In 1973 the
Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) began research on Inuit land use and occupancy in the Arctic. Three years later in 1976, ITC proposed creating a Nunavut Territory and the federal
Electoral Boundaries Commission recommended dividing the Northwest Territories into two electoral districts: the
Western Arctic (now the Northwest Territories) and
Nunatsiaq (now Nunavut). In 1982 the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut (TFN) negotiated the land claims agreement with the federal government. Voting in the Northwest Territories determined the creation of Nunavut with a passing vote of 56%. The TFN and representatives from the federal and territorial governments signed the land claims agreement-in-principle in 1990. In 1992 the TFN and federal negotiators agreed on the substantive portions of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. On May 25, 1993,
Paul Quassa, president of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut;
Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada; and
Tom Siddon, Minister of Indian & Northern Affairs, signed the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. On July 9, 1993 the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and Nunavut Act were adopted by the
Parliament of Canada and received Royal Assent. In 1998, amendments to the Nunavut Act were adopted by parliament and received
Royal Assent. In 1999 on April 1, Nunavut was established with an independent government. == Amendments ==