MLAs probe Nunavut's 'nation-building' projects as legislature resumes
One MLA asked why the Qikiqtarjuaq Deep Sea Port project had ballooned in cost
Two Nunavut MLAs asked questions at the Legislative Assembly this week about infrastructure projects that – amid rising tensions between Canada and the U.S. – the territory's premier has described recently as "nation-building."
Speaking on CBC's The Current alongside his fellow territorial premiers on Thursday, P.J. Akeeagok said Nunavut has potential that it could deliver not only to Canada, but to the world.
"And it starts with creating these infrastructures so you untap the true potential that's there," he said, going on to define a nation-building project as one that "connects people and brings movement."
Akeeagok said the Qikiqtarjuaq Deep Sea Port and the Grays Bay Road and Port projects were among the territory's nation-building projects. As the winter sitting at the Nunavut Legislative Assembly got underway on Thursday, two MLAs had questions about both those projects.
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Uqqummiut MLA Mary Killiktee asked, in Inuktitut, why the estimated cost to complete the Qikiqtarjuaq Deep Sea Port project had increased from roughly $50 million to $300 million.
Nunavut's Economic Development and Transportation Minister David Akeeagok responded, saying the increase stems from a review of what it would take to finish the project.
Killiktee was also interested in knowing what commitments the Nunavut government had received from partners such as the federal government and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.
"We haven't seen any indication yet from the federal government as to what they will decide," the economic development minister responded in Inuktitut. "Right now, the federal government is [prorogued] and if they're going to be bringing out any money, then the minister of finance has to come up with the money."
The minister added that although it's unknown when the federal government will resume, the Nunavut government has to follow Ottawa's policies regarding such programs and funding.
Immediately after Killiktee's questions, Kugluktuk MLA Bobby Anavilok spoke about the lack of support for the Grays Bay Road and Port Project from the Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO). Their submission to the Nunavut Impact Review Board (NIRB) called the project "a road to nowhere" that wouldn't benefit local communities.
Anavilok said the HTO's board was concerned about the potential impact on a herd of caribou that's already endangered as well as a "lack of clear benefits" for residents and communities in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.
"It is very important that organizations such as the Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization are able to fully participate in the NIRB's consideration of the project," Anavilok continued.
When asked what resources would be made available to the HTO as well as the hamlet, David Akeeagok encouraged the HTO to pursue funding from the NIRB, who would act as an "intervener".
"Those voices are very important to hear because this is a major project that's going to definitely have an impact in the region and [it's] something that needs to be incorporated as part of the decision making process."
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