Nunavut separated from the NWT to better look after its own interests and, two decades later, the Kitikmeot region should consider doing the same.

ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 the viewpoint of Charlie Lyall, an entrepreneur and former Kitikmeot Inuit Association president from Taloyoak.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e always treated as a poor cousin,SA国际影视传媒� Lyall says, offering the Republic of Kitikmeot as a possible remedy.

He suggests that heSA国际影视传媒檚 not alone in thinking that way.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 always rumblings of it,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淓verybody says when Yellowknife was our capital, we got better treatment. Of course, weSA国际影视传媒檙e closer to Yellowknife than we are to Iqaluit.SA国际影视传媒�

HeSA国际影视传媒檚 critical of elected officials who donSA国际影视传媒檛 put the regions on equal footing.

SA国际影视传媒淵ou hear politicians talk about (how) weSA国际影视传媒檙e going to be fair to everybody, but everybody only includes the Baffin and Kivalliq, I think,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淗ousing is a huge issue here. Mental health is a huge issue. We need somebody to step up to the plate and say, OK, letSA国际影视传媒檚 get this work done right. Right now we donSA国际影视传媒檛 have that, obviously.SA国际影视传媒�

Lyall cites an instance when a new health centre was postponed in the Kitikmeot for a couple of years while a similar facility went ahead in the Kivalliq.

SA国际影视传媒淭hings like this are constantly happening,SA国际影视传媒� he says.

He was prepared to give the Government of Nunavut credit for its progress on advancing the use of the Inuit language, right up until the last sitting of the legislative assembly.

Earlier this month, NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 ministers and MLAs voted to pass the Interim Language of Instruction Act, which delays making Inuktut instruction mandatory in grades 4 to 12, which was previously scheduled to happen as of this year.

SA国际影视传媒淚t seemed like Inuktitut was going to be the universal language of Nunavut, but apparently not,SA国际影视传媒� says Lyall. SA国际影视传媒淲e need the politicians to start being in charge, not the bureaucrats.SA国际影视传媒�

He was in Iqaluit when division occurred in 1999. He remembers a SA国际影视传媒渉uge air of anticipation.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 think everybody was expecting that things were going to get fixed and things were going to get better overnight,SA国际影视传媒� he says. SA国际影视传媒淭hat seemed, at that time, to be the feeling.

SA国际影视传媒淎nd, as we all know, it came to a grinding halt right after that.SA国际影视传媒�