Co‐management and self‐determination in Nunavut

This paper explores the question of power relations within co‐management institutions in Nunavut and, in particular, their role in the Inuit peoples’ efforts to achieve self‐determination. Following the presentation of an interpretive model outlining the three possible interactions within co‐management institutions—integration, transaction, and empowerment—a case study of the co‐management institutions pertaining to wildlife in Nunavut is conducted. The experience of the interim wildlife board, established in 1990, particularly the crisis surrounding the setting of a quota for beluga harvest in three southeast Baffin communities, can be interpreted as an attempt at co‐optation. Resistance from Inuit hunters allowed for an increase in the quotas, although the concept of quotas per se was not called into question. The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, established in 1994, has more power than its predecessor. However, the initial experiences of the NWMB indicate that the Federal government is determined to maintain tight control over the management of sensitive wildlife species for economic or symbolic reasons. The co‐management experience in Nunavut must fit within the framework defined by Canadian society, thereby allowing for only limited self‐determination.