The final adjustment of Canada’s internal borders occurred in 1999 with the creation of the Territory of Nunavut, which was separated from the Northwest Territories in the eastern Arctic. As known, the Arctic regions are essential for developing areas of production and extraction of such important minerals for the functioning of society as oil and gas. Given the development of national policies and programs, the federal government is trying to keep the country united. The Nunavut region is essential to Canada’s development, so it is important to consider this as part of the overall country.
The Nunavut territory is dominated by adverse weather conditions, such as extreme cold, fast winds, hurricanes, and darkness, which significantly affect visibility in the region. The indicated weather conditions do not allow for increasing the accessibility of the area to others and therefore do not contribute to work development (Bone, 2017). However, the Arctic regions, including Nunavut, have large reserves of minerals such as oil and gas. The amount of crude oil available in the area is estimated at 150 billion barrels, a significant part of Canada’s natural resource extraction (Bone, 2017). Because of this, Nunavut has an important place in the country’s economy, as it contributes significantly to the gross national product, bringing in more than $ 2 billion (Carlson, 2018). Despite the possible difficulties of living and working conditions in Nunavut, this is Canada’s most economically prosperous region.
Considering Nunavut as a territory of Canada, the latter boundary would be erroneous and damage Canada’s economic image since oil production significantly contributes to Canada’s development. However, active mining and processing of the region’s natural resources can adversely impact the environment, as it causes air pollution and affects the physical aspects of the domain. The Inuit living in the Nunavut region have maintained their identity for centuries, including traditions, language, and culture. In Nunavut, over 86 percent of the population identifies as Indigenous (Batal & Decelles, 2019). Modern residents still maintain traditional activities such as hunting and fishing (Bernauer, 2019). Canada’s diverse culture includes its traditional music and wood carvings, which are also integral to Inuit culture. The concepts of border and homeland are primarily incompatible in the minds of the people living in the region. Treating it as Canada’s last frontier would, to some extent, preserve a deeply rooted culture.
Adherents consider the Arctic, in particular, Nunavut, as their homeland and seek in every possible way to preserve the identity associated with their home. They support the preservation of the language, spiritual beliefs, and culture of the North. In addition, people are worried about the region’s well-being and political and economic development. In this regard, many protest against large-scale industrial projects, which they consider damaging (Batal & Decelles, 2019). On the other hand, those who see Nunavut as Canada’s frontier are focusing on exploiting the natural resources available in the region. Thus, the homeland view is related to the sustainability of the local way of life of the people, while the frontier view is more development-oriented.
National political parties are most aware that political power (the number of seats in the House of Commons) is concentrated in Central Canada. Despite this, the North, as a homeland, is a link between communities across national borders and helps solve globalization’s problems. The North is full of natural resources that can only be found in this region. Considering Nunavut as Canada’s last frontier would significantly affect the country’s economic situation. Since Nunavut’s oil and gas production is an important contributor to Canada’s development, the government will lose most of its profits and contribution to GNP. That, in turn, will significantly undermine the well-being of the citizens, and an economic crisis may begin. Nunavut combines an existing Canadian political entity with an Inuit environment that is important to the country’s economy and development.
References
Batal, M., & Decelles, S. (2019). A scoping review of obesity among indigenous peoples in Canada. Journal of Obesity, 2019, 1-20.
Bernauer, W. (2019). The limits to extraction: Mining and colonialism in Nunavut. Canadian Journal of Development Studies/Revue Canadienne D’études du Développement, 40(3), 404-422.
Bone, R. M. (2018). The regional geography of Canada (7th ed.). Don Mills, Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press.
Carlson, J., Johnston, M., & Dawson, J. (2017). Territorial economic development strategies in Nunavut: A hindrance or a help to community economic development? The Journal of Rural and Community Development, 12(2/3), 236-255.