Monday, June 01, 1998
The interim commissioner is taking too long to make commitments to the people of Nunavut about the new government. The decentralized model of government outlined in Footprints II created high expectations for Nunavut that are already being met with disillusionment in some quarters.
Communities that are scheduled to be part of the new government infrastructure have yet to receive confirmation and have little information about any work to be done. This is making it difficult for them to prepare for these changes and the new jobs that come with them.
The clock is winding down. Jack Anawak has to move a little faster to address the impact of decentralized government on the communities.
This summer promises to be a busy one for Premier Don Morin. Three charges of conflict of interest have been dropped but investigations will proceed with eight others against him.
The premier is now in a position that will, at the very least, be a distraction if not a downright impediment to his ability to do his job.
Unless both the premier and the public he serves can be given assurance that the investigations will come to a speedy conclusion, Morin should consider stepping aside until the matter is concluded.
There is no shame nor is there any disgrace in stepping aside. It is not an admission of guilt. It is merely an acknowledgement that the due process is time-consuming and demands a lot of attention.
Did the Iqaluit nurses jump the gun with their information demonstration earlier this month?
Maybe so, but when the Baffin Regional Health and Social Services Board meets again, they won't be able to deny that the issue of paid education leave is important to all of their staff on Baffin Island.
Sometimes employers, need a wake-up call. If a demonstration is required to bring attention to inequities in the system, so be it.
Recent developments in the settlement of Enterprise suggest the minister of municipal and community affairs, and her department, don't take their responsibilities seriously enough.
The settlement's governing council may indeed have lost control of the democratic process, just as Iqaluit's town council did earlier this decade. Each time, the department dissolved the council of elected officials and appointed a bureaucrat to run the communities until things could be put right.
Indeed, the list of violations allegedly committed by the Enterprise council is a troubling one and there appears to be little doubt that something had to be done.
But the troubles have a long history, and Manitok Thompson, as minister, should not have allowed the situation to get so out of hand. Waiting a month to let the people of Enterprise know why their councillors had been removed from office was also a mistake. Any arguments about liability and other legal concerns -- the department reportedly sought several legal opinions -- are beside the point, since the reasons were eventually released.
It will be necessary for the department to learn from its mistakes in Enterprise. The NWT and Nunavut are looking closely at transferring even more powers to the community level. When that comes about, MACA will have to pay close attention to local politics. It should prepare to offer more and improved help to the communities as they grapple with their new responsibilities.
Already, there are signs that some communities aren't in any hurry to assume new powers. The Keewatin Pilot Project, the latest in the GNWT's "community empowerment" plans, is being shelved until after division.
Only when both the communities and the department are ready for the transfer should we think about reorganizing the way the people of the NWT are governed.
Anyone who enjoys the occasional beer or glass or wine or scotch knows how expensive alcohol can be in the North, particularly in the more remote communities. There's extra freight and handling charges to pay for, on top of already imposing tax burdens.
But far from being unreasonable, the cost of booze is just where it should be: expensive but not outrageously so. Alcohol take a terrible toll on many communities and it should not be too easy to buy.
To those who don't buy our argument, we suggest buy instead home-brew kits for beer and wine. They are cheap and simple and can produce excellent vintages -- if you have the patience.