Nunavut senator to tour the territory this winter

Sen. Dennis Patterson has urged the federal government to consult Nunavut Inuit before passing a law to legalize the sale and possession of recreational cannabis. (PHOTO BY STEVE DUCHARME)

If you live in Nunavut and have ideas about federal policies affecting the territory, you’ll have a chance to convey those opinions to your federal senator in the coming weeks.

Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson is touring all 25 of the territory’s communities, starting in February.

Patterson is scheduled to begin the tour in south Baffin Feb. 10, heading to the Kitikmeot region for Feb. 12 to Feb. 18.

The senator will return to visit the north Baffin region the week of March 4 and will then head onto the Kivalliq the week of March 11. You can see a more detailed schedule here.

Part of Patterson’s tour aims to deliver a series of Canada 150 medals intended for a group of 12 Nunavummiut who were honoured for their community work and volunteerism late last year.

But a release from the senator’s office said Patterson will also be hosting town hall meetings and radio call-in shows to consult Nunavut residents on major legislative issues like a new carbon pricing tax, marijuana legislation, Arctic sovereignty, food security and his private member’s bill, S-221, which would remove the $4,000 property ownership requirement currently listed as a qualification for Canadian senators.

If you’re unable to attend one of Patterson’s upcoming events, you can fill out a survey on the senator’s webpage.

Patterson’s office has also extended an invitation to media to join the senator on the tour—at their own cost.

The suggested price of transport alone to south Baffin is $2,100, based on the cost of a seat on a private charter.

But the cost swells to over $9,000 for transport to and throughout the Kivalliq region for the mid-March leg of Patterson’s tour, not including $250 a night for accommodation and a suggested $165 per diem.