Vision of Self-Government

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Inuit of Canada came together as a political body with the creation of Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) in 1971. ITC promoted, lobbied and negotiated changes in government policy and program delivery that would put control back into the hands of Inuit communities.

ITC then played a major role in achieving recognition of Aboriginal rights in the Canadian constitution, based on the concept that Inuit are a founding people of the country, having settled in Canada thousands of years before Canadian Confederation.

ITC also supported the land claims negotiations with federal and provincial governments in the four Inuit regions: Nunavik (1975), Inuvialuit (1984), Nunavut (1993) and Labrador (2004). The land claims are based on the fact that Inuit never signed any treaties relinquishing their rights to the land, which they continue to use for economic and cultural survival. There are different self-government structures in the four regions. Best known is the Nunavut Territory, created in 1999.

In 2001, Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Inuit will be united in Canada) changed its name to Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (Inuit are united in Canada) to better reflect the relationship between today’s governments and Canadian Inuit, and to celebrate Inuit political achievement during the organization’s first thirty years.