Nunavut Marine Council

Nunavut dominates the top of the globe in area and access to the Arctic Ocean. Its shores comprise 35% of all Arctic coastline – three times more than Russia’s, ten times more than Norway’s, and 20 times more than Alaska’s. Nunavut’s Arctic Archipelago contains 97,000 islands – including three of the world's ten largest – and at its northern tip lies only 478 miles short of the North Pole.

The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA) is the culmination of decades of negotiation with the 25,000 Inuit who have lived in this part of the Arctic for thousands of years. Key features of the NLCA include institutes of public government made up of representatives who are appointed by Inuit organizations, federal government, and government of Nunavut.

Because Inuit culture relies so heavily on the use of the ocean, Article 15 of the NLCA provides an option for the four standing institutes of public government to form the Nunavut Marine Council on ocean-related issues. The Canadian government has never funded this provision, hampering marine planning.

Melting ice from climate change is restructuring the marine ecosystem in ways humans have never before witnessed and – at the same time – providing access for industrial development including commercial fishing, offshore oil and gas, and industrial shipping in ways never tried before in the Arctic.

The combination of these two factors – ecosystem restructuring and industrial development – puts a premium on good planning, anticipating problems before they occur, and a conservative approach to novel industrial schemes to ensure the marine environment continues to support Inuit communities.

A fully functioning Nunavut Marine Council would highlight the many issues of major conservation and development proposals in the North, and the need for additional government support and attention. A substantive and public discussion of the marine issues facing Nunavut is a crucial component of its future success, and the success of Nunavut is crucial for the future of the Arctic Ocean.