Nunavut’s bureaucrats shift jobs

IQALUIT — Several top bureaucrats are moving into new jobs at the upper levels of the Nunavut government.

Premier Paul Okalik says this is connected to a restructuring effort that his cabinet agreed to after a two-day retreat in Apex last week.

The Nunavut government has created a five-person secretariat within the Department of the Executive to oversee the decentralization of jobs and government functions among 11 Nunavut communities.

They’ve also put all responsibility for housing into the Department of Public Works, Telecommunications and Technical Services.

That includes social housing, which has been under the Department of Community Government, and employee staff housing, which has been under the Department of Human Resources.

As well, the government has moved policy responsibility for income support — or social assistance — out of the Department of Sustainable Development and back into the Department of Education.

Okalik says that related staffing changes will also “broaden the experience” of the government’s Inuit deputy and assistant deputy ministers.

“I am confident that within five years… we will see a major surge in the numbers of Inuit senior managers in this government,” Okalik said.

Here’s a list of who’s moving where:

Leona Aglukaaq, formerly an assistant deputy minister in the Department of Human Resources, will head the government’s Decentralization Secretariat as an assistant deputy minister within the Department of the Executive.

Jamie Flaherty will move from the Department of Public Works to replace Aglukaaq as ADM of Human Resources.

Peter Irniq , the deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, has been seconded to the legislative assembly, where he will be responsible for setting up the offices of the Language Commissioner, Conflict of Interest Commissioner and Access to Information Commissioner.

Carmen Levi will move from her ADM of education job into a position as acting deputy minister of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth.

Ross Mrazek will become deputy minister of Public works, Telecommunications and Technical services.

Tom Sammartuk will move from his ADM of community government position in Iqaluit to Rankin Inlet, where he will serve as assistant deputy minister of Transportation.

Laura Gauthier will remain as an ADM in the department of the Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs, and will take on the added responsibility of the Northwest Territories Power Corporation under the direction of the minister responsible, Ed Picco.

The Nunavut government is still looking for person to fill the position of deputy minister of Human Resources, vacated recently by Marius Tungilik. Okalik says the government is still interviewing candidates for that job.