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The Indigenous Land Claims in New Zealand and Canada

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Inuvialuit F<strong>in</strong>al AgreementIn May 1977, the Committee of Orig<strong>in</strong>al Peoples’ Entitlement (COPE) submitted a formalcomprehensive l<strong>and</strong> claim on behalf of approximately 4,500 Inuvialuit liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> six communities <strong>in</strong><strong>and</strong> around the mouth of the Mackenzie River. Negotiations between the Inuvialuit <strong>and</strong> the Federalgovernment cont<strong>in</strong>ued through the late 1970s <strong>and</strong> early 1980s, culm<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> the Inuvialuit F<strong>in</strong>alAgreement (IFA) <strong>in</strong> May 1984. Under the terms of the IFA the Inuvialuit reta<strong>in</strong>ed title to “91,000square kilometres of l<strong>and</strong>, 13,000 square kilometres with full surface <strong>and</strong> subsurface title <strong>and</strong> 78,000square kilometres exclud<strong>in</strong>g oil <strong>and</strong> gas <strong>and</strong> specified m<strong>in</strong>eral rights” (Frideres 1993, 118). <strong>The</strong>Inuvialuit also received $45 million <strong>in</strong> cash compensation to be paid out over 13 years, from 1984 to1997, a $7.5 million Social Development Fund (SDF) <strong>and</strong> a $10 million Economic EnhancementFund (EEF).In 1984, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) was formed to receive the l<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ancial compensation obta<strong>in</strong>ed by the Inuvialuit. <strong>The</strong> corporation was given “the overallresponsibility of manag<strong>in</strong>g the affairs of the settlement to achieve the objectives <strong>in</strong> the IFA.” (ICG1997, 4) Accord<strong>in</strong>g to the <strong>in</strong>troduction of the 1997 Annual Report of the Inuvialuit Corporate Group,these objectives are to,Preserve the Inuvialuit culture, identity <strong>and</strong> values with<strong>in</strong> a chang<strong>in</strong>g northern society.Enable Inuvialuit to be equal <strong>and</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>gful participants <strong>in</strong> the northern <strong>and</strong> nationaleconomy <strong>and</strong> society. Protect <strong>and</strong> preserve the Arctic wildlife, environment <strong>and</strong> biologicalproductivity (ICG 1997, 4).<strong>The</strong> question is – are the Inuvialuit succeed<strong>in</strong>g? In an attempt to answer this question at leastfrom an economic development perspective, the activities of the major subsidiaries of the IRC, theInuvialuit Development Corporation (IDC), the Inuvialuit Petroleum Corporation (IPC) <strong>and</strong> theInuvialuit Investment Corporation (IIC), are described <strong>in</strong> the three subsections that follow.23

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