Nunavut hopefuls square off as May 2 vote looms

For 29-year-old Scott MacCallum of the Green Party, the April 23 all-candidates event in Iqaluit was his first live political debate. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)

NDP candidate Jack Hicks said the people of Nunavut deserve a better society than exists now. To that end, he used the April 23 all-candidates forum to promote his idea of creating 20-year human development strategy for Nunavut. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)

Leona Aglukkaq, the incumbent Conservative MP for Nunavut, defended her government’s record against attacks launched by Paul Okalik of the Liberals and Jack Hicks of the NDP by reciting a long list of spending items and other measures her government has directed towards Nunavut and northern Canada. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)

Paul Okalik, the Liberal candidate, referred often to his party’s Red Book platform document during the April 23 debate in Iqaluit, embellishing it with attacks on subjects like Nutrition North Canada and the absence of devolution negotiations between Nunavut and Canada. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)

(Updated 12:05 p.m., April 25)

Housing, food prices and social issues dominated the discussion as Nunavut’s federal election candidates debated in front of a packed house at Iqaluit’s Parish Hall and a territory-wide radio audience April 23, in an all-candidates forum organized by CBC North.

Liberal candidate Paul Okalik and New Democrat Jack Hicks opened the debate by taking direct aim at the record of Conservative incumbent Leona Aglukkaq.

Hicks said there’s been no funding for social housing in Nunavut in the last two Conservative budgets because their leader, Stephen Harper, would rather spend money on corporate tax cuts and fighter jets.

“Housing underlies every social problem in Nunavut,” Hicks said. “The problem is not Leona, the problem is Leona’s boss, Stephen Harper.”

Aglukkaq responded by saying the Conservative government has spent $300 million on Nunavut housing since it was elected in 2006. And she said her party has delivered a dock in Pangnirtung, the High Arctic research station in Cambridge Bay and the winter warfare training centre in Resolute.

“This government in two short years has made significant investments in the North,” Algukkaq said.

She also stood behind the Nutrition North Canada program, which launched April 1.

But Okalik took direct aim at the program, which has drawn loud complaints across Nunavut since it took effect, with many residents angry the program hasn’t done enough to bring down food prices.

Okalik said a Liberal government would get rid of Nutrition North, bring back the old food mail program and overhaul it.

“I will not rest until Nutrition North is scrapped,” he said.

But Aglukkaq said that Okalik, as Nunavut premier, once wrote to Andy Scott, the former Liberal minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, asking for changes to the food mail program similar to those brought in by Nutrition North.

Okalik and Hicks extended a few compliments to Aglukkaq, with Hicks saying he believes Aglukkaq would like to do more for housing Nunavut, but that Harper just won’t let her. Okalik said he was proud when Algukkaq was named the first Inuk cabinet minister in Canadian history, though he’s been disappointed since.

Green Party candidate Scott MacCallum struggled to be heard in the midst of the sparring between the frontrunners, but said a Green government would offer $800 million per year for three years for aboriginal housing, drinking water and education and would invest in renewable energy to wean Nunavut off its reliance on fossil fuels.

Responding to an audience question about renewable energy, MacCallum said the Greens would support ways to replace Nunavut’s legion of dirty diesel plants with hydroelectric power and other renewables.

“We’re completely dependent on fossil fuels” and the cost of diesel is only going up, he said.

Aglukkaq promised to find ways to construct both a road and power line connecting the Kivalliq region with Manitoba, and the long-sought hydroelectric project for South Baffin.

“We need to look at developing hydro for Iqaluit,” she said.

Hicks agreed, saying Nunavut should look to Greenland, which has constructed several hydro dams. Such projects would offer long-term benefits, he said.

But Hicks said that’s unlikely under a Conservative government that “has a backwards energy policy (because) it has a backwards Prime Minister.”

Okalik said the Liberal Party is committed to helping the territories build alternative energy sources, saying the high up-front cost of hydroelectricity is offset by long-term savings on diesel.

On devolution, Hicks said the Conservative government failed to appoint a devolution negotiator, which means royalties from mining projects “will fly right over Iqaluit and straight to Ottawa.” (The conservatives did agree to a protocol for devolution negotiations in 2008).

Okalik said he pushed for a devolution deal when he was premier and would pursue one “relentlessly” as a Liberal MP. A devolution deal is needed, to help the Government of Nunavut build an effective Inuit workforce, he said.

“We have to empower our citizens” so they can get jobs, pay taxes and support economic development,” Okalik said.

Aglukkaq responded that the Conservatives have overseen record transfers to the territorial governments, including $1.2 billion to Nunavut this fiscal year.

She said the creation of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency will help power economic growth in Nunavut, while acknowledging the territory does need to build capacity.

She said that’s why March’s federal budget contained $9 million over two years for adult education in the three territories.

On the hot-button issue of uranium mining, Alglukkaq said the decision to allow the Kiggavik uranium mine near Baker Lake is now up to the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

“I will trust their decision,” she said.

Okalik partly sidestepped the question, referring to the Liberals’ policy opposing oil drilling in the High Arctic, but said the decision to mine uranium at Kiggavik should be up to the people of Baker Lake.

Hicks and MacCallum both strongly opposed any uranium mining at all, with MacCallum saying the Green Party basically wants to shut down the entire Canadian nuclear industry.

Hicks said there should be a Nunavut-wide referendum on uranium mining.

And he said Nunavut should say to the mining industry, “We’re open for business in mining but we draw the line at uranium mining for a whole host of reasons.”

On only one issue were all four candidates united: an out-of-left-field question from the audience on same-sex marriage, which the questioner said destroys families and encourages child abuse.

All four candidates said the same-sex marriage debate is settled.

When the April 23 all-candidates debate in Iqaluit started at 7:00 p.m. that evening, the community’s Anglican parish hall sat nearly half-empty. But by 8:30 the room was full. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)