A New Beginning in the Legislative Assembly today. Hunter Tootoo, Chair of the Standing Committee, highlighted the importance of the report and the process of public consultations that lead up its release.
Elections are the foundation of democracy.
We want to administer them in a way that encourages participation, recognizes the uniqueness of circumstances of Nunavut, and at the same time are effective and fiscally responsible. In addition to meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer and other elections officials, the Standing Committee held a series of public consultations in Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Kugaaruk, Clyde River, Cape Dorset, Kugluktuk and Chesterfield Inlet. The consultations focused on the experiences of Nunavummiut during previous elections and on their suggestions for how the elections process can be improved. A key recommendation of the report is that territorial, municipal, federal and Inuit organizations collaborate in the establishment of a central elections office for Nunavut. This office would potentially administer elections at all levels, and pursue such new initiatives as a permanent voters list and joint training for elections staff, in order to streamline the administration of future elections.