Nunavut premier outlines territory's new tasks ahead of devolution agreement October 14 Duration Nunavut’s devolution takes effect on April 1, transferring responsibilities for Crown land and natural resources from the federal government to the Nunavut government.

With less than six months to go, the territory is preparing to transfer some federal jobs to the Nunavut government, create a new department responsible for lands and resources and pass a series of legislative changes that implement devolution.

The CBC’s Arty Sarkisian sat down with Nunavut Premier John Main to discuss how that work is proceeding and what Nunavummiut can expect. What kind of work has been happening in the background in terms of preparing for this day?

There's been a ton of work just on multiple fronts, everything from legislation to looking at staffing, bringing over federal employees to the government of Nunavut, looking at capital, office buildings, staff housing units, looking at, what I call the guts of the devolution agreement around contaminated sites, around financial mechanisms. So there's been a ton of work happening on different fronts. And as we get closer to April 1, things have been ramping up.

We're aiming for a seamless transition when the responsibilities come over from the federal government over to the Nunavut government.

Just under 100 federal workers are expected to be passed on to the government of Nunavut. Has that process begun?

Workers and the staff who are currently within the federal system who would potentially be coming over to work for the Nunavut government and our new department, they're one of the most important pieces of devolution. We can look at all the paperwork and the legal agreements and the money and the legislation, but without the people who know how to do the job, who know how to administer these services to stakeholders. Without them, devolution will face huge challenges.

Nunavut signs devolution agreement-in-principle with Canada, Inuit organization Nunavut has 1 year left before devolution comes into effect. Is the territory ready?

So we've been working for months to build a relationship with the federal employees to answer their questions about what it would mean to work within a Nunavut government. And I'm pleased to say that we have delivered job offers as was required in the agreement. Ultimately, it's an individual decision in terms of the staff to decide whether they want to come over and work within the Nunavut government. We really hope that we'll see most of them decide to come over and work for our government. Do you know where the department is going to be located?

The department will have offices in a number of communities. Most of the staff will be located here in Iqaluit. But we do have plans, intentions around decentralization or ways that we will make opportunities available for potential staff living outside of Iqaluit or outside of where positions are currently located.

We have tools around Nunavut-wide work. At the end of the day, we want staff who know how to do the job and we also want to maximize the amount of Inuit staff that are within the new department. Our target of 85 per cent Inuit employment is still there. It's still something we're fully committed to. And that's where, as we get closer to devolution in the months and years that have passed, there has been effort around things like scholarships, around training programs to bring on more Inuit within the staff and complement.

One of the big things about devolution is what I think your predecessor called the final pen in terms of mineral explorations. How significant is that going be for the territory in terms of royalties and in terms of those new potential mines?

The fact that it will finally go from a federal government minister having the final sign off on development in Nunavut, to a Nunavut government minister having the final sign off, that will be a huge shift that represents a step forward. It represents a maturing for our territory and for the government. And you know, I won't sugarcoat it, with responsibility comes burden. These are not easy decisions in terms of specific development and whether it should go ahead. There's a very real possibility that the future Nunavut government minister will have to make some very difficult decisions around development in the territory.

That being said, it does represent a huge step forward. We are confident that we can administer land tenure, mineral tenure, tenure in a way that is seamless from where the federal system currently operates and one that's consistent with what Nunavummiut want to see from their government.

In terms of mining, the industry has been facing some troubles in recent years. Baffinland has been having some financial troubles. Is that a potential threat to this economy?

In terms of Baffinland specifically, they are a major employer in the Qikiqtani region, they make big contributions to the territorial economy both through jobs, through contracting and then also in terms of royalty flows that go to landholders. And so we want to see Baffinland continue to operate and continue to succeed. For the jobs and for all the benefits to flow out of that operation, they need to be financially viable. And that's where, in terms of the restructuring process that they're currently in, we're hopeful things will conclude in a way that's constructive and that leads to further success for the company.

Baffinland asks judge to allow sale of assets to avoid mine closure We have a lot of expectations when it comes to mining companies in Nunavut. First of all, you have to follow all the environmental rules and processes that are in place to minimize negative impacts on the land and water and animals. You also have to meet expectations around Inuit employment and training and opportunities for Nunavummiut. But another key consideration, we expect them to succeed and we expect them to be profitable so that they can continue and that they can sustain their operations into the future.

So when you look at all the different expectations that the industry does face, they’re significant. The Nunavut government wants to be a partner in trying to enable success and also enable benefits to flow to communities.

In that spirit, would the new government try to ease some of those restrictions or some of those things that companies have to face in terms of regulations?

The approach that we're taking, in terms of devolution and leading up to April 1, is to mirror the existing rules from the federal side. So all that to say, no major changes in terms of the regime.

Further down the road, once we have our new department set up and once we are staffed and well established and operating, we do plan to take a more detailed look at the pieces of legislation and see how we can Nunavut-ize them or to make them more reflective of Nunavut priorities. But for the time being, the objective is to devolve and then evolve afterwards. No major changes on April 1. Consistency, seamless transition is the goal.

Any big plans for the next six months? Anything that's yet to be done in terms of devolution?

There's a ton that still has to be done on the devolution front. Now things have really ramped up as we get into this critical period. The April 1 date is not flexible, we can't ask for an extra month or two or three. We need to be ready on April 1. I'm happy to report that as of right now we are hitting the milestones we need to. So it's all hands on deck for the next coming months in advance of devolution.

I can genuinely say that we're excited as a government, we're excited for this next step. And we certainly hope that with a seamless transition over to the Nunavut government, that devolution will happen smoothly and in a way that reflects the importance of this step forward for Nunavut.