Nunavut consensus government intrigues Aussie politician

Australian MLA Gerry Wood poses at the four corners in Iqaluit May 29. Wood, who hails from an area in Australia with a high Aboriginal population and many of the same social challenges as Nunavut, says he enjoyed learning about the territory’s consensus style of politics. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER)

If an Australian left his home — where temperatures this time of year are above 30 C — to visit Iqaluit, what might you expect him to say?

“Last night I thought it was about 100 degrees below zero,” Gerry Wood, a visiting member of parliament from Down Under, told Nunatsiaq News from the lobby of Iqaluit’s Capital Suites hotel May 29.

Wood walked from his hotel to the Snack diner on the night of May 28, his Tasmanian merino wool scarf wrapped around his mouth and his double jacket shielding him from the worst of the wind.

But what he said next might come as a surprise: “Regardless, that’s an experience I wouldn’t have missed for a quid. It’s no good sittin’ in me hotel room.”

Wood walked a lot during his one-week visit to Nunavut’s capital.

The purpose of his visit, which ended May 29, was educational: to see how Nunavut’s consensus government works in comparison to the party system he’s been involved with in Australia’s Northern Territory for the last fourteen years.

Although his territory’s government is dominated by a two-party legislature, Wood sits as an independent for the riding of Nelson, south of the territory’s coastal capital city of Darwin.

“Our Northern Territory is similar to Nunavut because a lot of its funding comes from the federal government… We’re self-governing, but we’re reliant on federal government funds for a lot of the work we do.”

And the similarities don’t end there. Like Nunavut, Australia’s Northern Territory has isolated communities scattered over a vast area — some of which are only accessible by barge during the wet season — and largely occupied by indigenous peoples.

And as in Nunavut, northern Australian communities struggle with substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, a high cost of living, low employment rates, low education levels, widespread housing issues and high suicide rates, Wood said.

“In some ways we’re different, but in a lot of ways we’re similar.”

Wood sat through most of Nunavut’s latest legislative sitting, which ran from May 26 to June 2, and shared some of his observations and thoughts.

He said Nunavut’s consensus-style government allows MLAs to vote as individuals, instead of being pressured to vote along party lines.

“That gives you the freedom to look at issues on their merit,” he said.

And the absence of party rivalries also increases the chance of MLAs working together, Wood said.

“Say the issue is attendance in schools. We have that same issue, which is a real issue for future literacy and numeracy. We need to work on those kinds of issues as not being political, but issues parliament itself should work towards trying to fix.”

Instead, Wood’s experience in the Northern Territory’s legislature is that the two parties end up fighting more often than cooperating.

“It’s a very aggressive system,” he said.

Wood is quick to add that he’s only making personal observations about a brief, one-week trip to Nunavut.

“I’m not coming here saying, I’ve popped here in three days and I know it all, I’m from Australia, ya, ya, ya. But I’ve traveled a bit.”

Those travels have taken him to Europe as well, to see alternative energy projects.

But it’s clear that no matter how much Wood learns about politics on the road, he can’t help enjoying himself at the same time.

He said he liked observing locals at the Snack and spoke highly of the city’s Unikkaarvik Visitors Centre.

“It was nice to go there because I haven’t got the time to go pat a polar bear on the nose in my few days here.”

From a personal perspective, travelling to Iqaluit affirmed Wood’s belief that learning about other people’s lives, values and issues offers proof that we’re all, basically, the same.

“We all have children, grandchildren. Kids still go around everywhere looking at text messages all day, or Facebook or something.”

And politically, he said, visiting other jurisdictions prevents him from becoming stagnant when considering how to address social problems.

But when asked if any Nunavut MLAs volunteered to complete the exchange and visit his jurisdiction, Wood was doubtful.

“They’re a bit worried about spiders, crocodiles and snakes and other things. But I said I haven’t seen a polar bear walking down the street here, so what are you worried about?”

Wood left Iqaluit May 29 to travel to Yellowknife where he will sit in on the current legislative session of the Northwest Territories for a week.

After that, he planned to spend a few days in Vancouver before heading back home.