07/09/2026
CELEBRATING NUNAVUT DAY
Nunavut Day is celebrated annually on July 9 and commemorates the passing of two Nunavut Acts:
July 9, 1993 – Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act & Nunavut Act, giving title to nearly 350,000 km2 of land back to the Inuit people.
April 1, 1999 – Nunavut officially splits from the Northwest Territories and becomes a Canadian Territory.
Before the creation of Nunavut in 1999, there were only two Canadian territories: Northwest Territories and Yukon. The separation of Nunavut from the Northwest Territories resulted in an area comprising 21% of the total area - land and water - of Canada.
The creation of Nunavut was fueled by the desire of the Inuit to govern themselves and restore their traditional way of life, which had been negatively impacted first by the arrival of European explorers and then by the steady increase of the Canadian government’s influence and oversight of day-to-day life.
On July 9, we celebrate Nunavut Day and the strength and resilience of the Inuit in Canada. Inuit value flexibility and ingenuity, while also showing great respect to elders and ancient traditions. Balancing an appreciation for newness and respect for the wisdom of the ages is one of the challenges faced by the Inuit.
The creation of Nunavut was an important step to help meet this challenge. Nunavut’s majority Inuit population use their language, practice their culture, and represent themselves with their traditional symbols. In Nunavut, the Inuit are self-governing, with a substantial amount of political power over themselves and how they live, perfectly represented by the word Nunavut – ᓄᓇᕗᑦ – “Our Land” in Inuktitut.
NUNA & NUNAVUT
Nuna is majority Inuit-owned by Kitikmeot Corporation, the economic development arm of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, based in Cambridge Bay, NU. Our name comes from the Inuktitut word for land.
We were initially established as a logistics company to work at Lupin Gold Mine in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut. From there we built the airstrip at Ekati, then the seasonal winter ice road to the diamond mines, and the rest is history. No matter how much we expand our services throughout Canada, our roots will always remain in the North and Nunavut.
