Six GN departments get new bosses in shakeup

The Government of Nunavut’s long-serving deputy minister of finance, Bob Vardy, will soon leave his job, to be replaced by Peter Ma, a close associate of Premier Paul Okalik.

It’s part of a top-level shakeup that Okalik announced this past Friday, in which he appointed new bosses for six GN departments.

Vardy, a former assistant deputy minister of finance in the Government of Newfoundland, was hired by the Office of the Interim Commissioner to run the GN’s finance department in April, 1998.

Okalik will replace him with Peter Ma, a chartered accountant from Iqaluit who worked for the past several years as Okalik’s principal secretary and chief of staff – the top political job in the premier’s office.

Ma has no other experience in government administration. His appointment marks the second time that a close associate of the premier has wound up with a deputy minister’s job at the GN.

In October, 2004, Markus Weber, who in 1998 articled with Okalik at an Iqaluit law firm, was appointed deputy minister of justice, replacing the highly-respected Nora Sanders.

A news release issued last week said Vardy will stay on for a while in a “transitional role” as “associate deputy minister” of finance, while “he prepares to pursue opportunities outside of the Government of Nunavut.”

Okalik also announced the GN found yet another deputy minister of health: Ronald Browne, a former CEO of the Whitehorse General Hospital. Browne replaces Dave Ramsden, an interim DM who in turn replaced Bernie Blais this past January.

Blais quit his job after a dispute with Leona Aglukkaq, the health minister, over a proposal of his to centralize patient travel services in Winnipeg.

Other new GN bosses include:

* Victor Tootoo, who leaves an ADM job at finance department to become deputy minister of human resources;
* Kathy Okpik, deputy minister of education;
* Pam Hine, deputy minister of community and government services.

Hine replaces Tom Rich, who is retiring from his job at CGS.

Two ADMs are also switching jobs. Paul Suvega leaves the department of finance to become assistant deputy minister of economic development and transportation; and Rosemary Keenainak leaves economic development to become assistant deputy minister of finance.

A GN news release says the job-switches are supposed to help Inuit senior managers gain experience and skills.