“We, The Inuit of Labrador”: Balancing Inuit and Western Traditions in the Nunatsiavut Constitution

• Published in: Journal of Canadian Studies
• Main Author: White, Graham
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 2021
• Subjects: Canada; inuit
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.2019-0043

Canada’s Indigenous peoples have slowly been reclaiming control over their lands and lives. As a wide range of institutions emerges, designed to enhance Indigenous peoples’ ability to govern themselves according to their own principles and priorities, academic attention is shifting from normative arguments about the need for self-government to the study of actual institutions. This article examines the constitution of the Nunatsiavut Government, the self-government regime established by the Inuit of Northern Labrador in 2005. The Nunatsiavut Constitution is a lengthy, formal document that not only sets out in detail the structures of the Nunatsiavut Government and how they are to operate but also proclaims the cultural and political aspirations of the Labrador Inuit. It is thus an instructive case for the consideration of how, and to what extent, Indigenous self-governments accommodate the tensions between Indigenous forms and norms of governance with the structures and principles of Western governance. Particular attention is devoted to the design of the only Inuit self-government in Canada, to the influence of Inuit culture on the organization and operation of the Nunatsiavut Government, and to constitutional provisions relating to the role of women in government and in society generally. The article is based on a close reading of the document, supplemented by interviews with key figures involved in the development of the constitution and with present-day Nunatsiavut Government officials.