QIA president Eegeesiak stresses record in re-election bid

Okalik Eegeesiak, the incumbent president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, is stressing her two years of experience as she seeks re-election on Dec. 12. (FILE PHOTO)

Okalik Josie Eegeesiak has been the reigning president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association for the past two years.

Eegeesiak took office through a by-election held in 2009 after the former president, the late Thomasie Alikatuktuk, resigned for health reasons.

And now Eegeesiak hopes to be re-elected Dec. 12, when eligible Nunavut land claims beneficiaries in the Baffin region will elect a new president and board members.

“I have found the experience great and have enjoyed the opportunity to travel throughout the region meeting with local Inuit to better understand their issues and to give them a clearer understanding as to what the role of the QIA is,” said Eegeesiak, who faces two competitors for the presidency, Paul Quassa and George Qulaut.

If re-elelected, Eegeesiak said she will continue making sure people learn more about QIA — her plans include updating the QIA website by the end of 2011 and making sure there’s more biographical information on the QIA’s executive members, “so people have a clearer understanding about who we are.”

From her past two years as president, Eegeesiak can point to many outstanding events and accomplishments, but two made her the most proud, she said.

These include the temporary injunction granted in August, 2010 against seismic testing in waters off north Baffin Island.

That injunction came after QIA lawyers went to the Nunavut Court of Justice, arguing that a proposed seismic mapping project could cause “irreparable” damage to marine mammals and damage the ability of north Baffin Inuit to harvest food and maintain their culture.

Another landmark event for Eegeesiak: witnessing the official apology from the Government of Canada on behalf of the High Arctic exiles on Aug. 18, 2010.

“This apology was important because it goes a long ways towards healing for the families and towards creating a better relationship and connection with the government,” Eegeesiak said.

If re-elected, Eegeesiak said she will work on:

• Founding an Inuit language channel for the Inuit Broadcasting Corp: “This would allow for better communication of current events and help for learning of the language. I envision it would be similar to Télé-Québec (Quebec’s French-language educational network);”

• Developing more economic development around traditional renewable resources: “There should be a collective effort to promote seal-skin products throughout Canada, if this was done effectively, we would have a continuous market for our products;”

• Promoting the availability of country foods: “We should be able to more easily find country foods on our store shelves, allowing us to make a choice about the products we buy;”

• Helping poor and unemployed hunters: “Right now you have to have money to be able to afford to hunt, [so] we need to create a system that allows all Inuit to hunt if they so choose;” and,

• Improving the structure of the QIA to boost the representation of elders, women and youth.

The election for QIA president and community directors takes place Dec. 12, 2011.

The vote is open to Inuit who are Canadian citizens, over 16, enrolled under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement and live in the Baffin region.

In the last election, voter turnout across the region was miniscule: only 28 per cent of eligible beneficiaries bothered to cast ballots.

QIA’s list contains the names of 8,953 eligible Inuit beneficiaries, but only 2,489 of them voted on Dec. 14, 2009.