00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16                                                                                         
01 Congratulating the government and the people of the new Canadian territory of                                           
02 Nunavut.                                                                                                                
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                              
04  WHEREAS, under a land claim settlement signed six years ago between the Canadian                                     
05 Government and the aboriginal Inuit people of Canada's eastern Arctic region, part of the                               
06 Northwest Territories of Canada has become a new autonomous territory named Nunavut,                                    
07 meaning "our land" in Inuktitut; and                                                                                    
08  WHEREAS the Inuit people of Nunavut share many cultural ties with the Inuit people                                   
09 of Alaska, including the derivation of their identity from the land they inhabit and a profound                         
10 attachment to the earth that governs how they live on it, how they relate to each other, and                            
11 how they regard the outside world; and                                                                                  
12  WHEREAS Nunavut, which consists of 2,000,000 square kilometers of land spread                                        
13 over three time zones with a population of about 25,000 people, shares many of the societal                             
14 pressures and economic development issues that face Alaskans, including issues relating to                              

01 health care, welfare, mining, tourism, and employment; and                                                              
02   WHEREAS the people of Nunavut have recently elected 19 lawmakers who will                                           
03 select a premier and cabinet at the first meeting of the Nunavut Legislative Assembly on                                
04 April 1, 1999;                                                                                                          
05  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature commends the people of                                              
06 Nunavut for their strong demonstration of representative democracy in action as evidenced by                            
07 the 88 percent voter turnout in their recent election; and be it                                                        
08  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature and the people of Alaska                                          
09 congratulate the Nunavut people for their success in establishing a homeland and government                             
10 that will be uniquely responsive to their needs and reflective of their values and traditions; and                      
11 be it                                                                                                                   
12  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature and the people of Alaska                                          
13 congratulate the newly-elected lawmakers of Nunavut and stand ready to cooperate with them                              
14 and with all of the people of Nunavut in areas of mutual concern and interest.                                          
15  A COPY of this resolution shall be sent to the government of Nunavut in the capital                                  
16 of Iqaluit on Baffin Island, Canada.