We The North: Madeleine Redfern Shares her Vision for Nunavut’s Future

The average Canadian will likely travel down south, a few times even, before they even think about making a journey up to Canada’s North. But while Nunavut often feels like a far-away land (at least, from the perspective of those who live a day’s trip away from the border), former Iqaluit mayor Madeleine Redfern’s work demonstrates that this feeling of disconnect need not be the case.

On Monday, February 27th, the Mulroney Institute hosted a luncheon to welcome Madeleine Redfern onto StFX campus. Elder Knowledge Keeper Kerry Prosper attended the event, which opened with a land acknowledgement. Organized by Dr. Richard Isnor and Dr. Anna Zuschlag from the Mulroney Institute, the gathering allowed for students and faculty to ask the former mayor questions that enriched their understanding of Nunavut-specific policy issues.

Throughout the lecture, the need to build bridges, whether they be between the different levels of government or between the various isolated communities found throughout the territory, was repeatedly emphasized. As the current Chief Operating Officer at CanArtic Inuit Networks, Madeleine Redfern can be considered a pioneer in developing Nunavut’s fibre-optic connectivity. Such a project will have a transformative effect on Nunavut’s future, and broadening the territory’s internet access is a necessary and foundational step to fuel the development of Nunavut’s infrastructure.

Second-year PGOV student Rory Jakubec brought her background assisting with Dr. Peter Kikkert’s research into the conversation. In describing her experience at the 2022 Search and Rescue (SAR) Roundtable in Iqaluit, Jakubec stressed the pressing need for faster and more efficient communication channels throughout the territories. Redfern shared Jakubec’s concern and remarked that when faulty connectivity becomes an impediment to successful search and rescue missions, the project of building better fibre-optic infrastructure becomes “the difference between life and death.”

However, Redfern also spoke on the fact that “communication is more than fibre optics.” After all, people, not wires nor radio waves, come together and make up the committees and teams committed to problem-solving and policy building. To make her point, she brought up the fact that the public’s access to internet connection (by means of libraries, for example) was closed off during the Covid-19 Pandemic. While the internet itself didn’t go anywhere, coordination between different governmental departments was needed before the public good could become safely accessible again.

Madeleine Redfern has taken on various roles that have improved her community in countless ways. To name just a few of her accomplishments, she is the President of the Tungasuvvingat Inuit Community Centre, co-Founder of the Ottawa Inuit Headstart, and the first Inuk to clerk for the Supreme Court. Her passion for improving the lives of others allows us to enjoy a feeling of optimistic trust for our politicians.

Redfern’s career is also a testament to the value of having politicians who reflect the demographic they serve. As PGOV Professor Dr. Peter Kikkert pointed out, government services work best when they are designed by people who have a link to the community. If Nunavut is to continue developing its social and digital infrastructure along the promising trajectory Redfern has helped place it on, there is a need to invest in the training and employment of as many Inuk people as possible. As Redfern stressed, there is currently no master Inuk employment plan, and this lack of coordination limits effective policy-building and reduces it to mere “separation and less synergy.”

“Nunavut is like Quebec,” says Redfern. In the sense that both regions are distinct from the rest of the country and consequently require unique and creative problem-solving to meet their needs. According to Redfern, “there’s no reason for us to be as poor as we are.” She calls for including educated, skilled and capable Inuk living in Nunavut in government projects. Through collaboration and adequate support, Redfern hopes to mitigate the high crime rate, poor water quality, insufficient healthcare, and other impediments to the development of Nunavut’s infrastructure stemming from a long history of colonization and colonial policies. These changes cannot come soon enough when Nunavut expects unprecedented population growth over the next ten years. If a population explosion were to spring onto Nunavut’s infrastructure as it exists now, the weight of a population boom would surely collapse it.

Spencer Johnson Band, a third-year PGOV student, prompted Redfern to speak on her role as Advisor to the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. “Nunavut’s future can expect transformative technologies,” says Redfern, and federal investments into nuclear energy play a crucial role in actualizing this vision. Additionally, considering Russia’s current expansionist energy, the federal government is directing special and heightened attention to reinforcing Canada’s northern defensive line.

If we want Nunavut’s fibre-optic connectivity and nuclear projects to improve and for the territory to be prepared for an incoming population boom, issues of poverty and inadequate social services that currently impede progress must be addressed. Redfern stresses that while ambitious projects are a priority, work is required in order to pave a smooth runway for the roll-out of such development. The North’s future is cause for optimism, but only if this optimism is matched with hard work, creativity, and passion. That is why we owe gratitude and admiration to a visionary like Madeleine Redfern.