New citizens group calls for a Nunavik-wide meeting

Nunavik Regional Government negotiators speak to the Kativik Regional Government in March. A new Inuit citizens group said they want to be involved in selecting negotiators for any future governance talks with Quebec and Canada. (FILE PHOTO)

A newly-formed coalition of Nunavimmiut is calling on Makivik Corp. to hold a public assembly to discuss the region’s political future.

The Inuit Citizens Assembly of Nunavik wasted little time in coming together after the April 27 referendum vote against the creation of the Nunavik Regional Government.

The assembly’s purpose is to “identify a clear Inuit process and position and decide the course of future action in respect to a Nunavik government,” group spokesperson Jobie Epoo told Nunatsiaq News in an interview from Inukjuak,

Epoo would not disclose the rest of the group’s membership until they sign a letter and send this to Makivik.

In that letter, the Inuit Citizens Assembly will request that a special assembly be held. The group also says that its members want to be involved in the selection of any future Nunavik negotiators.

“We’ve been pushing for a general assembly since the results of the referendum, which were overwhelming ‘no’ from all the communities,” Epoo said. “And we’ll continue to push.”

Two-thirds of Nunavimmiut voted April 27 against the proposed NRG, a model that would have merged regional organizations under an elected Nunavik Assembly. The agreement’s second phase provided for negotiations for new powers for the region, but many Nunavimmiut said they felt that provision was too vague.

The Inuit Citizens Assembly, which calls itself I-CAN, says Makivik can’t continue any negotiations on a proposed Nunavik government until it receives a renewed mandate from its members – which could happen at the special general assembly.

Makivik president Pita Aatami agreed to host a public assembly in the fall during a May 4 interview on CBC radio’s Tuttavik.

But Epoo said holding that assembly hinges on financial support from the provincial and federal governments — the Inuit Citizens Assembly wants its meeting to be paid by and for beneficiaries, he said.

It’s not clear what role non-beneficiaries in Nunavik would play in shaping a future regional government, but Epoo said that other organizations within Nunavik “may wish to canvass their views in relation to future negotiations.”

But the citizens group wants to see the assembly take place no later than October 2011.

“To have the best result, there would have to be prior community consultations,” Epoo said. “We’re asking each community to send four or five members from each community, so we can get a wide variety of views on how to move forward.”

Regional organizations would also be invited to participate, he said.

During an NRG regional information tour leading up to the referendum, negotiators suggested than a second round of talks with Quebec and Canada might be slow to come in the event of a “no” vote.

The provincial and federal governments have had little to say following the referendum, besides indicating that the next step is Nunavik’s to decide.

“We’re always here, but the ball is in [Nunavik’s] court,” said Marie-Josée Paquette, spokesperson for Quebec’s native affairs minister, Geoff Kelley, after the referemdum. “It’s up to them to comment, to analyze and then to come back to us, if they want to.”