The Inuvialuit Final Agreement

Signed in 1984, the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) stands as one of Canada's first modern land claims. As signatories to the IFA, Inuvialuit, Canada, and the Government of Yukon all have constitutionally protected rights, roles, and responsibilities under the Agreement. The IFA is also where our Council was born - the Wildlife Management Advisory Council for the North Slope springs directly from the Agreement and has been active since 1988. 

"The Yukon North Slope shall fall under a special conservation regime whose dominant purpose is the conservation of wildlife, habitat and traditional native use." - Inuvialuit Final Agreement

Co-management

Co-management is central to the spirit and intent of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA), and to the work we do at WMAC(NS).

There are several boards, organizations, and governments involved in making our co-management system run smoothly and each has a special role to play to ensure that decisions made support the goals of the IFA, which include:

• Preserving Inuvialuit cultural identity and values within a changing northern society,
• Enabling Inuvialuit to be equal and meaningful participants in the northern and national economy and society,
• Protecting and preserving Arctic wildlife, environment, and biological productivity.

Respect and equal representation are crucial to our co-management structure. Each co-management body, including our Council, is formed of appointees that balance Inuvialuit, federal, and territorial government interests. These appointees give equal weight to different types of knowledge and ways of knowing, ensuring recommendations and decisions are made not only with the best possible information, but also in consideration of the deep relationship Inuvialuit have with the land.

Ultimately, co-management makes us wiser and much better prepared to tackle the changes and challenges facing us in the 21st century, while emphasizing the unique role of Inuvialuit throughout their homeland.

Below is a graphic that provides a summary of the varies bodies established under the IFA and how they relate to each other.