District of Keewatin

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The District of Keewatin was a distinct entity from Keewatin Region, Northwest Territories, although much of their territory overlapped.

The District of Keewatin was a former territory of Canada and later an administrative district of the Northwest Territories.

The name "Keewatin" comes from Algonquian roots - either kīwēhtin (ᑮᐍᐦᑎᐣ) in Cree or giiwedin (ᑮᐌᑎᓐ) in Ojibwe - both of which mean north wind in their respective languages. In Inuktitut, it was called Kivalliq (ᑭᕙᓪᓕᖅ) - a name which persists as the Kivalliq Region in Nunavut.

1 History as a territory 1876 - 1905
- 1.1 District of Keewatin Government
2 History 1905 - 1999
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History as a territory 1876 - 1905

The District of Keewatin was created by the passage of the Keewatin Act on April 12, 1876^[1] from a portion of Canada's Northwest Territories. The district ceased being an independent territory in 1905 and was returned to the territories. At the time of its abolition, it covered 228,160 square miles (590,932 km²) - roughly the size of Saskatchewan. At its establishment in 1876, it encompassed the bulk of what is now Manitoba and north-western Ontario and southern Nunavut. Its territory had been reduced over the years as areas were added to the two provinces.

[edit] District of Keewatin Government

The District of Keewatin was run by a primitive government. The legislative branch of the government was a unicameral body, known as the Council of Keewatin.^[2] The Council contained six members all of whom were appointed by the Federal government. The members were generally politicians of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly. The Council was run as a Consensus government and political parties were not recognized.

The executive branch of the territory was run by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba who also doubled as the Lieutenant Governor of the District of Keewatin.

The seat of government for the district was in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The District of Keewatin did not have any representation in the Canadian House of Commons or the Canadian Senate.

[edit] History 1905 - 1999

The District of Keewatin became one of three districts in the Northwest Territories. The other two were the District of Mackenzie and the District of Franklin. Keewatin covered the portion of the Northwest Territories north of Manitoba on the mainland, and all islands within Hudson, James, and Ungava Bays. Because of the harsh winters and lack of inland roads, settlement of the isolated district by whites was poor, and even the native Inuit population was sparse: in 1950, there were just 2,000 persons in the entire district.

On April 1, 1999, the Keewatin Region was formally dissolved, as the Nunavut Territory was created from eastern parts of the Northwest Territories, including all of Keewatin.