Delayed legislative assembly sitting starts with shout-out to women
International Women’s Day is March 8; spending bills also expected next week
Nunavut Premier and Finance Minister John Main gave notice of four spending bills that will guide operations, capital projects, and supplementary funding over the next two fiscal years, in the legislature Friday. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Updated March 6 at 5 p.m. ET
Premier John Main geared up the first sitting of the seventh legislative assembly Friday with a shout-out to the women of the world ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8.
“As of March 2025, women filled two-thirds of our roles across the Government of Nunavut,” he said in the legislature. “Eight of our 14 government departments and corporations are led by female deputy ministers or presidents.”
Main noted that half of his fellow cabinet members are women — Health Minister Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster; Family Services Minister Gwen Healey Akearok; Human Resources Minister Annie Tattuinee; and Cecile Nelvana Lyall, the minister responsible for Nunavut Housing Corp.
“This is an incredible display of how far we’ve come with fair and equal representation, and is a testament to the skills, abilities, passions and experience of these members,” he said.
Main, who also serves as Nunavut’s finance minister, also gave notice that there are a number of spending bills coming down the pipe for the new MLAs to consider.
Three of the upcoming bills will formalize spending in the interim period between the end of the sixth legislative assembly, in September 2025, and the new government which now controls the public purse.
The fourth is the big kahuna — Nunavut’s capital spending for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The capital spending bill is expected to outline a mix of new and previously announced infrastructure projects.
Nunatsiaq News caught up with Main ahead of the sitting to talk about the capital budget, but the premier did not divulge details.
He did say he aimed to be both “wise” and “bold” with spending.
The MLAs’ return to the legislature was delayed by a day Thursday when bad weather this week in Nunavut created some travel delays.
The winter sitting is scheduled to run until March 19.
Note: This article was updated to include comments from Premier John Main
no wait because this is actually the cutest thing anyone has ever done for us women, thank you omg
Cute, but Nunavut remains a deeply misogynous and highly dangerous place in which to be a woman or a girl..
Cute. But also an indication of a serious problem in Nunavut.
While there’s been lots of attention paid to advancing women, something seems to be harming Inuit males.
Premier Main tells us that women filled 2/3 of GN positions. The GN used to report the percentage of Inuit males and Inuit females it employes. The percent of Inuit males employed by the GN has fallen so low that the GN no longer reports that percentage. Is the GN embarrased?
But the problem is not just in GN hiring. Look at the high school graduates. Most are girls. Look at the graduates who receive awards. Most are girls. Look at incarceration rates. Most of those in jail are men and boys.
This is not equal opportunity. Something is very wrong in Nunavut. Don’t hide the issue. Examine it, understand it, fix it.
Premier Main – there is your government’s MANDATE.
I believe it’s called lack of personal accountability.
The last time a published Public Service Annual Report provided data on the percentage of Inuit women and men was for 2022-2023.
At that time Inuit women were 40% of GN permanent employees, while Inuit men made up only 12% of all GN pemanent employees.
Why indeed?
I spent 50 years working and now retired. We now own a 30 year old male human that does not work, refuses to work and when I asked him why, he answered. And I quote. I can’t afforded it. He sleeps and eats our food. We don’t deserve this.