Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I don't think, at least for the Government of Nunavut, there has been any discussion about changing the boundaries of that.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The Nunavut settlement area, as Natan mentioned, is a constitutionally protected area, and then the territory of Nunavut is somewhat co-extensive with that, but it's defined by the Nunavut Act. If you want a take-away from that, the Nunavut Act is a federal act and can be amended, so I guess the boundaries of Nunavut could probably be changed a little easier than the Nunavut settlement area, which would require an amendment of land claims, but they're pretty set.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No. You get a long-term, 30-year lease in the municipalities and you can renew it every 30 years. It's a lease, though; it's not fee simple. Inuit have fee simple ownership over their lands in the territory.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The MOU was signed to secure a role for the territorial government, a role that we think is necessary for the successful conclusion and implementation of those agreements. To us, you can't have a successful agreement in Nunavut unless the territorial government of Nunavut is signatory to the agreement.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  No, I don't think there is a non-balancing. As a territorial government or a federal government, we enter into these agreements knowingly restricting our legislative jurisdiction in order to bring certainty to the indigenous group, to ensure that their rights are officially recognized in a constitutional document.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes, I would say that's a big part of it. As you know, the territorial government has entered into a protocol with the federal government to negotiate devolution of lands and resources to the territorial government. That was a key point in time that made us realize that we had to have a little more of a role, a bigger role, in those negotiations, and that was part of the reason we weren't participating.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The agreements will be modelled somewhat on the agreements that already exist in the north. As we mentioned in the brief, there are several obligations that fall to the territorial government, specifically in the area of wildlife and natural resource development. By the very nature of the agreement as a constitutional document, it will restrict the legislative jurisdiction that the territorial government will have on those lands when the agreement is settled.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It was a source of frustration for our government that a moratorium was implemented with about 20 minutes' notice to the territorial governments. That to us revealed, I think, a lack of understanding, or a lack of knowledge, of the role territorial governments play in governing the north.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I can tell you that, yes, the claims are long standing, and the traditional lands occupied by those indigenous groups have been occupied by them for way longer than there have been territorial governments. Just to make this short, the territorial government supports the resolution of those claims, and we want to be involved in the resolution of those claims.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, President Obed, for your remarks. To begin my presentation, I would like to acknowledge that we are on unceded Algonquin lands. I'd like to thank you for inviting the Government of Nunavut to speak to the standing committee today. As you mentioned, my name is Bill MacKay.