Nunavut legislature spring sitting: 5 things to watch for

Education issues are expected to dominate discussion at the Nunavut legislative assembly as its 22 members return to the legislature Tuesday afternoon to begin their spring sitting.

The sitting will likely be a short one, with MLAs expected to gather from May 26 to June 2. On June 3 and 4, standing committee hearings will take place on tourism in the territory.

Paul Quassa, the territory's Minister of Education, says that he plans to bring the concept of a Nunavut university, which would be the first Arctic university in Canada, to cabinet "at the end of this month [May]."

Quassa also said he expects to field questions on standardizing the Inuktitut writing system from MLAs during the sitting following his announcement in February that the government was examining using Roman orthography exclusively in Inuktitut schools across the territory.

Here are those stories, plus three more threads to watch during the upcoming sitting:

1. Post-secondary education in Nunavut?

Quassa spoke about the possibility of a Nunavut university during the previous sitting of the territorial government in February, saying that he was preparing an options paper for cabinet and was hoping to announce a plan and concept during the spring sitting. 

The idea, which has been spoken about since at least 2007, has received a renewed push in the past year. Mining company Agnico Eagle pledged $5 million to kickstart the concept in April of 2014. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami also joined the call in recent months.

Numerous options have been discussed for a university in the territory. Those include a stand-alone university, a pan-territorial university, and an Inuit Nunangat university, which would serve Canada's Inuit regions.

"We'll be going to the cabinet at the end of this month, to bring it forth to the cabinet and see if they'll be giving support to this concept or not," Quassa told CBC prior to the sitting. "We're just waiting for that time to come about, before we can talk about a university."

2. Inuktitut writing system 

March's announcement that the Nunavut government was looking into standardizing the Inuktitut writing system in schools across the territory generated plenty of discussion. Though Quassa says he doesn't expect the issue to be specifically discussed, he said "I'm sure there'll be questions on it.

"Right now, the department of education is just exploring if that would be possible for our schools," he told CBC. "After we do the exploration stage, we'll be going back to cabinet to get the final decision."

In March, Quassa said that the government was examining using Roman orthography as a standard for the Inuktitut writing system, rather than syllabics. At the time, he said that a single writing system "has the potential to build an environment where students would be better equipped for learning more than one language."

3. Corrections response expected

Legislature clerk John Quirke told CBC that he expects three reports to be tabled during the session, including responses to a damning Auditor General's report on Nunavut's corrections system. That report found that Nunavut's largest jail, the Baffin Correctional Centre in Iqaluit, put the safety of inmates and staff at risk.

A standing committee of MLAs questioned Ferguson and justice department officials earlier this month, and are expected to table their response during the session.

Nunavut's department of family services is also expected to table their response to a 2014 Auditor General's report. The report recommended the department do more in areas such as the collection and sharing of information about at-risk youth.

A government response is also expected to a 2014 standing committee report on the Qulliq Energy Corporation, where MLAs asked Qulliq about its plans to replace the territory's aging power plants.

4. Committee on Inuit values

On the second last day of the legislative assembly's winter sitting, MLA Isaac Shooyook gave noticed that he planned  to move to establish a standing committee on Inuit societal values and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or traditional knowledge. 

Shooyook's motion is expected Tuesday afternoon, on the first day of the sitting.

Shooyook, a frequent voice for Inuit traditional values in the legislature, walked out of Question Period at the previous sitting to show his frustration with a lack of government response on those issues.

5. New assignments, but no new ministers

Although Tom Sammurtok's cabinet portfolio has already been reassigned following his charges of impaired driving, the Rankin Inlet North – Chesterfield Inlet MLA is expected to be assigned to standing committees during his first session since the charges.

Sammurtok is expected to plead guilty to the charges during his next court appearance on June 4.

Paul Quassa said that, for now, a new cabinet minister will not be appointed to replace Sammurtok, who was formerly the Minister of Community and Government Services. That position was absorbed by Johnny Mike, who also serves as the Minister of Environment.

Quassa said that in the fall, a leadership review will take place, and MLAs will decide whether to remain with the current number of cabinet ministers, or add another to replace Sammurtok.