Nunatsiavut Assembly
Nunatsiavut katimajitsuangit
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
President
Johannes Lampe, non-partisan consensus government
since 2016
First Minister
Speaker of the Nunatsiavut Assembly
Seats18
Meeting place
Nunatsiavut Assembly Building, Hopedale, Newfoundland and Labrador
Website
Nunatsiavut Assembly

The Nunatsiavut Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of Nunatsiavut, Canada.[2][3]

History

On January 22, 2005, the Inuit of Nunatsiavut signed the Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement[4] with the federal and provincial governments covering 72,520 km2 (28,000 sq mi) of land, including the entire northern salient of Labrador north of Nain as well as a portion of the Atlantic coast south of there. The agreement also includes 44,030 km2 (17,000 sq mi) of sea rights. Although the Inuit will not own the whole area, they were granted special rights related to traditional land use, and they will own 15,800 km2 (6,100 sq mi) designated Labrador Inuit Lands.

The Labrador Inuit Lands Claims Agreement is a treaty between the Inuit of Labrador, the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the federal government of Canada, that is constitutionally protected under the aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada granted by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.[4]

The agreement was ratified by the Labrador Inuit, the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, and the Parliament of Canada, where it received Royal Assent on June 23, 2005.[2]

On December 1, 2005, the constitution was formally adopted, and a swearing-in ceremony was held for the first cabinet,[5] an interim government which consisted of members of the Labrador Inuit Association board of directors.[5] This day marked the official transfer of power from the provincial government to the newly formed Government of Nunatsiavut "to make their own laws relating to cultural affairs, education and health".[3]

In October 2006, Nunatsiavut held its first election to form a nine-member government, which was sworn in on October 16 in Hopedale.[6]

The current Nunatsiavut Assembly Building in Hopedale opened in 2012.[7][8]

Marlene Winters-Wheeler became speaker in February 2021.[9]

Electoral system

The Nunatsiavut Assembly consists of 10 ordinary members (6 for Nunatsiavut and 4 for its diaspora), the president of Nunatsiavut and the heads of the Inuit Community governments and corporations. Nain, Canada and Upper Lake Melville are each represented by 2 members while Hopedale, Makkovik, Postville and Rigolet are each represented by 1 member. Only Inuit residents of each constituency can vote in Nunatsiavut's elections (Inuit make up 88% of Nunatsiavut's population) while minorities are represented in municipal councils which each have a non-Inuit member to promote minority interests. Nunatsiavut does not use a party system.[10]

Current members

Nunatsiavut Assembly Building
Riding Member
Nunatsiavut
Hopedale Greg Flowers
Makkovik John Andersen [11]
Nain Tony Andersen
Jim Lyall
Postville Tyler Edmunds
Rigolet Carlene Palliser
Other areas
Canada Susan Sonya Onalik[12]
Roland Saunders
Upper Lake Melville Gerald Asivak
Marlene Winters-Wheeler

Additional members

The President of Nunatsiavut also serves on the Nunatsiavut Assembly. The holder of this role since 2016 is Johannes Lampe.

Inuit Community Government heads

The heads of the Inuit Community governments (official title is "AngajukKâk", serve a similar role as a Mayor) also serve in the assembly.[13]

Inuit Community Government Member
AngajukKâk for Hopedale Majorie Flowers
AngajukKâk for Makkovik Barry Andersen[14]
AngajukKâk for Nain Julius Dicker
AngajukKâk for Postville Glen Sheppard
AngajukKâk for Rigolet Charlotte Wolfrey

Additionally, the chairperson of the NunaKatiget Community Corporation and the chairperson of the Sivunivut Inuit Community Corporation serve on the Nunatsiavut Assembly. The 2 corporations represent the Inuit of Upper Lake Melville (Sivunivut represents North West River while NunaKatiget represents Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Mud Lake).

Corporation Chairperson
NunaKatiget Community Corporation Patricia Kemuksigak
Sivunivut Inuit Community Corporation Maxene Winters

Executive Council

Portfolio Minister District
First Minister Tony Andersen[15] Nain
Finance, Human Resources, & Information Technology Tyler Edmunds [15] Postville
Education & Economic Development Carlene Palliser [15] Rigolet
Health & Social Development Gerald Asivak Upper Lake Melville
Lands & Natural Resources Greg Flowers[15] Hopedale
Language, Culture, & Tourism Jim Lyall Nain

First Ministers of Nunatsiavut

References

  1. ^ "New Ministers list" (PDF). www.nunatsiavut.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  2. ^ a b "Labrador Inuit land claim passes last hurdle". CBC News. June 24, 2005. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Inuit celebrate self-government turnover". CBC News. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 16, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Land Claims". Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Archived from the original on May 11, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Labrador's 5,000 Inuit take charge of 'our beautiful land'". CBC News. December 1, 2005. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  6. ^ "Labrador Inuit vote for inaugural self-government". CBC News. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  7. ^ "Nunatsiavut building and rebuilding - Construction & Transportation - Daily Business Buzz". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
  8. ^ "CBC.ca | Labrador Morning Show | Official Opening of Nunatsiavut Assembly Building in Hopedale".
  9. ^ SaltWire. "Nunatsiavut Assembly appoints new Speaker | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  10. ^ "Assembly Structure". Nunatsiavut Assembly. Government of Nunatsiavut. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  11. ^ Pomeroy, Bert (22 January 2020). "Andersen acclaimed Ordinary Member for Makkovik". Nunatsiavut Government.
  12. ^ Pomeroy, Bert (18 February 2021). "Unofficial results of Constituency of Canada by-election". Nunatsiavut Government.
  13. ^ "Inuit Community Governance". Government of Nunatsiavut. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  14. ^ "Here comes the green power: Makkovik installs new solar panel unit - CBC News". CBC. 2019-10-25. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  15. ^ a b c d "Tyler Edmunds elected as first minister of Nunatsiavut government | CBC News".

External links

Politics of Newfoundland and Labrador
Canadian legislative bodies
Categories