As usual, nothing for Nunavut

You can say one thing about the Chrétien government’s treatment of Nunavut — it’s consistent.

Since they came to power in 1993, the Chrétien Liberals have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to two principles: one, deprive the government of Nunavut of the means required to meet its people’s basic needs, and two, lie about it to the rest of the world.

This week’s throne speech continues their unbroken record of neglect. The only real difference from past efforts is that they’re putting less effort into lying about it.

For example, in the last throne speech, delivered on Jan. 30, 2001, the government said that it would “bring the benefits of our prosperity to all communities, whether urban, rural, Northern or remote.

“Too many continue to live in poverty without the tools they need to build a better future for themselves or their communities. As a country, we must be direct about the magnitude of the challenge and ambition in our commitment to tackle the most pressing problems facing aboriginal people.”

Yes, some people in Nunavut and the other northern territories actually believed that this was a real promise, and not just a ruse intended to sustain a long-standing perception management campaign.

But by May of that year, DIAND Minister Bob Nault at a meeting of aboriginal affairs ministers in Winnipeg was already dodging questions about when the federal government would do what it promised only five months before. At a meeting a month later, Canada’s western premiers, including Nunavut premier Paul Okalik, formally complained about the federal government’s unfulfilled promises on aboriginal and northern issues.

You can hardly blame them. After all the January 2001 throne speech said the federal government would “ensure” that aboriginal people’s employment, health care, education, housing and infrastructure needs would be met.

“This commitment will be reflected in all the government’s priorities,” were the words that Jean Chrétien’s speech-writers put into the mouth of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson back in 2001.

This time around, they put similar words into her mouth, words like these: “We can close the gap in life chances between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians.”

When they wrote that, were they thinking, perhaps, of Nunavut’s life expectancy numbers? This week’s national health indicators report tells us that an infant born in Nunavut in 1999, the year of the territory’s creation, can expect to live at least 10 years less than an infant born just about anywhere else in Canada.

Or perhaps were they thinking of Nunavut’s rapidly escalating tuberculosis infection rates, which public health officials say are directly related to Nunavut’s ever-worsening housing crisis. That crisis, of course, has been caused by Ottawa’s callous refusal to reinvest in a northern social housing program, and by their boneheaded failure to ensure that the Nunavut government was supplied with enough staff housing for its new employees.

Whatever. This time around, there’s no danger that anyone will believe even those ambiguous parts of this week’s throne speech that might give some hope to the naive.

This time around, the federal government specified that any new efforts aimed at helping aboriginal and northern people will go toward First Nations people living on reserves. Its fiduciary responsibility for Inuit appears, in their minds, to have evaporated. The people of Nunavut now know that they are alone, and that their “federal partner” is content to stand idly by while Nunavut society continues to deteriorate.

Given all of this, its remarkable that Inuit leaders, such as Jose Kusugak, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, are able to remain so polite.

Kusugak may not have Jean Chrétien’s power to make government policy. But at least he has a better speech writer.

Here’s what Kusugak had to say, after hearing this week’s throne speech from a front-row seat in the red chamber:

“For Inuit, the first strike was the 2001 Throne Speech. Strike two was the last budget, and today’s speech is strike three. Send in the next batter.”

To that, we dare add nothing.

JB