Founding Principles
The word Nunatsiavut means “our beautiful land” in Inuttitut. The name reflects a crucial aspect of the Labrador Inuit Constitution: the need for the Labrador Inuit to strengthen and maintain their relationship to the land, water, plants and animals of their ancestral territory. The structure and principles of Nunatsiavut Government are based on the Labrador Inuit Constitution which was approved by 66 per cent of the Labrador Inuit in a 2002 referendum.
Other principles central to the Constitution and to the Nunatsiavut Government are Inuit culture and language. Each Labrador Inuit family, according to the Constitution, has both a right and a responsibility to pass Labrador Inuit culture and language to their children. This is reflected in the fact that all laws and policies of the Nunatsiavut Government will be published in English and Inuttitut.
The Nunatsiavut Government embraces the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Indeed, the Labrador Inuit Constitution explicitly states that the fundamental human rights Labrador Inuit enjoy as Canadian citizens cannot be taken away by the institutions of Labrador Inuit self-government. An equivalent document, the Labrador Inuit Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, covers respect for human dignity, as well as upholding freedom of expression and religion.
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