I submitted the following brief article for publication in Sermitsiaq, and
thought that those of you outside Greenland might also be interested.
My perception of how important Nunavut is (not) on the national stage was
reinforced by the fact that the Minister's press conference received no
coverage on last night's national TV news and not even a paragraph in our
self-proclaimed 'national newspaper', the Globe and Mail.
Oh well -- it was certainly big (and good) news in Nunavut.
Happy May Day, everyone!
Jack Hicks
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NUNAVUT RECEIVES THE 'GREEN LIGHT' FROM THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT
Ottawa -- May 1, 1996
Canada's Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the Hon. Ron
Irwin, yesterday announced the details of a federal cabinet decision
detailing how -- and at what cost -- the Nunavut Territory and government
will be created over the next four years.
The creation of Nunavut on April 1, 1999 had previously been a political
commitment on the part of the Government of Canada, but with this
announcement the long-standing Inuit political goal is guaranteed to happen
on schedule.
The cabinet has officially declared Iqaluit the future capital of Nunavut,
rubber-stamping the results of a plebescite held December 11, 1995 in which
60.2% of the voters supported Iqaluit over Rankin Inlet.
"In honouring the government's commitment to create Nunavut as a new
territory, the government supports Nunavut residents' decision to make
Iqaluit their capital," Mr. Irwin said. "Naming the seat of the new
territorial government is critical to the planning, design and other
arrangements necessary to ensure government facilities are in place by
1999."
$150 million will be provided by the federal government over the next four
years to cover costs associated with the creation of the new territory and
government -- substantially less than previous estimates had said would be
required.
"It's as far as we go," Mr. Irwin told the press. "Listen -- $150 million
is a lot of money. It's the nature of the beast in the '90s that government
budgets are reducing."
The federal cabinet essentially approved a detailed package of
recommendations developed by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development (DIAND). That package was based on the work of the
Nunavut Implementation Commission (NIC), a 10-person advisory body chaired
by veteran Inuit leader John Amagoalik. The NIC's first report, 'Footprints
in New Snow', was released just over a year ago and met with generally
positive reviews.
Among the recommendations announced yesterday were:
- the headquarters of the Nunavut Government will consist of 600 people.
150 will be in place on April 1, 1999 with the rest coming onstream during
the first year of the new government.
- the government will be decentralized, with as many jobs as possible being
located outside Iqaluit in as many as 10 other communities.
- an Interim Commissioner will be selected this summer. This critical
position will be the embryo of the new government, with signing authority
for construction contracts, staff recruitment labour agreements, etc.
- $50 million will be spent on office facilities, community infrastructure
and staff housing, through a partnership between the federal Department of
Public Works and a consortium of Inuit corporations. An additional $120
million in office facilities and housing will be required, but these will
be built by the private sector and leased to the new government.
- $40 million will be spent on a training strategy intended to insure that
Inuit fill 50% of the jobs created in 1999 -- including 50% of management
positions.
"While infrastructure is important, the keys to success in Nunavut are job
creation, economic growth and training," Mr. Irwin stressed. "This
initiative will help reduce unemployment and dependence on social
assistance in the region, and will create spin-off benefits for southern
Canada."
The federal cabinet also agreed that it will make further decisions
regarding Nunavut in 1998. A critical item at that time will be the funding
formula which will determine the amount of the annual grant from the
federal government to the Nunavut government. Other items will include the
design of Nunavut's political system -- the NIC is considering recommending
both the direct election of the Premier and guaranteeing equal numbers of
men and women in the Legislative Assembly.
Nunavut and other northern leaders have not yet commented publicly on the
announcement, asking for time to review the details. A Nunavut Leaders'
Summit scheduled for May 10 and 11 will likely be the forum where
substantive reaction is made public.