Inuit org boss replies to editorial

I thank the editor for pointing out in his Feb. 5 editorial “The real hypocrites,” the incredible strides in health and well-being that Inuit have made in the past 60 years.

But Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami would do Inuit a great disservice if it did not continue to advocate for increased services in Arctic regions. There is no hypocrisy in shedding light on the inequalities in health outcomes that exist between Inuit and all other Canadians. I invite you to come to Nunavik and see with your own eyes what’s being done to address these disparities.
 
I find the editor’s sanctimonious tone and demoralizing diatribe to be distasteful at best, bordering on slanderous. It is hardly a good use of newsprint to incite divisiveness over crucial issues of Inuit health.

For an editor who rarely picks up the phone, it is hypocritical indeed to interpret any perceived silence on my part in your pages to be a lack of opinion, concern or action.

Pita Aatami
Acting President
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

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