Nunavut premier should be careful about going along with the crowd
Provincial, territorial leaders like to bash federal government, but Nunavut’s recent dealings with Ottawa have been productive
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, left, shares the stage with other premiers of Canada’s provinces and territories at a news conference at the end of the premiers’ summer meeting in Halifax on Wednesday. (Screenshot courtesy of Council of the Federation/YouTube)
You have to wonder if Premier P.J. Akeeagok is torn, going along with his fellow premiers’ Ottawa-bashing while knowing Nunavut enjoys a less acrimonious relationship with the federal government.
Akeeagok shared the stage with the heads of Canada’s provinces and territories at a news conference Wednesday, marking the end of their summer conference in Halifax.
Premiers of Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Alberta were predictably critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government.
The 13 premiers issued a public list of the issues they talked about privately. At the top of the list were the usual suspects — housing, infrastructure, energy and emergency preparedness.
They want more help from Ottawa in those areas.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, the host of the meeting, said the premiers talked about how they can work together on those files.
“But we also, of course, talked a lot about the need for the federal government to respect our provincial jurisdiction,” said Houston.
“The current lack of collaboration from the federal government to the provinces and territories has resulted in missed opportunities as we see federal programs that create duplicate processes that risk pitting provinces and territories — really Canadians — against one another.”
But Akeeagok stayed quiet, speaking up only to add his two cents to a reporter’s question about the pressure on Canada to meet its NATO obligation to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.
He used that opportunity to pitch for more federal investment in northern infrastructure that will support Arctic security and sovereignty.
There’s a “generational opportunity” to see projects like the Grays Bay port and road project developed in the western Arctic, Akeeagok said, adding it would not only support economic development in the territory, but also support the Canadian Armed Forces’ role in Arctic sovereignty and security.
“We’ve had good discussions with [National Defence Minister Bill] Blair,” Akeeagok said. “But I think at this point we need to see investment. There’s good discussions, but it’s investments that will speak.”
The premiers do a lot of talking among themselves that usually results in them making demands of the federal government. This week was at least the third time this year Akeeagok has attended a conference with his counterparts. He hosted a meeting of territorial premiers in Pond Inlet in May, and went to a meeting of western premiers in Whitehorse in June.
Though Houston decried the “lack of collaboration” between Ottawa and the premiers, the Nunavut and federal governments have enjoyed a high degree of collaboration recently.
The devolution agreement Nunavut and the federal government reached in January is evidence that Ottawa does respect the territory’s jurisdiction.
That agreement will give Nunavummiut more control over their land and natural resources, wresting that responsibility from the federal government.
For his part, Trudeau has said Ottawa has “strong, collaborative relationships” with Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
For the past few years, there has been a steady stream of federal cabinet ministers coming to Nunavut with chequebooks open to give support in the very areas Houston said Ottawa needs to be more active in.
For premiers, it must be easy to go along with the crowd. And Akeeagok should be a partner of other premiers. But it’s important to resist the knee-jerk reaction to go along with their Ottawa-bashing, especially when the record shows the federal government has been pretty good to Nunavut.
I m all Ottawa bashing, can wait to vote our beloved government out of office.
Don’t bite the white hand that feeds you, says the white man.
Especially if you got no bite.
says the wise man…
LoL, White man? what around Indians that are about to become your masters?
I am no way a Trudeau fan and don’t see eye to eye with him for the most part. But I have to give credit to him and his government for all the new funding for Nunavut,
We have never seen all this new funding before, for infrastructure, housing, food, gas vouchers, different programs.
They probably will not get re-elected so let’s enjoy all this new funding while it’s there, I’m sure it will be cut when the other government is elected.
Just look at how 25 years of sucking up to a series of Prime Ministers, both Liberals and Conservatives, has paid off in terms of a steady flow of funding for all the social housing we could possibly need!
Inuit don’t get the carbon rebate but feds give it to our designated inuit orgs then dispersed with gas cards
Nunavut, where our politicians treat their people like children, can’t trust with our own money, instead the usual gift cards that northern always gets the last cent.
Yes we do get the rebate from unless you didn’t bother filing your income tax
Good job Lorie, 4 more years
Medical for work should be fixed. It is way overlooked. Non Inuit causing unemployment, just making our 100,000 a year job disappear becaus of medical examination. Kind of useless papers and job cutting applications
“But Akeeagok stayed quiet…”😂
Maybe he had no clue what he was doing there and there weren’t enough pictures and too many big words were spoken.😥😆
Nunavut your premier looks out of place and or confused. lol
Careful not to confuse funding received from that “promised.” These are unlikely to be the same
1. If they want Nunavut to be “Canadian” then yea they have to take care of Nunavut.
2. This feels like a quick snap at PJ, DO we just push past under the rug? All my life I thought how yhe Government is getting alot more from nunavut …than nu is getting from GOC
3. This is a piss poor article … that was rush and not thought out.
Believe it’s called “click bait”
“All my life I thought how the Government is getting a lot more from nunavut …than nu is getting from GOC.”
Then you would be mistaken and have been for your entire existence.
They arrest Inuit here in Nunavut, RCMP using Canadian laws to arrest Inuit because of their bills from COVID. They put us to southern hospitals because of southern laws. Kind of useless job cutting who puts Inuit to jails, putting them to hospitals and causing job cuts because of those mental health personnel. Kind of useless government of Canada. They are useless to aboriginal laws, they are no use. Good for garbage our mps, our MLAs doctors all southerners useless people good for garbage, Nunavut legal aid doesn’t help, they dont do anything for Inuit, only the bad stuff like going to jail, putting Inuit to hospitals, nothing positive, papers not being worked on, nothing positive, it’s no use, it doest work, just negatives
Too many government walls built over Inuit children. Paid education, paid housing, paid social assistance. Wind above our heads. Brain washed. It is like that. No life. No use. Hidden adoptions, force relocations,