The Nunavut legislature’s spring sitting: what’s ahead?

The Nunavut Legislature in Iqaluit starts its spring session May 26, starting at 1:30 p.m. Members of the public are always welcome to attend. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER)

Nunavut MLAs will meet inside the chamber of the Legislative Assembly, May 26. (FILE PHOTO)

When Nunavut’s legislative assembly begins its spring sitting in Iqaluit May 26, MLAs and members of the public, will get a chance to pore over at least three important reports.

“We’re expecting government responses to the standing committee report on the Qulliq Energy Corp., and the response from [the Department of] Family Services on the Auditor General’s report,” John Quirke, the legislature clerk told Nunatsiaq News May 20.

A third report due to be tabled this session is expected from the standing committee on oversight of government operations, which looked at Nunavut corrections, Quirke said.

This spring sitting, which starts Monday, marks the second session of the fourth assembly, the clerk said.

The assembly held legislative committee hearings on the Qulliq Energy Corp. last September.

At the time, MLAs asked then-president and CEO Peter Ma about plans to upgrade Nunavut’s aging fleet of power plants —including questions about Iqaluit’s recent power plant upgrade which ran nearly 50 per cent over budget.

The standing committee tabled its report Oct. 30, 2014, and the government is now due to respond to that report.

MLAs might also have questions about what the government plans to do about the power plant in Pangnirtung which burned down April 2 — well after committee hearings on the QEC, which means the power corporation won’t form part of that 2014 report.

The family services department is also due to respond to a report by Canada’s auditor general, which was tabled in the legislature in March 2014.

That document was like a report card on how well the department responded to recommendations made by the auditor general’s office in 2011.

The March 2014 report card found improvements in department staffing but also found “unsatisfactory progress” in child protection standards.

The Family Services department unveiled an “action plan” last September to address some of its shortcomings but the Auditor General’s office said at the time, “we would’ve expected that compliance would have been higher than it is now.”

The third report of note is from the standing committee on government operations which recently wrapped up public hearings on the highly-critical March 2015 auditor general’s report on the state of correctional facilities and programs in Nunavut.

Quirke said MLAs will have to take care of some necessary housekeeping as well.

“With MLA Tom Sammurtok now a regular member, he’ll be appointed to various standing committees,” Quirke said.

Premier Peter Taptuna relieved Sammurtok April 14 of his cabinet duties a day after the Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet MLA was charged with impaired driving.

Then, on May 6, Sammurtok resigned from the cabinet.

“When the legislative assembly reconvenes in May for our spring sitting, I will accept whatever discipline my colleagues deem appropriate,” Sammurtok said in an April 14 statement.

Sammurtok is scheduled to appear in an Iqaluit courtroom June 4. His lawyer said May 21 that he plans to enter guilty pleas at that time.

Isaac Shooyook, MLA for Quttiktuq, filed a motion on the last day of the legislature’s winter sitting, which will be dealt with as well, Quirke said.

That motion seeks to establish a legislative standing committee on Inuit societal values, he said.

“Other than that, there’s not much business left over from the last [legislative] sitting,” Quirke said.

Quirke said the spring sitting will be short and is scheduled to wrap up on June 2.

Directly following, the standing committee on government operations and public accounts will hold public hearings on the increased budget and expenses of Nunavut Tourism which climbed to $3.08 million for 2015-2016, up from $1.8 million in 2014-2015.

Nunavut Tourism’s chief executive officer and board chairperson will appear in the assembly June 3 and June 4, according to a May 19 news release from MLA George Hickes, chair of the committee.

The committee will focus on Nunavut Tourism’s strategic plan and recent annual report. It’s “the first time [Nunavut Tourism] has been asked to account in this manner to elected MLAs for its use of public funds,” the news release said.