NTI welcomes new Nunavut government employee survey

The first Nunavut Government Employees Survey is underway this month for territorial and federal employees in Nunavut.

The first Nunavut Government Employees Survey is underway this month for territorial and federal employees in Nunavut.

The survey comes as a result of a settlement agreement reached between Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the federal government last year.

A good chunk of NTI’s lawsuit, first filed in December 2006, alleged the federal government breached the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and the Crown’s fiduciary obligations to Nunavut Inuit by failing to carry out Article 23 of the agreement.

Article 23 is the section of the NLCA that obliges governments to do certain things, such as affirmative action programs, to help Inuit get government jobs.

The same article says those measures must stay in place until the proportion of Inuit working for government is equal to the proportion of Inuit living in Nunavut — currently about 85 per cent.

Statistics published in 2015 show that Inuit currently make up 50 per cent of territory’s public service.

But a key promise in the NLCA is the creation of a government workforce that fully reflects the Inuit population, NTI said in a May 25 release.

“This is a top priority of NTI, and I am pleased that NTI’s litigation and settlement agreement directly led to this survey,” said NTI president Cathy Towtongie.

“We need to develop a better understanding of what Inuit are experiencing as government employees so that we can develop more adequate Inuit employment and training plans and remove the barriers that prevent career advancement and more successful employment.”

The new survey, which is confidential and voluntary, is available for employees to fill out in Inuktut, English and French until June 3. Employees can fill out the survey during work hours.

Statistics Canada is conducting the survey, the results of which should be available in mid-2017.