KRG opens meeting for questions from the public

Want to ask a question at the Kativik Regional Government’s meeting of regional councillors? Show up on the last day of the meeting – and expect a response in Inuktitut. This week’s meeting in Kuujjjuaq wraps up Sept. 15. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

The Kativik Regional Government has drafted new rules for members of the public who wish to ask questions at its meetings.

From now on, a public question period will be held at the beginning of the last day of all general meetings or at the end of all special meetings of the KRG regional council.

This week’s regional council meeting in Kuujjuaq wraps up Sept. 15.

The Kativik Act, which governs the KRG, already says meetings of its regional councillors are open to members of the public, but until now, there wasn’t any formal question period set aside for their questions.

“Citizens can attend meetings in person, and there have been situations in the past where people wanted to ask questions,” said Catherine Fortier-Pesant, director of the KRG’s legal department. “We felt we had to offer some guidance.”

The new ordinance, presented Sept. 12 at the meeting of the KRG’s regional council, is meant to assist the meeting’s chairperson when dealing with the public, Fortier-Pesant said.

Question periods should last no longer than 30 minutes, although the meeting’s chairperson may prolong that period by 15 minutes.

Members of the public can request to ask a question earlier if they are unable to attend the last day of the meeting.

And those who do not want their questions made public can arrange to speak with a KRG regional councillor or staff member privately.

There are no rules governing which language councillors address the public, English or Inuktitut, but a councillor suggested her colleagues should speak only Inuktitut at public meetings.

Inukjuak regional councillor Siasi Smiler said Inukjuammiut want to hear representatives speaking more Inuktitut at public meetings, which are generally broadcast throughout the region in Inuktitut on the Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. radio network.

“It’s already a known fact that we should speak our own language,” Smiler told the council Sept. 12. “While we were on-air, residents heard councillors mixing their languages during a presentation.”

The Kativik Act dictates that all documents presented at council must be provided in Inuktitut, while English-language presentations made to council are simultaneously translated into Inuktitut.

Fourteen of the KRG’s 17 regional councillors speak Inuktitut.

“We maintain speaking Inuktitut as much as possible,” said KRG chair Maggie Emudluk, in response to Smiler’s request. “If we really want to keep up our language, we have to speak it as much as we can. Our children are losing the language — it’s very fragile.”

But that doesn’t mean councillors can not reach out to non-Inuktitut-speaking residents of Nunavik, said KRG’s vice-chairperson Joseph Annahatak.

“We represent all residents of Nunavik, so as a representative, as much as I can, without mixing the two languages, I always try to speak only Inuktitut. On the other hand, I have to think of non-Inuit who also need to be aware of what’s going on in the region.”