The economy
Listed under the "self-reliance" heading of the Bathurst Mandate the economy is referred to with the principle "build on our strengths, respecting and highlighting the unique elements of our residents, communities, and the environment and economy in Nunavut" (Government of Nunavut 1999, p5). The long term plan set out in the Mandate was that by 2020 the people of Nunavut will be "active in taking up an increasing number of economic opportunities and have a low level of dependency on the government" (Government of Nunavut 1999 p5), their plan for the 5 years since the mandate was set up was to "build local employment and strengthen and support local businesses and organisations while promoting effective competition" (Government of Nunavut 1999, p6).
In Nunavut the government is a major employer, directly employing around 40% of all employed persons in Nunavut, along with the social security payments which they send to the unemployed in Nunavut as well. Though away from the government, 85% of all Inuit families support themselves using traditional methods, either with Caribou or seal meat, amounting to around $23,000 annually for each family. But this isn't sustainable for the whole population to follow as an idea as to support oneself on sealskins, it would be necessary to kill three or four seals per day everyday, which would be utterly unsustainable for a large population to use as a single source of income.
Mining could become a leading employer in Nunavut as resources in the region have been seen to be plentiful, at the moment only one mine is in operation, this being the Meadowbank Gold Mine to the west near the Northwest territories border, yet the royalties which the Nunavut government receives from the royalties paid on mines in the crown lands is nothing short of meagre, they receive 50% of the first $2million of royalties and only 5% of the royalties beyond that, which is only up to 14% of the profits made by the mine (O'Reilly and Eacott 1999-2000), which means that the Nunavut government receives only a tiny amount. "There are also vast reserves of oil and gas, which lie beneath Nunavut's lands and seas; but the tremendous logistical difficulties of extracting these resources and transporting them to southern markets have thus far prevented sustained efforts at developing them" (Légaré 2008, p361).
Yet even if these resources were developed the Nunavut government would still receive no royalties directly, just as that they do from the mining currently, as royalties from such industry would pass directly to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc who are the legal owners of the 18% of Nunavut.
Such investment would not sort the economic uncertainty which the region has currently. Looking at this it would seem that the Nunavut government cannot be seen as having been ineffective with it's economy, only that they do not receive fair amounts of funding to help them to thrive and as such are unable to distribute funds effectively, as funds are received by a third part in the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.