They found a people with a wealth of knowledge, culture and humanity. Inuit in Canada lived in relative isolation until 50 or so years ago, when the government moved many of us from our traditional nomadic lifestyles into settlements. As a result, our culture has experienced a rapid and severe disruption that we have not yet recovered from. Our communities are small and spread across a vast geographic area. Our communities are also the most remote and least developed of all communities in Canada.
Most transportation is by air.
Employment opportunities in the communities are few and we suffer from very high rates of unemployment. Most communities have populations of less than 1,000, and the waged positions are limited to health care, primary education and hamlet administration. Inuit in Canada have achieved greater success with self-determination than many other aboriginal peoples in Canada. In 1999, we saw the birth of Nunavut, which means our land in our language, Inuktitut. Canada has redraw its map for the first time since 1949 to include a third territory.