Dispute erupts in Nunavik over NRG promotion

Harry Tulugak and Minnie Grey, Nunavik Regional Government negotiators, were at Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting last week in Salluit. (FILE PHOTO)

The regional director of Nunavik’s April 27 referendum, Adamie Padlayat, plans to look into complaints that the Nunavik Regional Government negotiators were in the wrong when they spoke at a meeting last week in Salluit.

Negotiators Minnie Grey and Harry Tulugak spoke April 14 at Makivik Corp.’s annual general meeting in Salluit.

“They said they were not there to campaign for the approval of the proposed agreement,” said Christine Nookalak via a Facebook discussion group on the NRG. “But as they continue to speak it is obvious that they are clearly stating their position.”

Another post by Mary Kaye May said she was confused when she heard the two negotiators addressing the meeting, which was broadcast live on the Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. radio network.

“There are rules to follow for “campaigns” for and against,” May wrote. “So how did the YES group get to spend so much money [one day of a Makivik AGM doesn’t come cheap]?”

Adamie Padlayat, the referendum’s regional director, said that afterwards he received several calls from people who heard Grey and Tulugak speak about the NRG’s final agreement at the meeting.

According to referendum rules, the negotiators are supposed to restrict promotion of the NRG agreement to the pre-referendum period, which ended March 21.

That month between March 21 and April 27, the date when Nunavik votes on the final agreement on whether or not to form a new regional government, was to be reserved for Nunavimmiut to debate among themselves.

“It would be a violation if they were promoting the ‘yes’ vote,” Padlayat told Nunatsiaq News. “What I heard was that there was a correction of facts and misinformation that has been circulating [regarding the final agreement].”

But Padlayat said he plans to confirm what happened with lawyers who attended the meeting, because he was not there in person.

Makivik’s annual meeting took place in Salluit April 11 to April 15.

The annual meeting gathers delegates from across Nunavik to discuss the birthright organization’s recent activities with its executive and board members.

This year’s guest attendees also included Cree Grand Chief Matthew Coon Come, Jack Anawak, vice-president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and Geoffrey Kelley, Quebec’s minister of native affairs.

At the meeting, Makivik revealed that it wants to adopt a new look by the end of this year. The organization has begun the process of adding another letter “v” to its name, to better reflect the word’s Inuttitut pronunciation of makivvik, which means “to rise up.”

But before the new name is official Makivik must first go through a legal process with the Quebec government to authorize the change of spelling in English.