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Nunavut Tunngavik says the Keewatin pilot project should be delayed until the Nunavut legislative assembly can develop its own community empowerment policy.
DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. has shot down the GNWT's so-called Keewatin pilot project as a poorly planned, regressive experiment that could undermine Nunavut's territorial government.
Citing ill timing and a lack of consultation, NTI board members meeting in Cambridge Bay last week demanded that the proposal be shelved until after division of the NWT in 1999.
That would give the Nunavut government the time it needs to properly consider to its own community empowerment policy, NTI President Jose Kusugak said.
"We have the luxury of time right now," Kusugak said. "Why rush everything before it's understood?"
Massive transfer of programs
At issue is a proposal by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs to transfer responsibility and funding for numerous GNWT programs to Keewatin municipal governments.
The proposal, which has the support of several mayors in the region, would shift tens of millions of dollars into the hands of hamlet governments under the GNWT's community empowerment policy.
Under the pilot project, a new regional "communities association" would be created to manage the territorial government's money.
Nunavut Tunngavik's was not the only groups to raise concerns about the proposal this week.
Education officials concerned
Noel Kaludjak, the chairman of the Keewatin Divisional Education Council, worries that residents have not being adequately consulted about the proposed devolution of powers.
"We're being fast-tracked," Kaludjak said. "They want us to go ahead without proper consultation. We're being fast-tracked all the way."
In the last days of the Legislative Assembly's winter session, the project also became a political flashpoint for the GNWT.
"It's not a matter of opposition to the idea," Kaludjak said. "It's the timing of the idea."
After reviewing the proposal, NTI said such a move would "significantly alter the structure and authorities" of the Nunavut Assembly, possibly undermining the principle of two-level, decentralized government in the new territory.
Althoug Kaludjak said he also agrees in principle with the transfer of greater decision-making authority to the community level, he has told MACA that it's not up to him alone to support or reject the pilot project.
"They have to consult with district education authorities in each community," Kaludjak said. "They cannot just come to me as chair of the Keewatin board and tell me to sign some agreement. I cannot do that."
Thompson unaware of NTI's position
Responding to questions about the pilot project in the Legislative Assembly earlier this week, Minister Thompson said she was unaware of NTI's opposition, and indicated that the proposal was "going ahead."
No comprehensive proposal has yet been submitted to cabinet, and the project is apparently still in its early planning stages.
Still, NTI leader Kusugak wondered aloud why the GNWT had picked the Keewatin to conduct a large-scale experiment in community empowerment a year away from division.
"If you are in charge of the whole territories, why not do the experiment in a place like Inuvik?," Kusugak suggested. "Do it in Fort Smith or in a place like Eureka that isn't developing a new form of government."
Kusugak also chastised MACA for allegedly misrepresenting NTI's views on the Keewatin proposal.
In particular, he denied having endorsed the pilot project in Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Manitok Thompson's presence during last year's Baffin leaders' meeting in Pangnirung.
"I did talk to her, but I talked to her about the same level of community empowerment that Cape Dorset was talking about," Kusugak said.
"I think the [Keewatin] pilot project is very very different from the one proposed for Cape Dorset."
The NTI board has fired off a letter to Thompson, urging her to delay the pilot project -- and all other community-empowerment initiatives.
Back to Nunatsiaq NewsNunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Makivik Corp. President Zebedee Nungak greeted Quebec Liberal party leader Daniel Johnson's resignation this week with utter indifference.
"I'm not wailing in the streets about the departure of Mr Johnson, nor am I eagerly waiting for the salvation of his successor, because I know that the party and its program and its attitude are not very different from that of the [Parti Québécois]" Nungak told Nunatsiaq News.
The Inuit leader pointed out that Johnson and other prominent Liberals recently joined the separatist Quebec government to denounce Ottawa's request for a Supreme Court opinion on the legality of Quebec's unilateral secession from Canada.
Nungak said the Liberal party's very strong nationalist faction prevents it from becoming a credible federalist voice in the province.
"Both the Liberals and the PQ are of the position that Quebec's present boundaries are sacred," Nungak said.
"No matter who replaces Mr. Johnson, there's really not that much essential difference between the Quebec Liberal party and the PQ Nungak said. "They are very similar on the essentials."
Back to Nunatsiaq NewsHealth Minister Kelvin Ng says Ottawa and the GNWT now have an agreement-in-principle to pay for new hospitals in Iqaluit, Inuvik, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet.
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT - Health Minister Kelvin Ng said last week that it won't be long before he'll be able to reveal details of a GNWT-Ottawa deal to pay for new hospitals in four NWT communities.
"There has been an agreement-in-principle reached and [it] is at the department of justice for their review of wording and the parameters around that agreement. Again, I am not at liberty to disclose the amount at this time until we can initial off on it, but we think it is adequate," Ng told MLAs last week during their examination of the NWT health department's budget.
It appears as if Ottawa will pay for three new Nunavut hospitals in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay through a re-apportionment of money originally committed to the renovation of Iqaluit's old Baffin Regional Hospital.
In the 1988 health transfer agreement between Ottawa and Yellowknife, Ottawa committed more than $40 million to renovate the Baffin hospital and an additional $18 million for a new Inuvik hospital.
But under this new agreement, only about $25 million will go to the Baffin.
At least $7 or $8 million each will go towards new "cottage hospitals" in Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay.
It's expected that under the funding deal, Ottawa would release hospital construction money to the territorial government over a multi-year period, rather in one lump-sum payment.
At the same time, private developers in each region would build their respective hospital buildings under long-term lease-back agreements. The GNWT's recently unveiled "P-3" policy of public-private-partnerships would apply to those deals.
The GNWT and Nunavut's three regional health boards have already consented to a deal endorsing this arrangement.
In the Baffin, the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation has already been selected as the developer that will build then lease the Baffin's new hospital back to the Nunavut territorial government.
It's not known, however, which private investors will supply QC with the up-front money they'll need to get construction underway.
Ng said the new Baffin hospital will likely provide the same services that it provides now, with the exception perhaps of some new equipment that would be installed.
"Mr. Chairman, the only thing we can envision happening is the possibility of some additional upgraded facilities that would be able to accommodate and enhance some of the specialist services that might be coming in to service the region," Ng said.
Ng also said that the territorial government isn't planning to spend any extra in year-to-year operation and maintenance for the new Baffin hospital.
But he did say that the new building will use energy more efficiently and therefore produce savings that can be put back into medical services.
"The expectation is, those savings would be put back into some of the programs of course. For us, from a GNWT funding perspective, to be generally cost neutral," Ng said.
"The Waldo Picco Hospital?"
Kivallivik MLA Kevin O'Brien, referring to Iqaluit MLA Ed Picco's relentless questions about the hospital, had his own questions.
"Is it true that it is going to be named the Edward Waldo Picco Memorial Hospital?" O'Brien asked.
O'Brien has been asking Ng if the $7-$8 million likely to be spent on hospitals in the Keewatin and Kitikmeot could be increased without reducing the $25 million slated for the Baffin.
Ng also said there are a few issues that negotiators still need to work out before the Ottawa-GNWT deal will be done.
"They are going to be sitting down and once again trying to resolve any outstanding issues, so we will be able to sign off on this," Ng said.
In response to a question from Picco, Ng said he would inform the Baffin caucus of MLAs when negotiators reach a final agreement.
Back to Nunatsiaq NewsNunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart will soon introduce a bill in the House of Commons containing necessary amendments to the Nunavut Act.
The NWT's justice minister, Goo Arlooktoo, told MLAs in the legislative assembly last week that the GNWT expects Stewart will introduce the bill "in a week or so."
But Arlooktoo said he can't reveal the contents of the bill until after it's tabled in the Commons.
"As such, because of protocol, it is improper for me to get into the specific details, but what I can say is, the work on the bill has been done in a cooperative effort by a working group of officials from the government of the Northwest Territories, from NTI and from the federal government," Arlooktoo told MLAs .
Various bureaucratic working groups have been burning the midnight oil in the wake of last January's Nunavut leaders' summit in Iqaluit.
Stewart's bill would change the Nunavut Act to legally enable decisions reached by Nunavut leaders over the past several years.
The amendments are expected to provide for:
Arlooktoo suggested that the GNWT isn't entirely pleased with all of the amendments that would be contained in Stewart's bill.
"We did have some concerns, however, hence the reason why I went down to Ottawa, met with the minister and was assured they would look at our concerns and do one of two things," Arlooktoo said.
"One, either they could make the changes before it is introduced; or two, that we would work together with the standing committee on legislation in putting together the required changes."
Arlooktoo didn't, however, say what those problems are.
On April 1, 1999, the Nunavut Act will replace the Northwest Territories Act as Nunavut's de facto "constitution."
Based on the 1992 Nunavut Accord agreement between Ottawa, Yellowknife and the Tungavik Federation of Nunavut, the Nunavut Act was one of two Nunavut laws proclaimed on July 9 1993.
The Northwest Territories Act will continue to apply to what's left of the NWT after division.
Back to Nunatsiaq NewsThe man organizing promotion and marketing events around the creation of Nunavut next year says there could be many economic spin-offs for residents.
ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Celebrating the creation of a new territory can be a goldmine, if people know where to dig.
"There's an enormous amount of opportunity for the people of Nunavut to take advantage of this," Newfoundland native Joe Bennett says.
Bennett, direct from bringing Cabot 500 celebration plans to fruition in his home province last year, enumerates possibilities for marketing Nunavut's creation on the international stage using events such as a 'top of the world' conference that would attract participants worldwide.
"There's more to it than selling tee-shirts."
Hired by Nunavut Tourism, Bennett's job, as he emphatically points out, is not to plan '99 celebrations, but to help Nunavummiut create and market events that are cultural, yet profitable.
He claims properly planned and marketed events can yield a return of $3-5 for every dollar invested.
"That's pretty boastful," he admits confidently.
He adds tax revenues generated by these events would make them attractive investments for governments.
In the several months in which Bennett's been on the job, he's fielded calls from residents across the territory bursting with ideas and looking for direction.
"The key to making Nunavut '99 work is to keep the expectations within realistic goals," he explained.
Last October a committee of people experienced in large-scale events planning, along with the territorial department of resources, wildlife and economic development (RWED), looked at possible economic benefits surrounding '99 celebrations.
"We've presented the concepts to a lot of groups and nobody has disputes," Bennett said. "I think we have full support."
The proposal involves spreading the celebrations surrounding the creation of Nunavut across five months, from April to August, 1999. The events would fall under three categories: "hallmark" events, regional celebrations and community festivities.
Bennett said during each of the five months there would be at least one "hallmark" event, a high-profile, internationally-promoted celebration he says is critical to "create the understanding of the achievements of Inuit people."
Regional events, he explained, would celebrate the diversity of the Baffin, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions. Community organizations would also have the freedom to express their messages through local events.
NIC organizing inaugural celebration
The foremost event is the inauguration celebration being co-ordinated by the Nunavut Implementation Commission (NIC). It's for this show that policiticians and dignitaries worldwide will congregate in Iqaluit April 1, 1999.
How Nunavut's 26 communities will participate in this event, who'll attend, what the program will be and who'll pick up the tab are still unanswered questions. What is certain, however, is hundreds of well-wishers will flock into Iqaluit to be part of the historic event.
NIC's executive director, Simon Awa, said details will begin to be finalized towards the end of March.
"A lot of eyes will be on the community of Iqaluit," Awa said.
NIC is appealing to various groups for help, such as the education council to approve school property for events and the airlines to offer deals on fares. Awa also met with a town council committee requesting that next year's Toonik Tyme activities be somehow tied to the Nunavut celebration.
As well as the serious logistical problems with housing hundreds of visitors in the town -- whose hotels have only about 400 beds -- the cost of the event is expected to ring in around $2 million. Awa said the federal government will likely bear the brunt of that expense, though NIC will be looking for corporate sponsors.
April celebration at the centre
The April celebration is the key political event of 1999 and an NIC initiative under the direction of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister Jane Stewart.
But Bennett believes it's possible to carry on the momentum this event will create. Planning, however, is crucial and must begin by April 1, at the beginning of the new fiscal year.
With 13 months to go, time is an obvious constraint, Bennett admits, but getting people and money in place is another imposing hurdle.
This week Bennett was finishing up a detailed report for RWED -- with a complete cost analysis -- for helping Nunavummiut maximize the '99 celebrations.
Bennett wouldn't share details of the report, but said if it's accepted, the residents of Nunavut should be blitzed with the information they need to get started.
"In all the consultations, the people of Nunavut want a celebration reflecting the importance of the event," Bennett said.
Back to Nunatsiaq NewsIQALUIT -- The Nunavut Implementation Committee this week announced the make-up of a committee that will make final recomendations on a a flag and coat of arms for Nunavut.
The symbols selection committee will screen submissions made to them on a flag and coat of arms for Nunavut, and then recommend two final options to the Chief Herald of Canada.
The symbols selection committee is made up of: Meeka Kilabuk, an NIC commissioner based in Iqaluit; John Amagoalik, the NIC's chief commissioner; Jose Kusugak, the president of NTI; Kananginak Pootoogok, a well-known carver from Cape Dorset; Thomas Iksiraq of Baker Lake; Nick Sikkuarq of Pelly Bay; and Robert Watt of the office of the Governor General of Canada.
Meeka Kilabuk is the chairperson of the symbols selection committee. They'll meet at the end of March to screen submissions.
The final decision will be made by the Chief Herald of Canada.
Back to TopNunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- RCMP have arrested a Pangnirtung man after a woman from the same community was doused with fuel and set ablaze.
A 25-year-old Pangnirtung woman is recovering in an Ottawa hospital. An RCMP press release states that on March 2, a man sprayed her with fuel and then set her on fire.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. near the Arctic College learning centers in Pangnirtung.
Gary Kuniluisie, 29, is being held in custody and was scheduled to appear in an Iqaluit court today for a show cause hearing. Kuniluisie is facing charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault.
Kuniluisie also faces a charge of breaking and entering in an unrelated incident in Pangnirtung that occurred sometime after the burning.
Back to TopThe Northern Transportation Company is now an official "Inuit firm," as NTI's board refines its implementation of Article 24.
DWANE WILKIN
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. board members have taken steps to bolster Inuit-employment provisions of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.
The Inuit birthright corporation granted requests by Nunasi Corp. and Northern Transportation Company Ltd. (NTCL) to have the NWT-based based shipping firm declared an Inuit-owned firm, even though just 50 per cent of the company's shares are held by beneficiaries of the Nunavut land claim.
The other 50 per cent of NTCL is owned by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, which represents beneficiaries of the Inuvialuit agreement, signed in 1984 between the federal government and the Inuvialuit Inuit of the Beaufort Sea region in the western NWT.
Normally, under section Section 24.1.1 of the Nunavut agreement, an Inuit firm is defined as one in which at least 51 per cent of the voting shares are held by Inuit beneficiaries.
Board members agreed to make an exception for the NTCL shipping company because NTCL provides a "vital service to Inuit in Nunavut and is an important part of the family of corporations" owned by Inuit birthright development corporations.
Article 24 of the land claims agreement requires that all procurement polices in Nunavut be designed to boost participation of Inuit and Inuit firms in the territorial economy.
NTI board members meeting in Cambridge Bay last week also voted to push for changes to current government contracting rules to permit Inuit-owned firms in small communities to negotiate contracts directly with the GNWT.
And NTI has endorsed the pursuit of a negotiated contract between three regional birthright corporations, regional health boards and the GNWT to build, manage and finance new medical facilites in Nunavut, even though such a contract violates those same rules.
In each case, NTI said Inuit employment goals set forth in Article 24 of the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement should take precedence over other considerations when it comes to public procurement policy.
In its resolution on health care facilities, NTI's directors said they believe a negotiated contract "would best achieve the objectives of Article 24 set forth in s. 24.3.6."
The board also voted to demand that the GNWT obtain NTI's approval for any future negotiated government contracts that deviate from official contracting procedures, before negotiations begin.
Back to TopKootoo Shaw hopes his five-day trek from Kimmirut to Iqaluit will help his community get a new arena for young people.
ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT - Shielding their eyes against the blinding reflection of the Friday afternoon sun on frozen Frobisher Bay, a small group of people scan the horizon for a trekker and his companions.
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They begin to talk excitedly as they point their sealskin-covered hands out across the Bay. In the distance, a small figure grows larger as he makes his way across the sea ice, along a well-travelled snowmobile trail, to the shore. Two dogs pull a small kamotiq behind him.
Within five minutes, the travellers reach the group, who welcome Kootoo Shaw, 39, with hugs and kisses.
The dogs yap their own greeting, both nervous and excited by the attention. Then there's a barrage of questions directed to Shaw about his five-day trek from Kimmirut to Iqaluit, his way of trying to raise money for hockey equipment and an arena for kids in his community.
"We've been trying to get that arena for 15 years and we've been turned down," says Shaw, who believes an arena will stop the self-destruction of young people in the South Baffin hamlet of 400 residents.
"It would help a lot and it would stop the suicides in Kimmirut," he says as he sips hot coffee from a styrofoam cup.
Troubled youth in Kimmirut
Kimmirut RCMP Constable Kelly Tourand said in the year he's been working in the community, there have been two suicides and two attempted suicides. Many more young people, he adds, talk about killing themselves.
"There are a lot of depressed kids in town," Coust Tourand said.
He said an arena in the community would "pick up the spirits of the town" for a time, but there are deeper problems that need to be tackled.
Mayor Mickey Akavak is optimistic that kids will be lacing up their skates in a new arena by the fall of 1999.
"Two suicides in one year is an awful lot for a small community such as Kimmirut," Akavak said.
He said kids could use the arena to "release that energy that they have as far as pressures at home and in school."
He uses Broughton Island as an example of a community that's had a positive change since its arena opened.
"A few years ago they had a very high rate of suicide and crime in that community."
Kimmirut uses outdoor rink
Residents in Kimmirut now skate on a 175-foot by 75-foot outdoor rink near the community's airport. There are no formal hockey teams and youth use whatever old equipment they can scrounge up to play pick-up games on the weekend.
"We felt maybe we should do a fundraising," Akavak said, adding some Inuit organizations have already donated money for skates, pucks, nets and hockey sticks. "With the longer days coming, the kids are going to use it a lot more."
Akavak wants to get enough equipment to suit a team to participate in Iqaluit's Toonik Tyme hockey activities in April. He's also interested in future tournaments among South Baffin players.
Raising awareness
Shaw barks an affectionate command to silence his excited companions. Goofy, a golden mongrel whose muzzle barely reaches Shaw's waist, stands protectively around his master, uneasy with the appearance of people after five days on the trail.
Cleo, an even smaller, grey-mottled mutt, makes fast friends with a small girl whose family has come out to meet Shaw.
"They can pull," Shaw says of his companions, who pulled a kamotiq loaded with a sleeping bag, Coleman stove, rifle, seal meat and bannock. "They were okay."
His trek is also about raising awareness of his community's situation. He planned to start walking back to Kimmirut earlier this week.
"The first day was a hot day," he explained of his walk to Iqaluit. "Old people used to say the first day is the hottest day. The next day, it's no problem, you've got a lot of power."
It wasn't a lonely trip. Shaw said he saw many people along the trail and was offered rides, but turned them down.
"I saw a wolf, foxes, ptarmigan, rabbit, caribou. It was fun."
Shaw followed the trail between Kimmirut and Iqaluit, bunking at the cabins spread out along the way. Thursday night he fell just short of reaching cabin number two.
"It was too dark, so I had to build a small igloo for me to sleep in," he explained.
"When you're walking you always have candy in your pocket for energy," he said, pulling out an empty bag of Scotch mints from the front pocket of his parka.
Shaw spent the weekend in Iqaluit, arriving just in time for a territorial hockey tournament.
Back to TopAn Inuk from Igloolik described the stark reality of being HIV positive for a sparsely attended youth conference in Iqaluit last weekend.
ANNETTE BOURGEOIS
Nunatsiaq News
IQALUIT -- Though her predecessor was tormented, ostracized and driven from the North, Louisa Ukaliannuk doesn't shy away from the truth when she talks publicly about her life as an Inuk living with the virus that causes AIDS.
She spoke to a small group gathered In Iqaluit last weekend for an AIDS awareness conference. Originally from Igloolik, Ukaliannuk now lives in Ottawa.
Last weekend was the first time that she's ever spoken publically in the North about testing positive for HIV.
Not that many years ago, Leetia Geetah, an Inuk from Iqaluit, was forced to leave for Ottawa after health officials found out that she was HIV-positive.
But before she died of AIDS, Leetia returned to Nunavut to help educate young people about how to protect themselves from the deadly disease.
Nine people in Nunavut have been diagnosed with AIDS -- but health officials fear that many more may be carrying the HIV virus.
"I sat there frozen."
Ukaliannuk wasn't always so candid about her life. She lived in a daze in the days and weeks following her diagnosis nearly four years ago.
"I'd been drinking and was sexually active," she admits candidly to the youth listening to her story. "I asked for a test."
She suspected she may have contracted the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, but asked for an AIDS test as well. The phone call from her doctor was foreboding.
"When she called me, it was an alarm," Ukaliannuk said, recalling that her doctor told her she'd only be contacted if the test was positive. "Once I got into her office, her face was different and I knew there was something serious."
She shifts in her chair, then becomes still, her eyes staring into the distance as she relives the moment in her mind.
"I sat there frozen. My face was numb; everything was blurry."
Not having had much time to digest the shock, she was asked to leave the doctor's office to make room for another patient.
For three days she wandered around Ottawa, hiding within herself, unable to share her pain, avoiding passers-by who greeted her with smiles.
"I didn't want to look into their eyes. I remember when I was suffering. I was walking down the street not knowing where to go.
"It was very painful. It hurts your guts, not knowing what to think about it."
Depression and denial
She finally confided in a friend. Then depression and denial flooded into her life.
At the same time Ukaliannuk was diagnosed, her boyfriend and his long-time school pal also tested positive for HIV. She wondered if it was because the two had shared needles while shooting cocaine, and wondered still if that wasn't somehow the source of her infection.
"When I see him suffering," she said of her boyfriend's pal, "I hate him more because I don't want to go that far. Maybe because I sort of blame him."
During that time Ukaliannuk was also pregnant. The baby girl she gave birth to also tested positive for HIV. She tells of her once-stable life turned upside down. In the midst of it all, she lost her baby.
Now three, the toddler is in good health and living with foster parents. Ukaliannuk doesn't see her daughter very often, but she does have pictures and gets occasional reports about her.
Positive thinking
Ukaliannuk had tried to battle her bouts of depression with drugs and alcohol, but these only added to her troubles. Now she prescribes for herself a healthy dose of positive thinking, a treatment endorsed by her physician.
"It took me a while to admit I was HIV. All I could think about was the death. Once I try to stay with who I really am, that's when I have better results from my nurses and doctors."
Her moods these days are like the weather, she describes, some days are bright and sunny; others, dull and gloomy. Today, she beams, as she talks about how AIDS is preventable.
It's a lesson learned too late for her, but she's anxious, even passionate, about sharing the message with the people of the North.
"I get frightened, of course, but more good things come out of it," she said about sharing her story.
Back to TopThe house of Nunavut
JOHN AMAGOALIK
The following is part of a speech I gave recently to a conference of community economic development workers:
There has been some criticism that the model we are building looks too much like the territorial government we have now. That may be true because it is difficult to move too far away from the form of territorial government that the people of Nunavut know and understand. But I think this is judging a book by its cover, because what we are doing at this time is building the outer shell of the government.
What will make the Nunavut Government different is not the office buildings, the departments, or its organizational charts. What will make the Nunavut Government different will be the people who will work in it. What will set this government apart will be what kind of direction the elected leaders will take. What will also make a difference is how well the bureaucracy of Nunavut carries out the policies of the elected leadership.
When I got appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Nunavut Implementation Commission in December 1993, I told some young people that what NIC was doing was like providing transportation to reach Nunavut. I promised them that we would get them there. What they do once they have arrived in Nunavut is really up to them. We cannot guarantee that Nunavut will work well and improve our lives. We can only build the house. What kind of home it becomes will depend on the people living in it.
We have a wonderful opportunity. We have the opportunity to avoid mistakes that others have made. We have an opportunity to look for better ways of doing things. We have an opportunity to build a government that reflects the best parts of our culture. We have an opportunity to strengthen our language.
Even though we want Nunavut to reflect Inuit, we must always welcome others and to make them feel a part of the Nunavut family as we will continue to be part of the larger Canadian family. Patience, tolerance, respect, and sharing must continue to guide our relationships with others.
Things will be different. Whether it turns out to be bad or good is up to us. I am confident that if we use the wisdom of our culture, things will be different... and better
Back to TopLeave "pilot project" to Nunavut
The government of the Northwest Territories now faces yet another choice between the impossible and the inevitable: the question of whether or not to go ahead with the so-called "Keewatin pilot project" before the NWT divides.
It's now inevitable that numerous groups and individuals will demand that the GNWT delay the project until after Nunavut's legislative assembly is able to consider it. It's now impossible for the GNWT to do otherwise -- unless cabinet members wish to waste even more time and energy on yet another unneccessarily divisive battle against the obvious.
The three parties to the 1992 Nunavut accord agreed on the principles for Nunavut's administrative design a long time ago. The Nunavut Implementation Commission constructed their Footprints blueprints for Nunavut on the basis of those principles, work that all three parties have mostly agreed to. Groups of officials from the three parties will now correct and adjust the interim commissioner's version of that plan by the end of March.
One of those principles -- adopted by the GNWT even before it was explicitly stated in its 1991 "Strength at Two Levels" report -- is that there shall be two levels of government in the territories: local and territorial.
That report, which the GNWT enthusiastically endorsed, recomended strongly against the creation of regional structures. This was the seed from which the community empowerment policy was germinated -- strong local governments, a strong territorial government, and few, if any, regional bodies.
But under the guise of community empowerment, the Keewatin pilot project provides for a vaguely defined "communities association" that would administer tens of millions of territorial government dollars on behalf of the Keewatin's municipal governments.
The list of government departments whose entire capital and operating budgets would be transferred to this regional body is staggering: Municipal and Community Affairs; Public Works and Services; Renewable Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development; the NWT Housing Corporation; Health and Social Services; and Education, Culture and Employment.
Despite MACA Minister Manitok Thompson's statements to the contrary, this is a proposal to create a regional government. As such, it's a radical departure from GNWT policy on regional government, and a radical departure from the Footprints model for Nunavut.
In just 13 months, Nunavut will come into being. The GNWT has no legitimate mandate for making radical changes to Nunavut's administrative design. Only Nunavut's elected legislators will have such a mandate.
The GNWT has no choice but to delay the Keewatin pilot project until after division.
Back to TopThe NWT's math flunk-outs
NWT students have finished dead last in the latest national test aimed at discovering how well Canadian students measure up to national academic standards.
Education Minister Charles Dent has responded to this woeful result by saying that the tests aren't designed for Inuit and Dene children.
This is disingenuous nonsense. Mathematics is a universal language. Whether you speak Arabic, Hindi, Cantonese, Swahili or any other language the principles of mathematics are the same.
Aboriginal languages are no diffferent. That's what makes Dent's position so morally repugnant -- because it contains the unspoken assumption that aboriginal cultures are intellectually inferior to others. Unfortunately, too many aboriginal parents, teachers and education bureaucrats accept this view.
Children will do as well as what is expected of them. In the territorial school system, little is expected of children, so little is achieved. The infliction upon children of fad theories like whole language and "holistic" education has done its share of damage too.
The prospects for change aren't promising. At every level of the system -- teachers, parents, board officials, territorial bureaucrats -- a rigid conservatism prevails. No one wants to be responsible and no one wants to be accountable for the worst school system in Canada.
Until that changes, the majority of Nunavut's children will continue to wallow in ignorance and a frustrated state of colonized helplessness. JB
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Last updated
March 5, 1998
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