, this means transferring “province-like” responsibilities to the territorial governments from the federal government.

The Government of Canada has made the devolution of northern governance a key pillar of Canada’s Northern Strategy with the goal of providing Northerners with more control over their own economic and political destiny.

Since the 1950s, the Government of Canada has incrementally transferred responsibilities including health, education and social services to territorial governments, providing greater territorial self-sufficiency. The final significant step in each territory is the devolution of land and resource management responsibilities.

Yukon was the first territory to take over land and resource management when these responsibilities were devolved in 2003. Consensus on the terms of a Northwest Territories Devolution Agreement has been reached. The Northwest Territories Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement was signed on June 25, 2013 and parties are working toward an effective date of April 2014. In May 2012, a Chief Federal Negotiator was named for Nunavut devolution.

What Information is Available?

• FAQs about Devolution
• Yukon Devolution
• NWT Devolution
• Nunavut Devolution

You may also be interested in:

• Canada's Northern Strategy