The Nunavik Commission and the Path to Self-Government in Arctic Quebec 1 Gary N. Wilson Department of Political Science University of Northern British Columbia 3333 University Way Prince George, British Columbia V2N 4Z9 wilsong@unbc.ca (250) 960 5514 Introduction In recent years, Inuit peoples in the Circumpolar North have made tremendous strides towards realizing the goal of self-government. The negotiations concerning the development of a system of public self-government in Nunavik, the northern third of the province of Quebec, are just the latest in a series of self-government arrangements involving the Inuit of Canada, Greenland, the United States and Russia. The quest to regain the autonomy enjoyed by Inuit peoples in northern Quebec prior to European contact began in the 1950s with the emergence of the cooperative movement in northern Quebec. In the 1970s, the threat posed by James Bay Hydro-Electric Project galvanized Aboriginal peoples in the North, including the Inuit, in the struggle against development. The outcome of this struggle was the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement 1 The author would like to acknowledge the support and input of Paul Bussieres, Donat Savoie, Louis- Jacques Dorais, Jean-Jacques Simard, Minnie Grey and Harry Tulugak. This document is a draft. Please do not quote without the author’s permission.