In the largest land transfer in Canadian history, Nunavut, the primarily Inuit northern territory, was granted control of its own land, water, and resources by the federal government—known as “devolution”—on Jan. 18.
But the move is eliciting significant concerns from analysts who warn of geopolitical risks for a people ill-equipped to deal with the realities of increased competition in the Arctic from China and Russia.
Where tension arises is between what’s critical for the local Nunavut communities and what the focus is for the Department of National Defence (DND), James Fergusson, deputy director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, told The Epoch Times on Jan. 30.
“Chinese companies investing or trying to acquire properties, mineral investing in the Arctic, giving money to local organizations, those types of things—DND doesn’t pay much attention to those things,” he said.
DND deals with “high-level” threats—primarily what goes on in the air and space—while local communities’ interests are what takes place on the ground, Mr. Fergusson explained.
“How you blend the two—this is one of the key elements as government goes forward with its investments in the Arctic for defence purposes,” he said.
Wide Open Space
While Nunavut’s population is just shy of 41,000, the territory has a land area of about 1.8 million square kilometres—it’s among the most sparsely populated regions on Earth.
The territory’s greatest asset is its mineral resources and fossil fuels. But access to these resources is difficult due to inadequate infrastructure and the climate.
Russia is a persistent military threat in the region and China covets the land’s natural resources. In 2020, Ottawa blocked China’s takeover of a TMAC Resources gold mine in Nunavut due to national security risks.
Brian Giesbrecht, a retired judge and senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, told The Epoch Times on Jan. 26 that a lot worries him about Nunavut’s devolution—a notable one being the lack of educated professionals. Nunavut has a relative immaturity compared to Yukon and Northwest Territories, which devolved in 2003 and 2014 respectively.
“We might be looking at sort of an Arctic confrontation with not just Russia, but with China in the future. … China’s very interested in the north,” he said.
“I think Nunavut is strategically probably the most important part of the northern territories.”
Mr. Giesbrecht raised the question of whether Nunavut will be able to resist Chinese influence.
“The devolution does not give Nunavut the power to make deals internationally. The fact that they are in control of their assets, their natural resources, I think will give rise to possible problems like that in the future,” he said.
“China, comes with very sweet deals for them. Will they be able to resist very tempting offers from China that might undermine Canada’s national security?”
Prior to devolution, Ottawa made the final decisions relating to natural resources development in Nunavut. But the agreement in principle states that Ottawa can take over administration and control of any lands or waters if necessary in the interest of national defence or security.
However, Mr. Fergusson says that becomes more complicated.
“Whether they’re willing to do that, and the political price that might be paid for it, is a different question,” he said.
Many Voices
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok told CBC on Jan. 22 that he’s looking for major investments from Ottawa to improve infrastructure and housing.“With the devolution agreement, I really feel there’s an incredible opportunity for Canada to continue and complete that nation-building that requires us to be able to unite as a country,” he said, noting, “We don’t have any roads connecting us to the rest of Canada.”
Mr. Fergusson said devolution will impact the modernization of infrastructure in the Arctic.
“We tend to treat the Inuit community up there as a single group, [speaking] with a single voice. Well, they won’t,” he said, adding that while some will advocate for better housing or infrastructure, others will push back saying the Arctic is getting militarized and threatening their traditional way of life.
Nunavut’s public service has a 38 percent job vacancy rate, according to latest government statistics published online. And Human Resources Minister Margaret Nakashuk said in the legislative assembly last October that “the Government of Nunavut is competing, often unsuccessfully, with other regions in Canada to recruit new employees to fill critical vacancies.”
But Mr. Akeeagok told CBC he’s confident Nunavut will succeed like other provinces and territories have before.
“We will face many challenges along the way … just like any other jurisdiction, we have our own challenges,” he said.
The devolution agreement provides support for education and training of the people of Nunavut to work for the government post-transfer.
People with expertise from the south are going to be recruited to go work up north, and plenty of education and training is required, Mr. Fergusson says.
He adds that there is the risk of that process having a “colonial flavour” to it and that “the danger of that is assimilation.”
Next Steps
The devolution agreement begins April 1 and the parties involved have until April 2027 to complete the transition of responsibilities.Devolution comes on the 25th anniversary of Nunavut becoming a territory. The Nunavut agreement marks the completion of devolution in Canada’s north.
Devolution is a commitment made in Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, to give province-like powers to territorial governments and “is an essential step in the political and economic development of Nunavut and on the shared path of reconciliation,” according to a Jan. 18 statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
But Mr. Giesbrecht said devolution was rushed and that it seems nobody is worried about China meddling as they are wont to do.
“But I would say before this takes place, they should have capable people who can actually govern Nunavut, and they’re nowhere near doing that. So I don’t think the deal should have happened at all. Not now.”
The danger is that Ottawa essentially washes its hands of Nunavut now that the deal is done, Mr. Fergusson said, adding that “governments like to check boxes.”
He provided his views on what the next steps should be.
“Get the plans in place and start engaging the Inuit communities right now. Fully. I don’t think they’re fully engaged yet. But that’s the number one priority,” he said.
“Make sure the communities in Nunavut are fully briefed and fully understand what’s coming. No surprises. Surprises don’t work very well.”
