Inuit Elders and Leaders, Ms. Cournoyea, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to thank you warmly for your generous welcome.
In April 1990, as one of my first acts as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, I had the honour of signing the Agreement-In-Principle of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut Land Claim in Igloolik.
The Agreement-In-Principle set an ambitious agenda for concluding the land claim and for securing agreement on the creation of Nunavut.
Today, almost three years to the day later, Inuit and government have achieved the goals we confirmed in Igloolik.
Just six months ago, some of you will remember, I was privileged to stand here and to join this wonderful community of Iqaluit in signing the Nunavut Political Accord. That document, as you know, paves the way for the creation of the new Canadian territory of Nunavut in 1999.
Today, it is my distinct honour to participate in the ceremony that marks the settlement, after 17 years, of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut comprehensive land claim.
All of us here today are witnesses to a very special event and to the making of Canadian history.
I am sure that many of you must have sometimes wondered during that period whether this day would ever arrive. But now it has. And now, together, we can look forward and go forward to the next landmarks in our long journey—legislation in parliament to ratify this land claim settlement and to introduce the Nunavut Act.
These two issues, of course, are inextricably linked. Without the Political Accord, there would have been no agreement on the final claim settlement. And without that settlement, progress towards the creation of the new territory would have been difficult, to say the least.
Both of these developments—the Nunavut Political Accord and the Land Settlement—are symbols of the new partnership that has been forged between the Inuit and Canada. For Canadians, that partnership implies a strengthened confederation. For Inuit, it brings accelerated progress toward cultural, political and economic goals.
What we have achieved is due, in no small measure, to the efforts of a singularly talented and perseverant group of Canadians, representatives of the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, the government of the Northwest Territories and the federal government.
The land claim settlement itself is a remarkable achievement. It will secure Inuit ownership of more than 350,000 square kilometres of land, including the mineral rights to some 36,000 square kilometres.
The settlement provides for the payment of some $580 million dollars over the next 14 years to the Inuit in 1989 dollars, with interest.
Within the settlement area, the Inuit will be entitled to 50 per cent of the first $2 million dollars in annual resource royalties received by the government, and five per cent of anything beyond that figure.
A $13-million dollar training fund will be established, and more Inuit will be eligible for government contracts and fulltime government jobs.
In addition to the political powers that will inevitably flow from the creation of Nunavut, Inuit Canadians will be centrally involved in managing the resources on which their livelihoods have historically depended.
Throughout Nunavut, Inuit will have an equal voice in managing water and wildlife, in land-use planning, and in assessing the economic and environmental impact of development proposals.
With the removal of uncertainty about land titles, investment, in turn, will yield new job opportunities, and help raise living standards across the central and eastern Arctic.
And all Canadians will reap the dividends of a stronger federation and a heightened sense of national unity.
The Nunavut Settlement Agreement is further evidence of this government's deterrnination to rewrite the textbook on the relationship between aboriginal people and the Government of Canada.
That determination is most clearly enunciated in the native agenda—a broad-based program, announced by the Prime Minister in 1990, to make measurable advances and improvements in the lives of native Canadians. And it is no accident that the very first pillar of the native agenda is the resolution of aboriginal land claims.
In that category, as in others, I am pleased to say that in the north, we have together made significant gains.
In the Northwest Territories, the comprehensive land claim settlement of the Gwich'in Nation has been signed, ratified— and formally proclaimed by parliament. Negotiators have also reached agreement on the Sahtu claim and negotiations with the Dogrib recently started.
In the Yukon, an umbrella agreement and four first nation final agreements are expected to be completed soon.
I say with conviction, that no government in Canadian history has worked as hard on aboriginal issues, or with more good will, and achieved as much as this government.
The hard work and good will have been more than matched by aboriginal people. Indeed, without their determination to move forward—in partnership and in trust—to find solutions, we would not be here today.
In the case of Inuit, this agreement and the creation of Nunavut are testimony to the vision and determination of Inuit leaders, and to the generosity of Inuit who have endorsed a new partnership with Canada, where all Canadians will be welcome to participate in the political, social, and economic future of Nunavut.
May that positive spirit of mutual respect and co-operation continue to guide us as we go forward on our unfinished Journey.
