WANTED: Really exciting federal elections!

Page 13

NASIVVIK

Now that another federal election is upon us, just how alive and excited are we about this great exercise of Canadian democracy called niruarniq in Inuktitut? What is there in a federal election that would cause an Inuk to pause and exclaim 'Oh, joy! Another federal election!' Searching the political landscape for something that Inuit can directly relate to in federal elections is like searching for a rare animal that is known to exist, but has never been seen. So how can we be as excited as other Canadians about all this?

In this age of instant communications, all manner of electioneering is evident long before any official election call. There's plenty of unofficial, non-campaign campaigning. Unsightly battles over party nominations reveal the rough, un-pretty parts of the democratic process. Competing egos clash head-on. Some people, who covet the privilege of representing others in Parliament, exhibit some amazing intellectual midgetry!

The media may not be clairvoyant, but their foreknowledge of all things electoral seems to be an entirely natural, irremovable part of the electoral exercise. Who will win where and by what margin? The media seems to know all of this beforehand. But do they, really? We've seen how a political scandal can mess up the tidiest of predictions, and produce after-effects that can make an election very interesting.

Pre-election federal spending announcements are so lucrative and plentiful that one strains to think up ways to get some of the boodle directed toward Inuit regions and communities. It boils down to trying to figure out how to get more Inuit Members of Parliament, who could provide a permanent presence in the corridors of power, and hopefully steer some political largesse our way.

The government of Prime Minister Paul Martin was just getting started toward establishing a positive atmosphere for improving the lot of Aboriginal Canadians when this election was called. If the Liberals are re-elected, Aboriginal leaders will have quite a responsibility to hold them to their word and turn their intentions into tangible actions. Such things would be better assured with more Inuit, and other Aboriginal representatives in Parliament.

The federal election of 2004 is an excellent occasion to point out the need for many more Aboriginal people in the House of Commons. The present electoral system, based on population quotients, can never accommodate the needs of Aboriginal people to be represented in Ottawa. This makes it necessary to explore innovative ways of fixing this national deficiency and search for solutions which have never been considered.

Previously, Parliament had passed special laws allowing the creation of federal ridings for the sparsely populated northern territories of Nunavut, the N.W.T, and Yukon. So, without having to set legal precedents, other parts of Canada's northern landmass can be beveled into parliamentary representation by special-purpose legislation. Nunavik territory in Quebec, and northern Labrador, now to be called Nunatsiavut, can be fitted in this way.

To Inuit who live outside of Nunavut, the territory's electoral status as a federal riding represented by Inuit MPs since 1979 is an inspiration. Nunavut is inside the electoral candy store, and those of us outside it have our noses pressed flat against its large window looking into its electoral inclusion with longing envy.

Another possible way to create federal ridings is through land claim settlement areas. Canada has legally recognized these distinct geographic units of interest on the merits of continuous occupation from time immemorial by the people who live there. The recognition and constitutional protection of negotiated treaties in claim areas is already a fully warranted fact of life in Canada's legal structure. Based on this model, it would be possible to have at least four Inuit installed as Members of Parliament.

These need not be the only models ofconsideration, once this issue gets rolled on to the serious thinking track. New Zealand's practice of including Maori representatives in their Parliament would have to be examined as a practical example of how such things work in other countries. Until their way to Parliament is found, the fortunes of Aboriginal people in Canada will continue to depend on the fluttering whims of different political parties, which is always a highly volatile world of phantoms and shadows.

Aboriginal leaders should work to persuade the next government that the ultimate improvement in federal-Aboriginal relations is not a new program or a new arm of bureaucracy. It is the deliberate exploration of ways to greatly enhance representation of Aboriginal people in Parliament. Such exploration, if undertaken seriously, is sure to result in the discovery of remedies to correct this great gaping hole in Canada's national political fabric.

Once all of this is sorted out, Canada will finally become a complete country, and there would never again be a boring election in Canada!