Nunavut premier releases ministers’ mandate letters
Sharing letters an effort to hold cabinet accountable, Akeeagok says
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok has released his cabinet’s mandate letters to the public. The letters lay out expectations for each of his ministers. (Photo by Emma Tranter)
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok has laid out what he wants the territory’s cabinet to accomplish.
Akeeagok released his cabinet’s mandate letters on Tuesday, the first time a Nunavut premier has done so publicly.The letters list items for each minister to complete during their term, which ends in 2025, along with the general expectations of their roles.
“I thought this was another tool for us to be able to showcase our openness, where we could be held accountable as well,” Akeeagok said in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.
“I really felt it was important right from the start that every elected official’s voice be heard.”
The letters contain top priorities for each cabinet minister, like completing construction of the Kivalliq long-term care facility in 2023 and developing a decentralization action plan for 2023.
Akeeagok said he has talked about releasing mandate letters for some time, after his government created its Katujjiluta mandate in March, laying out the sixth assembly’s priorities and agenda.
The mandate letters form part of the larger Katujjiluta mandate, and were developed with input from the entire assembly. They usually aren’t released to the public, but regular MLAs have them as a guideline to hold ministers accountable.
“I don’t pick my team, so I thought this would be a great way to ensure that everybody right from the start knows my expectations,” he said.
Akeeagok also said it’s his responsibility as premier to hold his cabinet accountable to the items in the mandate letters.
“Obviously, there will be a lot of work internally to ensure that we track every file,” he said.
“It’s very different from previous governments, where nobody really knew what those expectations are, what those measurables are.”
The mandate letters were released the day after Nunavut’s MLAs voted to admonish cabinet over what several members described as a lack of transparency from ministers.
Akeeagok said releasing the mandate letters had nothing to do with that motion.
“We intended to release the mandates even not knowing what that motion was originally. It had no bearing,” he said.
Akeeagok also said he met with Aivilik MLA Solomon Malliki, the chairperson of the regular members caucus who brought forward the motion.
“If there is any concerns, I want them to be brought forward to me so I actually know how to address a concern that they feel isn’t being addressed,” Akeeagok said.
He also said commitments made in the mandate letters will be reviewed as part of a promised mid-term review of the government’s progress in November 2023.
Dear Premier:
1. What is your plan to increase high school graduation from the current 25% to 75%, and when do you plan to accomplish it?
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2. How many of the 250 2022 high school graduates have gone on to college? How many have gone on to university? How many have entered a skilled trade? How many of each group are Inuit? What is your plan to have 75% of all Inuit who enter kindergarten, graduate 12 years later and then go on to college, university or enter a trade?
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3. Considering that 1,000 additional Nunavummiut are being born each year, what is your plan to have enough homes in Nunavut for all Nunavummiut, and when do you expect to end homelessness?
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4. How many more tradespeople will be needed to build the infrastructure Nunavut lacks? What is your plan to train all those skilled tradespeople, and when will they be trained?
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5. How many treatment workers will be needed to treat all those Nunavummiut struggling with addictions? What is your plan to train those treatment workers? When will they be trained? What is your plan to provide the facilities they will need?
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6. How much money are Nunavummiut sending out of the territory each year because they have no local alternative? Please include RRSP contributions, lottery purchases, addictive purchases such as tobacco and alcohol. What is your plan to provide Nunavummiut with ways to invest in their communities, and the incentive to do so, instead?
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7. What is your plan to enable qualified Inuit to apply for a GN job and be hired in days, rather than months?
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8. Today there are 40,000 Nunavummiut. An additional 1,000 are being born each year. Then there are all the immigrants the Prime Minister wants to bring into Canada. Where will they all live? Which Nunavut communities have the infrastructure needed for growth? How much can they grow before they reach maximum capacity? When will each one reach maximum capacity? What is your plan when maximum capacity is reached in each/every community? Where will new communities be built, or will the extra people be forced to move south?
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9. What new industries do you plan for Nunavut to develop, particularly value-added industries with export potential, so that Devolution will mean Nunavummiut in control of their own destiny, rather than just being administrators for the benefit of southern exploiters of the land? What is your time-frame? How much start-up capital will be required? Where will it come from? How will Nunavut develop the people who will make this happen?
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10. How do you expect to accomplish anything with a 30% vacancy rate in the GN? What is your plan to solve the GN’s vacancy problem? What is your time-frame for doing so?
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Taima.
Ok thank you Mr. Photo OP Premier, but still where’s your answers? Why is it so hard to answer simple questions? Get your QUANA minister off reading from her cell phone, maybe then she will start answering questions properly. Adam Apple and the new high and mighty health minister are the PO puppets! Adam and John are all of a sudden pro government, when both were so against the last Government. Notice Adam bowing down. Nunatsiaq News stop covering up for the Photo Opportunity Premier, it is so obvious you refrain from posting any negative information about Mr PO. How many comments have I sent and you never post them, why? Is he that special to you? Now this news just appeared half hour ago at 10:30 pm today but yet time shows 1:30 when it just came out! No hot topics on PJ when the truth comes out. What a long 3 years it’s going g to be! Can’t wait until Nunavut gets real true leaders that work hard, getting tiring seeing nothing but photo ops.
Me too when I comment anything on the premier it is never posted. IMO they are not too personal and still never gets posted. NN is sheltering anything negative against this so called leader on nunavut who clearly takes care of his friends and family.
Quana and let’s go Paul
I have yet to hear or see any meaningful accomplishment, just him traveling and getting selfies and with questionable leaders like the ex mayor. Rather depressing that he has no substance. Letters to ministers are meaningless as the deputies are the onee who run this government. Just for show meaningless leader is running out of excuses.
Dear Premier,
11. The seas around Nunavut are much more productive than the land. A port helps us feed our families. It also reduces the time and cost associated with sea-lift, making everything in our community less expensive. What are your plans to have a functional port in every community in Nunavut, and when will they all be completed?
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Taima
This government has announced grandiose plans but has yet to make anything special happen. We just have a never ending pictures of a smiling premier attending meetings and events. No news of what the premier accomplished at the meetings and how it will help Nunavumiut. The MLAs appear to be catching on and good on them.
So not only does Premier travel every where, he uses his duty travel time to hunt for pleasure? Where else does he need to go and for what purpose? Wasting government money for meaningless travel just so he can get his face captured to share with the media. How many trips has he made to Embassy West to pay a surprise visit to a dear Family? I have never known a politician who loves media attention, he jumps at any chance to get a picture with anyone so he can show the world who the leader and sharpshooter is. See quotation from his Sanikiluaq trip (October 26; 2022 handsard:)
“Mr. Speaker, at around 6:30 that Saturday evening, we manage to harvest seven beluga whales. I managed to harvest three whales and when I gave my gun to the Premier, he shot four more whales. Mr. Speaker, the Premier is a sharpshooter.
>>Laughter
We arrived back to the community shortly after midnight. Thanks to modern technology, the community was aware of our successful hunt and close to a hundred residents were able to share the harvest.”
Someone please help him answer this question; when will the Premier put an end to unnecessary duty travel trips just so he can do more photos showing his location?
GN should be refunded the duty travel cost including perdiums of these hunts by photo man premier. I wonder if he notices any difference with QIA vs the GN.
The “Top Priority” for the Minister of Environment is to “provide input on the development of the Canada Green Buildings Strategy.” Talk about being disconnected from communities. Protecting caribou habitat should have been “Top Priority.”
The dark reality is , folks like Paul Crowley have an agenda that leans towards conservation and they don’t care about the poverty of Inuit. They care more about wildlife and environment while the GN is trying preserve employment in all sectors, mines, tourism, fisheries, and the arts and crafts. We need to take advantage of all opportunities to make Nunavut a success story.