CBC News: Labrador's Inuit cheer land agreement

CBC News: Labrador's Inuit cheer land agreement
NAIN - Labrador's 5,000 Inuit people made their largest step ever toward self-government Saturday, in a signing ceremony that included an apology for a forced relocation program half a century ago.

The signing ceremony – which was delayed a day because of stormy weather – paves the way for an autonomous government in Nunatsiavut, the Inuit word for "beautiful land."

The agreement, which has yet to be formally approved by the House of Commons, covers 72,520 square kilometres of northern Labrador.

The Inuit will become the owners of 15,800 square kilometres of land – two per cent of Labrador's land mass – and they will co-manage the remaining area.

The Inuit also will have special rights along the coast to 44,030 square kilometres of sea. "It certainly is a step forward. It is a step in the right direction," says Nain resident Gary Baikie. "It will give us a chance now to control our own destiny."