Nowrth section

Indigenous North

Land claims agreements, self-government and public government models, and the record of implementation.

Two paths to self-determination: Public government and Indigenous self-government in the North

Nunavut and Nunatsiavut both emerged from Inuit land claims negotiated a generation apart, but they chose structurally different models of governance.

By Nowrth Staff·August 26, 2026·5 min read

Daily briefing

The Northern playbook

Five developments worth your attention.

Law of the seaCanadian waters: The Northwest Passage and the work of holding it
Canada holds the waters of the Arctic Archipelago as internal waters, and keeps that position intact through the 1988 Arctic Cooperation Agreement while the United States and the EU see the passage differently.
Continental defenceBuilding presence: Canada's Arctic defence investments and the infrastructure gap
NORAD modernization is a 20-year, $38.6-billion program announced in 2022, with its main surveillance capabilities scheduled well into the 2030s.
ImplementationTwo Paths to Self-Determination: Public Government and Indigenous Self-Government in the North
A new ten-year Implementation Contract under the Nunavut Agreement was signed in March 2025, thirty-two years after the original land claim.
Food systemsThe cost of distance: Food security policy in Canada's North
Recent survey data put food insecurity at roughly 76 per cent in Nunavut, against sustained growth in Nutrition North subsidy spending since 2011.
To 2030A framework without a deadline: Assessing Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework
The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework reports through an annual Leadership Committee, without a legislated compliance mechanism for its 2030 goals.