The clock is ticking, Nunavut needs a new senator

Inuk. Young. And soon, please.

Those are the three things Nunavut needs in its next senator when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally gets around to filling the territory’s vacancy in Parliament’s upper house.

It has been six months since Dennis Patterson left the Senate after turning 75, the mandatory retirement age for members of the Red Chamber.

So, what’s taking Trudeau so long to name Patterson’s successor?

Maybe he has been dragging his heels so he can dole out a nice Nunavut Day gift on July 9.

Nunavut’s Senate seat is an important position because the territory only has two representatives in Parliament. It has one seat in the House of Commons, which since 2021 has been held by New Democrat Lori Idlout.

Nunavut has one seat in the Senate whose role, historically, has been to ensure Canada’s smaller regions are represented in Parliament and that Parliament isn’t overrun by the “democratic excesses” of the House of Commons.

Nunavut’s next senator “must be an Inuk,” Patterson argued in his Senate swan song last December.

A Nunatsiaq News editorial echoed that sentiment, but added the next senator should also be young.

It’s time to pass the torch from the generation of leaders who created the territory as an Inuit homeland, to the next generation who will lead it through the 21^st century’s thorny issues — reconciliation, climate change, and housing affordability.

As weeks turn into months, it’s time to turn up the heat on Trudeau and remind him it shouldn’t take six months to fill a vacancy to the appointed legislative body.

A six-month wait is the equivalent of two per cent of the territory’s entire 25-year history.

Nunavut’s senator has been an important public policy figure. For example, Patterson developed expertise in mining — one of Nunavut’s most important economic sectors.

He used his Senate seat to advocate for mining because of the economic benefits it creates for Nunavummiut through royalties mining companies pay for the exploitation of Nunavut’s natural resources and through the jobs created for its residents, especially.

You can agree or disagree with Patterson on mining, but there’s no question he used Nunavut’s Senate seat to give Nunavut a voice on an important economic and environmental issue affecting the territory.

In 2016, Trudeau’s Liberal government brought in a process for filling Senate vacancies. It’s intended to lead to merit-based appointments instead of the patronage rewards prime ministers handed out in Canada’s first 150 years.

Any Canadian can apply to be appointed. An independent board reviews the applications and gives the prime minister a short list of potential candidates.

The committee responsible for reviewing Nunavut’s applicants had been dormant, but it kicked into gear in February.

Last week, Parliament rose for the summer, meaning the government’s business ground to a halt until mid-September.

Even if Trudeau were to appoint a new senator for Nunavut today, he or she wouldn’t really get into the swing of the job until the fall — nearly a year since Patterson’s exit from the Red Chamber.

A little free advice, Prime Minister: Naming a new Nunavut senator now would get you some much-needed good headlines.