Cooperative management

Qausuittuq National Park is jointly managed by Inuit and Parks Canada in accordance with the Nunavut Agreement, the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement for Qausuittuq National Park (IIBA), and the Canada National Parks Act (CNPA), its associated regulations and policies.

The Qausuittuq Park Management Committee (QaPMC) is the cooperative management board for the park. The QaPMC’s role is to advise Parks Canada, the Minister responsible for National Parks, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and other agencies on all matters related to park management.

The creation of the QaPMC was provided for in the Nunavut Agreement. The IIBA created the Committee and outlined the details of its structure and governance. Each member of the QaPMC has the responsibility to act impartially in the public interest and for the public good.

Both the CNPA and the IIBA require that a management plan be prepared to guide decision-making on all activities related to park management and operations within five years of establishment. However, this formal management planning process has been delayed for Qausuittuq. In the interim, upon the advice of the QaPMC, an internal guiding document, Foundations for the Future, has been prepared to manage the park in the short-term while the final management plan is developed. The interim guide was approved in March 2020, and is consistent with the Nunavut Agreement, the Qausuittuq IIBA, and Parks Canada’s mandate.