Commissioners from all three territories have signed a co-operation accord that will see them meet yearly to discuss common goals.

That’s the Yukon’s Angélique Bernard, Nunavut’s Nellie Kusugak and the N.W.T.’s commissioner, Margaret Thom.

Bernard and Kusugak were on hand last Wednesday afternoon in Whitehorse as they paid tribute to the laureates who had claimed Arctic Inspiration Prizes (AIP) the previous night.

“Any time that there’s an event like this, the AIP, or next year the Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse, we have an opportunity to meet and socialize but also talk about what it means for our work as commissioners,” said Bernard.

The role allows them to do outreach activities like speeches at conferences and schools about topics important to the territory, Kusugak said.

“The thing that we have in common is the remoteness and a number of communities that we serve,” she said.

“We talk about the work that we do whether it’s how do we make use of our offices, get more people to understand the role of the commissioner, go into schools or when you do a speech.”

One that is near and dear to Kusugak’s heart is violence against women and children: “Education and culture and tradition are the things I like to talk about.”

It can also bring about practical solutions like how to make better use of a limited office space: while the Yukon’s commissioner calls Taylor House home, the N.W.T.’s does not have a physical office in Yellowknife.

“It’s a symbolic agreement that we are committing to meeting at least once a year and then to keep each other abreast of what’s happening in our territories.”

Bernard added that “demystifying” the role of a commissioner is another one, as “not a lot of people know what we do.”

She succeeded Doug Phillips as commissioner in 2018.