Nunavut government urges people to run for do-over DEA elections in three hamlets
Election calls for district education authorities attract poor responses across Nunavut
Elections Nunavut will take another crack at organizing district education authority elections in Arctic Bay (shown here) as well as in Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq. (File photo)
Because the Oct. 28 elections for district education authorities in Qikiqtarjuaq, Arctic Bay and Clyde River attracted no candidates, the Government of Nunavut is urging people to run in a second set of elections set for Dec. 9.
In Nunavut’s first set of unified local elections under the new territorial Elections Act, held Oct. 28, voters were to have elected seven-member district education authorities in every community.
But by the Elections Nunavut deadline for acceptance of candidate declarations at 5 p.m., Sept. 27, no DEA candidates had stepped forward in Qikiqtarjuaq, Arctic Bay and Clyde River.
So this past Oct. 21, Elections Nunavut announced they’ll hold do-over DEA elections in those three communities on Dec. 9.
“Help promote education in your community! Become a candidate!” the Department of Education said in a follow-up public service announcement.
Eligible candidates may submit declarations to Elections Nunavut between Nov. 4 and Nov. 8 next week. An advance vote will be held on Dec. 2.
To be eligible to run for a DEA, you must be:
• A Canadian citizen
• A resident of Nunavut for at least one year
• A resident of the community where the DEA is located
• At least 18 years of age
You are not eligible to run for a DEA if you are:
• A judge
• An MLA or MP
• An employee of the school or an employee of the DEA or school
• An election officer, including employees of Elections Nunavut
• Convicted of an offence under any election act within the past five years
• Non-compliant with financial reporting requirements in a legislative assembly election within the past five years
• Found by a court to be incapable of making decisions for yourself
Information published by Elections Nunavut shows a poor response to calls for DEA elections throughout the territory.
Of the 26 DEAs in Nunavut, only five attracted enough candidates to require holding an election on Oct. 28.
The seven-member Apex DEA, which has been separate from the Iqaluit DEA for many years despite being located in the same municipality, attracted only one candidate, June Shappa, who won a seat automatically.
The last time that happened, in 2006, the sole acclaimed candidate was required to appoint the other six members herself.
DEAs in Pond Inlet and Resolute Bay also attracted only one candidate each.
The Grise Fiord DEA attracted only two candidates, and DEAs in Whale Cove and Sanikiluaq attracted only three candidates each.
The five DEAs that managed to find enough candidates for an election are the following: Cape Dorset, Chesterfield Inlet, Gjoa Haven, Iqaluit and Kugaaruk.
It’s disheartening trying to be on DEA’s when the dept of education doesn’t listen to any advice.
DEA’s are a waste of oxygen anyways.
What is the purpose/role of the DEAs?
If their mandates carry any weight regarding the education of our kids, then the lack of parents participating is pathetic. Do they only pretend to care about their kids future or is it too much of an inconvenience, pass the buck to someone else.
For too many years, DEA members have been made to feel worthless and unable to provide adequate input into education because nonInuit principals and young inexperienced teachers have intimidated them for not having a BEd or other higher education. Even the Education Dept intimidates them with mounds of unnecessary paperwork and rushed decision making.
DEA members are to bring the community interests to school programming and are an important voice at the table.
If you want all schools run only by community newbies who know nothing of local interests, or by administrators who do not live in the community, you will continue to get lopsided education like Nunavut has.
Don’t expect DEA members to be anything other than the local voice. Support them to be the local voice. Stop intimidating them.
I think you are looking for an oversimplified excuse for apathy….the stats clearly show that this trend is not limited to one or even a few communities, but to the majority; DEA’s have for years complained and looked for excuses for being unable to meet their mandates; they should be more like parent councils, an advisory body….
DEAs do have a purpose – it’s to increase the stress, workload and babysitting duties of school administrations. What an absurdity and embarrassment it has become. People who fail to pay attention to deadlines and changes to the DEA process will make good members once they are appointed, don’t you think? Now having the authority to change policy, renew administrators, and control government funding. Does anyone see the issues with this? DEA members do not have to display a working knowledge of the school system, policies, or anything surrounding curricula. Most of them can’t find the school unless they’re collecting honoraria.
Let us not forget that when Nunavut was created in 1999, there were Health and Social Services boards and School boards in place in every region which had full control over operating budgets (not capital) and held the Directors of Education and Health in every region fully accountable for the operation of those programs in each region. These boards had been established, supported and well trained in the best governance and policy development practises for years under the Government of the Northwest Territories. They were very effective: they hIred and monitored the performance of those Directors, were active in teacher and health personnel recruitment and orientation and made policies and developed programs which reflected input from Inuit representing every community in the three regions. Education boards (they were called Divisional Boards of Education) developed impressive Inuktut language programs and curriculum materials. Health boards developed Midwifery programs and successfully pushed for regional health centres in Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet. The Baffin board made the important decision to switch medical services from Montreal to Ottawa, achieved accreditation for the existing hospital and designed the new Baffin regional hospital. These boards had credibility in their communities and were respected by Education and Health and Social Services personnel, who were made accountable to the respected (mostly) Inuit board members. This was highly appropriate in such culturally sensitive areas as Health and Social Services and Education. When the new Nunavut government came into power in 1999, within months a hasty decision was made, wIthout consultation, to peremptorily dissolve the Education and Health and Social Services boards. When the boards were dissolved, the government promised to create community Health committees. That never happened. DEAs were set up in communities but lacked any significant authority in the policies and operations of schools. Officials (who were all too often transient) began to run Education, Health and Social Services programs without any significant public input. The result? Revolving doors in s dizzying succession of Deputy Ministers of Health and an erosion of credibility and growing sense of crisis in our Education system. Given this erosion of influence from communities and Inuit in our Education system, it is no surprise that few people want to run for positions on token DEAs.