Big deal gives tall order to tiny population
Devolution gives Nunavut new responsibilities at a time territory has trouble managing its existing obligations
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, centre, jokes that Nunavut’s devolution agreement took so long to sign because the 200-page document covers two million square kilometres. Trudeau, flanked by Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, left, and Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk signed what Trudeau called the largest land transfer in Canadian history, Thursday in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
So, what do you do for an encore, Nunavut, after hosting the prime minister and inking what Justin Trudeau called the largest land transfer in Canadian history? You get busy making it work, of course.
It’s going to be a tall order for a tiny population whose government routinely faces challenges exercising the powers it has already been responsible for over the past 25 years.
The devolution agreement — officially known as the Nunavut Lands and Resources Devolution Agreement — is a big deal … in a couple of ways.
Trudeau quipped during Thursday’s signing ceremony that it took so long to add everyone’s signatures on the 200-page agreement because “it’s a lot of paper, but it is two million square kilometres.”
The deal means the federal government is going to transfer responsibility for Nunavut’s land, water and natural resources to the territorial government.
Understandably, there was boundless enthusiasm for this historic deal.
“We did it and we’re ready. Our land, our resources. In the hands of our people,” Premier P.J. Akeeagok said as he took to the podium, pausing, then repeating it to let the words sink in.
There’s no question that transferring these responsibilities to the people of Nunavut is appropriate. They deserve to be in control of what happens in their own lands, as Trudeau acknowledged.
“In this step that we’re taking — to recognize that Nunavummiut deserve to have more control over their lives, their future, their land, their territory — is entirely what Canada is all about,” the prime minister said to reporters after the ceremony.
While the crowd at the Aqsarniit hotel for the signing ceremony was jubilant, in some corners, devolution was divisive.
In this paper’s comments section, some readers questioned whether Nunavut was, indeed, ready to take on more responsibilities.
As many as one-quarter of Government of Nunavut jobs are not filled.
“Send us (Nunavut) back to the N.W.T. and feds. This is embarrassing,” one reader wrote.
“How can Nunavut handle devolution? [The] Government of Nunavut can’t even collect rent from its tenants??!!” another said.
There are plenty of signs the Government of Nunavut might not have the capacity to take on something so new and so big. It’s no secret the GN has trouble delivering the services it’s already responsible for — particularly in health care and education, the areas that, arguably, affect people most directly.
Last year, the GN and the Nunavut Employees Union agreed to shovel more money out the door in the form of bonuses to recruit and retain health-care workers.
Information and privacy commissioner Graham Steele’s most recent annual report chastised the GN for not responding to access to information tips within the timeframe they’re required to by law.
That might seem like a little thing, but if a bureaucracy doesn’t have the capacity to manage that, is it capable of taking on something as big as the new powers bestowed on it by the devolution agreement?
In the immortal words of the Amazing Spider-Man (or French philosopher Voltaire, if you prefer), with great power comes great responsibility.
Ottawa transferred a lot of new power to Nunavut this week. The territory has to get ready to assume the responsibility that comes with it.
All Nunavummiut and all Canadians must hope that Akeeagok is right — that Nunavut is ready.
OK , the sky is falling, the list of issues you listed is 90 percent the same in all of Canada, health care, housing, education, lack of a work force, Nunavut is less than 25 years old, look at the east coast they have been struggling since confederation to get their act together, and most move to Ontario, Alberta, and now Nunavut, yes we have issues, have you seen main st wpg homeless people, Vancouver downtown east side, yes we are not perfect in Nunavut yet but give us some time you keyboard warriors, and where was our MP. Lori, shame .
this is a contractors heaven.
Yes it is but its because its a new territory being built, who else is going to build it? Locals from the men’s shelter?
My issue hasn’t been so much that Nunavut lacks the capacity to take these responsibilities ( although that’s probably a fair assessment). Instead, I simply question whether this devolution of responsibility is going to lead to any concrete benefits to Nunavut. We know that this thing will not lead to any additional resource revenue since all the resources are on Inuit owned lands. So that leaves us with the benefit of the Ottawa jobs that will be transferred here. But, will the Feds be giving us an additional 10 or 15 million a year to fund these positions? If not, the GN will be stuck with reallocating scarce resources to staff them? If it is even able to staff them.
And, does all of this symbolic rhetoric about devolution now giving Nunavut control of its land, water and wildlife mean any real significant change to the status quo? I thought that the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement set up a co-management system where the land and the wildlife was co-managed by Inuit and government. So now one of the co- managers will be more the GN instead of the Feds. Is that such a big deal for our future here??? I’m going to be a crazy radical and say that I’m not convinced….
What I see is the Feds off loading responsibilities and cost on us while telling us how proud we should be to assume those costs. Looks like they won on this one.
You got it – here the positions, now go you figure out how to fund them and develop the housing and HR/Admin back-office capacity to support them.
The deal gives annual funding and also training funding. It does not guarantee that central support the positions in Nunavut rely on will convert though, think directors and adms etc.
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This is a very symbolic measure. The other territories have barely mentioned devolution after they received their lands and waters.
“In this step that we’re taking — to recognize that Nunavummiut deserve to have more control over their lives, their future, their land, their territory — is entirely what Canada is all about,”
Interesting. I thought Canada was all about peace, order, and good government.
Lord have mercy. Please?
This is the beginning of the end.
I’ve got a feeling that Canada or the provinces were not exactly without their problems in the years after they were created. 25 years ago, here on the West Coast, folks were wringing their hands over lack of capacity as treaty measures started to come into play. Now, many are thriving. Self-determination is a powerful tool.
“Self-determination is a powerful tool.”
I suppose that depends on what people are determined to do…
I actually believe the former Upper Canada and Lower Canada provinces were more organized in the 1800s than Nunavut is now. Nunavut is the size of a small rural town but is tasked with managing a massive amount of Canadas land mass.
Whether Devolution is indeed a tall order for a small population completely depends on the measuring stick you use and the expectations you have.
For almost a quarter of a century, Nunavut Lands and Waters have been administered by CIRNAC. How have they discharged these heavy responsibilities?
-No great apparent progress on training and hiring Inuit staff, which is as much of an obligation for CIRNAC as it is for GN.
-Years and almost decades of waiting for online mineral staking, the creation of Nunavut specific regulations, even basic things like the surveying of Inuit Owned Lands.
-A perpetual conveyor belt of federal workers fresh out of southern universities trying to make their mark with zero work experience and knowledge of how to design and operate something in the arctic safely for the environment.
-Decayed, abandoned and broken down water sampling stations on all our major rivers and lakes meaning we have very little idea what is happening to our water.
-Chronic vacancies in Nunavut management boards, the imposition of national goals on our territory, and condoning political interference of MPs in the regulatory process.
All this we have seen with CIRNAC running things. Can GN do better? That to me is not so much of a tall order.