The push to get the world’s largest land use plan in Nunavut signed amid mining rush – CBC

Mar 23, 2026

Plan still not signed nearly 2 decades after work on it started

It’s been nearly two decades since work began on the Nunavut land use plan, but there’s still no word on when it’ll be signed. As that process drags on, some Nunavummiut are nervous about the damage being done to their lands.

The 129-page document, released in June 2023, is the largest plan of its kind in the world, covering one fifth of Canada’s land mass.

Nunavut is a resource-rich territory, and there’s a strong desire to capitalize on that. In a keynote speech in September 2025, then-premier P.J. Akeeagok said the territory holds 23 of Canada’s 34 listed critical minerals, and it’s a “matter of national security” as “supply chains shift and tensions rise” around the world.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nunavut-land-use-plan-mining-rush-9.7136841