Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

NUNAVUT - Enuk Pauloosie was busy last week clearing out the desk at his old GN job.

"I got the call, and they told me I had to get out," said the newly-elected MLA for Nattilik with a laugh.

A respected hunter, musician and civil servant, Pauloosie beat out Paul Ikuallaq, Louie Kamookak and Jeannie Kanayuk Ugyuk for the seat.

"I thought maybe I could make a difference for the community and Nunavut as a whole," he said.

He will now join 16 other members of the legislative assembly in Iqaluit this week for crash courses in government departments, ethics and finances.

One of the first stops in training will be a meeting with Nunavut's integrity commissioner, Norman Pickell, who said he will stress to MLAs that they can contact him with any questions or concerns.

"The integrity commissioner is an integral part of the orientation process. He's one of the first people to be speaking with the members as they arrive," said John Quirke, legislative assembly clerk.

Members will meet privately with Pickell to sign disclosure statements and agree to place their business interests aside.

Following presentations on the "state of the territory" by each government department, the MLAs should be ready to decide whether they're interested in putting their names forward for executive positions, Quirke said.

It's still up in the air when the leadership forum to choose a speaker, premier and cabinet will actually take place. The election in Akulliq remains at a standstill, pending the resolution of a court challenge of the Nunavut Elections Act by former MP Jack Anawak. Until the riding has a representative, some members have said they are uncomfortable proceeding.

"That's something that will be decided by the members when they meet," Quirke said.

One of the options that could be considered is to leave one cabinet position open until the new member arrives, according to Cambridge Bay MLA Keith Peterson, who was acclaimed in the election.

"You can't continue the way it is now because you'd have ministers who aren't elected," he said.

Staffing their constituency offices will be the next job for new members, according to Quirke. Members get a budget of between roughly $20,000 and $50,000 for office operating expenses, depending on the location, and number of communities they will serve.

This will help cover the cost of supplies and air fare.

The Office of the Clerk also provides base funding of roughly between $40,000 and upwards of $100,000 to maintain the offices and staff.

Once in place, the new members will have some tough issues to face, Peterson said.

He pointed to the territory's dire need for housing, the high rate of poverty and the critical state of legal aid.

Looming above all is the territory's mounting fuel bill, he said, "and how are we going to meet the infrastructure needs for communities with that kind of fuel bill hanging over our head?"

Peterson said he is looking forward to hearing what all the new MLAs will bring to the table.

"I followed a lot of their campaigns through the media. A lot of them had good insights as to what the issues and priorities should be," he said.