Within a year or two, the people of Nunavik will be electing representatives to a regional assembly that will control all aspects of public life from health care to education, law enforcement and justice.
Nunavik leaders and the separatist government in Quebec City are now putting the final touches on a self-government arrangement that will hand the running of all public services to an assembly of 23 to 25 representatives.
“We want a Nunavik that is more responsible to itself in everything pertaining to services to the public,” said Harry Tulugak, co-chief negotiator in the talks with Quebec and former mayor of Puvirnituq.
“The present-day reality sees thepeople of Nunavik running around trying to convince various administrators of the Quebec government and Indian Affairs who have a hand in administering anything that has to do with public life in Nunavik. It’s a nightmare.” Tulugak cited the example of policing services, which he described as “a joke.” Currently run by the SQ, law enforcement in Nunavik is plagued by high staff turnover and a lack of credibility. Crimes like spousal abuse and serious gun incidents aren’t being dealt with in some communities.
The three largest communities— Puvirnituq, Kuujjuaq and Inukjuak—will get three seats each. Three medium-sized villages will get two each, and the remaining eight communities, one each. One seat on the assembly will probably be reserved for the Naskapi Nation.
After assembly members are elected, they will then choose one of their colleagues to be a sort of Nunavik Premier. Like in the parliamentary system, this person will appoint ministers from among those elected or in rare exceptions from outside the assembly.
The Nunavik assembly will be elected on a non-ethnic basis by all Nunavik residents who’ve lived in the region for over one year—Inuit or not.
Assembly members will be elected for three-year terms and will have to be residents in Nunavik for at least two or three years.
An announcement on the Nunavik assembly will probably be made by April 30, the deadline set for the talks.
Paul Bussieres, coordinator of the talks for the Inuit side, concedes that the PQ is desperate to conclude the self-government deal because it wants to give the separatist project more credibility. The separatists have been hammered for months over their poor relations with the First Nations.
“They have been very blunt about that,” said Bussieres. “They said, ‘We will tell you very frankly we need an agreement to show the world we are good with Natives. Maybe after the referendum there could be less urgency on our part.’ “So we decided to play the game.” Bussieres said Inuit leaders aren’t overly worried so long as polls show only about 40 per cent of Quebecers support separation with 60 per cent against. “So far we feel comfortable,” he said. “If the polls change, that could change.” Also under the self-government deal, Makivik Corporation will continue to exist but with a narrower mandate of defending Inuit rights and promoting economic development.
Less agreement exists between Nunavik and Quebec on financial issues related to self-government, including thorny questions like the amount of block funding for public services and revenue sharing from development projects. Nunavik officials are pressing to get a cut of all taxes and royalties received by Quebec from development.
“We are only starting on those issues,” said Bussieres. “It’s heavy stuff. There aren’t many formulas across the country.” A referendum on the entire package could be held in Nunavik as early as next fall, with the first elections for the regional assembly to be held a year or two afterwards.
The details are not completely set in stone and discussions are continuing both within Nunavik and the Quebec government.
The deal will require amendments to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Such amendments require the consent of all signatories, including the Crees, said Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come. “If there’s any amendment to the agreement, Canada will bring its issues to the table, and the other signatories will bring their issues,” he said. “It’s a complex process.”
