The Next Inuk Senator…

On June 22^nd 2009, Senator Willie Adams officially retired as the Senator for Nunavut. By August, when Prime Minister Harper is expected to fill Senate vacancies, there will be nine empty seats. There is speculation that Mr. Harper may choose to appoint new Senators along party lines to bolster support in that chamber for his government’s agenda. That is how it’s done in Ottawa, in partisan politics.

The history of politics in the Arctic is a non-partisan one. Our Legislative Assemblies operate on a consensus basis as opposed to an adversarial one, and when our people go to the polls there are no party affiliations found on the ballot.

If you were to walk into the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut you would see a row of chairs immediately behind the Members seats, only one step above floor level. These seats are specifically reserved for elders, in all things, including government, Inuit value the advice of our elders.

If Mr. Harper were to ask me for my advice on the appointment of a Senator for Nunavut to replace Mr. Adams I would make two suggestions:

1. Look to how Inuit choose to govern ourselves, and
2. Appoint a non-partisan Inuk

There are a great many issues facing the Arctic - housing, education, language, health care, and mental wellness, to name but a few. And it is my firm belief that the government of Canada needs the advice, counsel, and perspective, of an Inuk from Nunavut to help adequately address them.

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