Abolish the status quo

On May 2, 2006 the Nunavut Electoral Boundaries Commission started its Nunavut wide tour to consider any changes to the electoral boundaries.

I wish to share with Iqalungmiut some of my suggestions.

The three Iqaluit electoral ridings should be combined into one riding to abolish the boundaries that divide the community. A divided community is a disconnected place, when it is essential that the whole community is united to deal with the tasks on hand.

It is frustrating and democratically wrong during elections that we are restricted to considering candidates from only one riding and are not able to vote for the people who we strongly support and who are running in the other two ridings where we have no democratic standing.

We do not have the opportunity to determine the election results in the majority of our community. The whole electorate of Iqaluit should be able to vote for all the three representatives for the Legislative Assembly.

If you are not from a riding, you are literally right off the map. Democracy fails us when we cannot determine who is an elected community leader from the very community that we reside at. If we are not allowed to vote for an elected leader of our community, then I perceive that is a form of dictatorship, for a lack of a better word.

When the imaginary lines, as restrictive as they are, are abolished, the whole community should be further advanced by being able to vote for one elder, one woman and one man as the three MLAs to represent the whole community.

The elders are always spoken about and are usually given token ceremonial roles, such as lighting the qulliq, but they are not accorded the full participation in the power structure. Elders should no longer be used only for PR purposes.

Prior to living in communities, elders had immense power that was taken away from them, ironically, in part due to the democratic process. A society that doesn’t reap the benefits from the wisdom and experience of elders is a “greenhorn” society. It is the elders that waited the longest for and were given the greatest expectations from the creation of a Nunavut Government. We may love to hug and shake the elders’ hands, but real power is not fully shared with them.

The former Nunavut Implementation Commission recommended that the Legislative Assembly be comprised of both male and female MLAs elected to represent each individual riding.

Ironically again, through a democratic process, this was railroaded off the tracks. A good seed was intended to be sowed but the benefits withered, largely due to petty politics. The women outnumber the men, but rarely get elected. Before there were settlements, the women had a powerful role and responsibility in the social structure.

We may have a “Father of Nunavut,” but “a motherless society” is indeed a socially weak group. Women may have passed the women’s liberation movement and equal rights may have been accomplished, but bluntly, it is still largely the men who hold on to the power structure, hence the old boys’ club. Smiles may be directed at you, but lip services comes with no real power.

We currently have three members and with the ever-increasing population, one day, we will have a fourth member. Would this be an opportunity to have a youth representative elected and be the minister responsible for youth?

The youth outnumber any group by far. One day if the youth are fully organized they could have a greater influence in determining their place in the power structure of a public government. You may be given recreational facilities, but you really have not yet become the real power player that your numbers warrant.

Through the legislative process, Iqalungmiut do have the opportunity not just to erase imaginary lines, but give the whole community a true representation coalition to share power. This could indeed be a model for any form of democratic systems and governments. When only a few have power, it is human nature for some of them to hang on as long as possible to that power, in essence not sharing it. Democracy fails when power is only in the head and not in the heart.

We need to do further constructive destruction of the status quo so that Nunavuumiut have a sense of “ownership.” Although, a lot is being accomplished by the people who make the commitment, we still need to involve more people to reach greater levels. If the power structures and the ways and means do not change for the better, then, “aah-same” will be in the heads, when the legislative assembly could be unique and “awesome” in the hearts.

I also hope, one day that all Nunavummiut will be able to vote for the premier of Nunavut, instead of having a secret process, known and done by only a few. I would suggest to the Legislative Assembly that they should also review the process of selecting the premier, when they do the review of the governing body.

Sytukie Joamie
Iqaluit