NWT Devolution
Canada's Northern Strategy includes a focus on providing Northerners with more control over their own economic and political destiny. A key step to achieving this objective in the Northwest Territories is devolution, or the transfer of “province-like” responsibilities to the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) from the federal government.
On March 11, 2013 consensus on the terms of the NWT Devolution Agreement were announced whereby parties to the draft agreement conducted a final round of consultations and community engagement sessions.
On June 25, 2013, the Final devolution Agreement was signed by the Government of Canada, the Government of the Northwest Territories, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, the Gwich’in Tribal Counsel, the Sahtu Secretariat Incorporated, the Tlicho Government and the Northwest Territory Métis Nation.
NWT Devolution will occur once all responsibilities set out in the final agreement are transferred. Parties have set a final transfer target date of April 1, 2014.
The roots of current devolution negotiations go back as far as 1898, the year the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were carved out of what was then a much larger Northwest Territories. Since that time, there has been a progressive transfer of powers to the GNWT including responsibility for education, social services, health and housing.
What other information is available?
- Joint Declaration on Northwest Territories Devolution
- FAQs – NWT Devolution
- The Agreement-in-Principle for NWT Devolution
- Plain Talk – Devolution Edition
- Devolution Agreement-in-Principle Signed for the Northwest Territories
You may also be interested in:
- Yukon Devolution
- Nunavut Devolution
- FAQs about Devolution
- Canada's Northern Strategy
- Parties to NWTDevolution Negotiations
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