by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
NNSL (Feb 19/97) - The fate of GNWT employees who lose their jobs to division remains a mystery.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) officials and Nunatsiaq MP Jack Anawak argued that Nunavut's need for Inuit employees should take priority over continuing employment of government workers.
This issue was just one of many debated at the Sixth Nunavut Leader's Summit in Cambridge Bay Sunday and Monday.
NTI president Jose Kusugak said laid off government workers outside Nunavut should get no preferential treatment in hiring for Nunavut.
"We talked about that and, in all seriousness, asked ourselves what's special about Yellowknife?" said Kusugak. "Why can't we look where we want if we want the best people for Nunavut? We have no commitment to them in our opinion."
In its response to the Nunavut Implementation Commission's second major report on the organization of Nunavut, the GNWT insisted staff outside of Nunavut -- laid off as a result of division -- should be given hiring priority for jobs for which they are qualified.
The territorial government also said existing staff in Nunavut be automatically transferred to the new government, with all terms and conditions of employment unchanged.
"We have to remember that this is a totally different government, with a different philosophical bent," said Anawak.
"I don't want to burden the Nunavut government with the obligation of hiring all (existing GNWT) employees in Nunavut."
Anawak is a candidate for the job of interim commissioner for Nunavut. The interim commissioner will oversee hiring of staff for the government.
By the end of the conference on Monday, officials from all sides were scrambling to define what agreements had been reached and which issues remained unresolved.
Agreement was reached on at least three issues: