Expanded version based on "Nunavut an annotated bibliography", by E. Simpson, L. Seale, R. Minion. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute and University of Alberta Library.1994.

1982 April 14 Plebiscite held on the question of division of the Northwest Territories into Denendeh and Nunavut; division supported.

1982 April 17
Constitution Act signed. Sections 25 and 35 deal with aboriginal and treaty rights.

1982 May
The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories passes a motion recommending that the federal government appoint a federal boundaries commission.

1982 The federal government releases the paper "Outstanding Business" to clarify its policy on specific claims; outlines the government's aim to meet its legal obligations as set out in post-confederation treaties and the Indian Act.

1982 The boundaries commission is not appointed, and the Constitutional Alliance (CA) divides into two sub-committees, the Western Constitutional Forum (WCF) and the Nunavut Constitutional Forum (NCF) to pursue the matter of division of the Northwest Territories.

1982 The Tungavik Federation of Nunavut established to negotiate land claims; is a political arm of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC).

1982 The Nunavut Constitutional Forum (NCF) publishes "Nunavut" and Building Nunavut".

1983 The Penner "Report of the Special Committee on Indian Self-Government" states that the aboriginal right to self-government should be entrenched in the Constitution.

1982/83 (?) January the Council of Yukon Indians signs an agreement-in-principle to settle their land claims with the federal government.

1982/83?? the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut (TFN) and the Committee for Original Peoples' Entitlement (COPE) sign a boundary and overlap agreement.

1984 June 5  Western Arctic Claim signed. The Inuvialuit Final Agreement with the Committee for Original Peoples' Entitlement (COPE) signed by the federal government. This is the first modern treaty or comprehensive land claims settlement north of the 60th parallel in Canada.

1984 October 10  The Western Constitutional Forum (WCF) releases a report entitled "Resource Management Boundary Problems" which identifies a number of potential overlapping resources and compares five boundary alternatives.

1985 Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, David Crombie, announces to the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories that the federal government is willing to support division of the NWT when boundary is settled.

1985  The Coolican Report: a federal task force reviewing comprehensive claims policy issues its report "Living Treaties: Lasting Agreements".