Signs of improvement at the Ledge

Without a doubt, the sitting of the Nunavut legislative assembly that MLAs inflicted upon us between Feb. 20 and March 6 was an unmitigated embarrassment.

The session began with a series of attacks on battered women and the under-funded shelters set up to protect them, and ended with MLAs voting, not only for a $70,000 transition allowance for those who leave office, but for an obscenely enriched supplementary pension plan that will provide most of them with incomes for the rest of their lives.

For those who believe in the potential of the Nunavut legislative assembly, it was a disappointing time.

Fortunately, MLAs went a long way toward redeeming themselves this time around, in the sitting that opened April 24 and ended this week.

Many MLAs used members’ statements and questions to raise real public issues, rather than personal grudges and prejudices.

For example, Qutikktuq MLA Rebecca Williams asked numerous questions aimed at exposing weaknesses in the administration of the justice system, especially the lack of probation officers in many communities.

Uqqummiut MLA David Iqaqrialu asked questions about the lack of Inuktitut-speaking social workers, helping to expose the fact that Arctic College does not offer a social work training program anymore.

Baker Lake MLA Glenn McLean asked a set of serious questions about the income support system. Given the large number of Nunavut residents who get welfare for all or part of the year, it’s appalling that the issue receives virtually no public discussion. McLean obviously feels much compassion for the poor and the under-employed, and he deserves praise for attempting to raise the issue.

There are other examples that we could have mentioned, too. In this session, MLAs generally showed that when they focus their minds on the public interest, the public interest ends up being served.

Perhaps this is because better script-writers and consultants are now helping out behind the scenes. But isn’t it rather more encouraging to think that, after three years, Nunavut’s legislative assembly is finally maturing into respectability?

JB