Gender equity proposed for Nunavut legislature

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The future Nunavut Legislative Assembly may be the first in modern history to go beyond talking about gender equality in politics to delivering it through their elections.

The Nunavut Implementation Commission proposes a two-member constituency model for the new territory allowing larger representation in the assembly for the existing 10 electoral districts - with a twist. All voters in each district would elect one male and one female MLA, thereby insuring women get 50 per cent representations in the government.

"Nowhere is it done on this basis of gender and we thought, well, why note?" said Ken Harper, NIC commissioner. "It won't be men voting for men and women voting for women, it will be people voting for two candidates."

The commission views mandating gender equity in the assembly as a "simple, fair and effective" design for the new territorial government. Women represent more than 50 per cent of the population yet continue to face obstacles in obtain equal political representation, states the discussion paper.

"....we must be clear: Nowhere in the world have these systemic barriers been eliminated, and as a result nowhere in the world is there balanced participation in politics between men and women."

Nunavut comes into existence on April 1, 1999, the culmination of more than 20 years of negotiations between the Inuit of the Northwest Territories and the Canadian government. The new territory encompasses one-fifth of Canada's land mass in the sparsely populated areas of eastern and northern NWT and Quebec, where between 22,000 to 24,000 residents of Baffin, Keewatin and Kitikmeot regions are represented.

The small population base gave rise to the concept of two-member constituencies, a legislative tool used in Prince Edward Island and throughout Europe. There are 10 existing electoral districts in the Nunavut area, and a proposal to reinstate Sanikiluaq, located in the southeastern corner of Hudson's Bay, as an electoral district.

Giving each constituency two seats would result in a 22-member legislature, roughly the size political scientists say is needed to function smoothly. The response to the proposal during meetings with members from the 27 communities forming Nunavut has been positive, say NIC members.

"The two-member constituency has received almost unanimous support from the communities," said chief commissioner John Amagoalik. There's always been concern that there's too little representation."

Combining the two-member concept with the gender-equity issue proved simple. Each constituency would post two rosters of candidates, male and female, with voters casting one ballot for each list. The discussion paper suggests MLA's would be voted in on their merits, by all eligible members of the constituency.

However, Amagoalik was cautious on how community members took to the idea of a gender-equal legislature.

"I think people need a little more time to react...Initially there was some very negative reaction to it, but as time went on, the negative emotional reaction was lessened."

The commission's first report on the meetings to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development will be released at the end of March, said Amagoalik. Prior to the release, a tripartite conference is scheduled in Iqaluit for the end of February.

Members of the NWT legislature, the Nunavut Federation and Canada will discuss the design of the new territory, the make up of Nunavut's legislative assembly and its location.

Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay are competing to be named the capital of Nunavut.