James Bay signatories differ on April 27 referendum

(updated April 21, 1:30 p.m.)

Senator Charlie Watt says his message to Nunavimmiut is that “[we won’t be] empowering ourselves to move forward” if voters answer “yes” to the question “do you approve the final agreement of the creation of the Nunavik Regional Government?” in the April 27 referendum.

If approved, the NRG would see the Kativik Regional Government, the Kativik School Board and the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services rolled into one body, as departments under an elected Nunavik Assembly.

Watt told Nunatsiaq News this week that he has no problem with the NRG model being a public government rather than an ethnic government, that is, one that would be solely for Inuit.

But the second phase of developing the NRG makes Watt uneasy.

Non-Inuit shouldn’t have a say when further powers will be negotiated for the NRG, he said.

That’s because this public government, which allows non-native people to participate, could result in changes to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, said Watt, one of original negotiators and signatories of the land claim agreement. “Outsiders should not take part.”

Because the final agreement now up for ratification doesn’t say what will actually happen in “phase two,” it’s like getting “an empty envelope,” Watt said.

Inuit need to understand what they’re voting for, he said — before they say “yes” on April 27.

“There are too many unknown factors and unanswered questions about the second phase.”

But Charlie Argnak, the president of Nunavik’s Avataq Cultural Institute and another signatory to the JBNQA, believes Nunavik Inuit have nothing to lose by going ahead with the NRG.

What Nunavik wants to see from the second round of negotiations was already spelled in Nunavik Commission’s 2001 “Let Us Share” report. This report recommends an “autonomous” government for Nunavik, he said.

“[The report] helps explain what kind of power we’ll have,” Argnak said. “The problem is that a lot of people haven’t read it.”

Concerns that the NRG will somehow hurt the use Inuttitut in Nunavik are also unfounded: Avataq will continue to protect Inuttitut, he said.

And, no matter what the result of the April 27 referendum is, Argnak said it won’t change Avataq’s role of working to keep Inuit culture alive and well in Nunavik.

“That’s something we’ll fight for in the second phase, to make Inuttitut the official language of Nunavik,” he said.

Argnak wouldn’t say how he’ll vote next week, but he said he’s avoiding the Facebook page devoted to the NRG, where debate has become increasingly polarized.

“It’s kind of hurt the people and I don’t want to be bothered,” he said. “A lot of people are nervous about [the NRG], but I’m at peace.”

Watt and Argnak were among a dozen other Nunavimmiut, including several more JBNQA signatories, who spoke April 19 on the Taqramiut Niingat Inc. radio network.

Former Kativik Regional Government chairman and Nunavik Commission co-chairman, Johnny Adams, former Kativik Regional Police Force chief Jobie Epoo and Mary Simon, the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, also spoke at length during the special broadcast.

On April 20 and 21, TNI call lines opened to members of the public, with about 50 Nunavimmiut calling in on April 20 and more than 15 on April 21. Of these, more than half expressed doubts about the proposed NRG, with some saying that a “yes” vote on April 27 might further compromise extinguish their rights over traditional lands.

Advance polling for the April 27 referendum began this week.

Voters can vote in advance ballots in Montreal and in Nunavik on April 21 and 22.

As of April 19, officials were still compiling the referendum’s final voting list, which is expected to include about 7,500 names.

Just over 1,000 of those voters are Nunavimmiut who now live outside the region.

To ratify the NRG’s final agreement, the majority of ballots cast in favour of the agreement must add up to 25 per cent plus one of all eligible voters.

This means that, if there are 7,500 eligible voters, at least 1,876 must vote in favour of the final agreement for it to be ratified.

For more information on the referendum, visit www.electionsquebec.qc.ca.