Why are Canadian territories like Nunavut not simply provinces?

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As I understand it being a territory in Canada means that many things which are normally performed by provincial government are instead federally administrated. Is this simply due to lower population density in an already sparsely populated country? What prevents the territories from full provincehood, and is there an existing movement pushing for that?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Because they weren’t given any sovereignty and are administered by the federal government. It’s mostly due to population. They are too small to fund a provincial parliament.

To add some perspective, Prince Edward Island (PEI) is the smallest province and has 3x the population of the largest territory, Northwest Territory.

From a political perspective, adding a province would require amending the Constitution and holy moly that would not end well. Every province would want it’s own gripes acknowledged before any action is taken.