Nunavik women’s group expands its reach in Montreal

Annie Arnatuk, right, president of Saturviit Inuit Women’s Association of Nunavik, speaks to KRG council meetings on Sept. 10. Saturviit will host its next election on Sept. 27. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

KUUJJUAQ—Nunavik’s women’s group has decided to expand its reach.

Saturviit Inuit Women’s Association of Nunavik will grow its board of directors from seven to eight members, to include one more representative for Inuit women in the Montreal area.

“We wanted to make sure that we were representing all of our women and that they know we feel their pain,” Saturviit president Annie Arnatuk told Kativik Regional Government council meetings in Kuujjuaq on Monday, Sept. 10.

Saturviit will hold its next election on Sept. 27. The nomination period runs from Sept. 12 to Sept. 18.

Arnatuk said the association surveyed women across the region to find out how they could be more representative of its membership.

While members pushed to more than double the current board of seven representatives, Arnatuk said that was too costly. The organization opted to add just one new member.

Saturviit has had one Montreal-based representative, but Arnatuk said the Inuit population is growing in the city and with it, the need for more services to support Inuit women—particularly those who are homeless and fighting addiction.

Arnatuk said those needs even extend to Nunavimmiut women who are visiting Montreal for medical appointments.

Heading into the next election, Saturviit is looking for two representatives for Montreal; two for the Ungava region; two for Hudson Strait and two for the Hudson coast (which also encompasses the community of Chisasibi).

Interested candidates can send their nominations to Saturviit by phone at 1-866-944-5003 or by email to executive@saturviit.ca.

Inuit women’s forum runs Sept. 18 to Sept. 19

To further its work with the Inuit women’s community in Montreal, Saturviit is co-hosting a women’s forum Sept. 18 to Sept. 19 in Montreal alongside the Southern Quebec Inuit Association.

The forum will hear from Inuit women who are homeless or living in difficulty, so Saturviit and its partners can help develop more culturally appropriate services to respond to those needs.

“Saturviit believes the development of an action plan by and for women living in Montreal is urgent and such a plan will help identify the priorities to pursue and formulate specific actions,” the organization said in a Sept. 10 release.

The forum will bring together other Inuit organizations, the City of Montreal and its police service, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal.