Aatami issues radio address in self-government talks

ODILE NELSON

As the framework agreement for Nunavik’s proposed autonomous government nears radification, Makivik Corporation and the Kativik School Board took to the airwaves this week to battle over the legality of the ongoing negotiations.

Pita Aatami, president of Makivik, and Sarah Aloupa, president of the school board, each spoke on Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. radio in attempts to sway public opinion to their side of the debate.

On Monday, Aatami told Nunavimmiut that Makivik was the Inuit legal representative at the negotiating table and had received the mandate of the people on several occasions. The next day, Aloupa reportedly refuted Aatami’s statements, repeating the board’s long-held assertion that Makivik did not have the mandate of Nunavimmiut.

Yet, though the speeches had many people talking, some Nunavimmiut said they did little to clear up the reasons for the continuing conflict.

“The public’s not getting a definite answer about where self-government talks are right now or why two organizations that represent Nunavimmiut can’t talk to each other,” Juanasi Koperqualuk, secretary for TNI’s radio station in Salluit, said yesterday.

Koperqualuk said he believes people are becoming frustrated with the two organizations’ inability to work together.

“Pita’s talking about his side. Sarah’s talking about her side. We heard some very negative things. Our listening public is wondering who asked Makivik to do the self-government process? And who asked the school board to take Makivik to court over the process? Then, what’s the process?”

The two regional organizations have been fighting an ongoing public relations battle for the opinion of Nunavimmiut since the release of the Nunavik Commission’s Let Us Share report in April 2001.

The document was designed to be a “consensus” report on which future new-government negotiations would be based. But when only six of the report’s eight commissioners signed it, the school board claimed the document was illegal. It also said the document did not adequately address education.

Makivik, however, called a conference in October 2001 to vote on proceeding with negotiations. The majority of delegates voted for the negotiations but the school board did not accept the resolution. Instead, it claimed the vote was “passed in a manner contrary to law.”

The school board has maintained ever since that Makivik has no legal right to represent the Nunavik Party at the negotiations.

The Nunavik Party is the name given to the association made up of Makivik, the school board, the Kativik Regional Government, the Nunavik Regional Health and Social Services Board, and the Kativik Regional Development Council.

Despite the board’s concerns, Makivik proceeded with negotiations. In the fall of 2002, word leaked out that a framework agreement could be signed by December. The school board promptly sought a court injunction against Makivik, seeking a permanent end to the negotiations and a nullification of any agreement resulting from the process. The injunction is still pending.

But the latest round in the public relations war was fired two weeks ago when Makivik negotiators said the Quebec government would ratify the self-government framework on Feb. 14.

Within a week, the school board had whipped off a strident press release, accusing Makivik of bullying other organizations and governing outside the rules.

In an interview this week, Aatami said he went on TNI to challenge the school board’s portrayal of Makivik and to clarify the negotiation process.

“We have never bullied anybody. It has always been everyone’s negotiation process,” Aatami said. “I spoke about where we are at now and the different mandates we’ve been given. We did get the mandate in 2001 even though some people are against it…. We’re not the big boss. We’ve invited them [the school board]. We’ve asked them to come aboard.”

Aatami suggested during his radio address that Makivik hold a referendum to ensure Nunavimmiut want self-government negotiations to proceed.

But, according to Koperqualuk, Aloupa told Nunavimmiut the next day that Makivik would twist referendum results to suit its own stance.

In an interview this week, Debbie Astroff, a public relations officer with the school board, mirrored Aloupa’s reported remarks. She said Aatami’s proposed referendum is misleading.

“I guess the referendum he’s talking about is asking the people of Nunavik if they want a new government or not. And of course we [Nunavimmiut] all want a new government because, of course, we are all assuming that the new government will give us total self-determination, including new powers and more money,” Astroff said.

“But really the people of Nunavik shouldn’t be deceived because this isn’t what the framework agreement will bring us. I think it would be much more honest to hold such a referendum once all of us know what is actually being negotiated.”

Koperqualuk said he believes many Nunavimmiut are now no closer to knowing who to believe than they were before the presentations were made.

“Makivik and the KSB both represent Inuit. In that case we have no idea what to do. Both parties are saying they want self-government. How do we decide?” he said.

In the meantime, ratification of the framework agreement has been delayed again. Makivik said this week that the framework agreement must still go before a “technical advisory committee” on Feb. 19.

The committee represents all major public institutions in Nunavik, including the school board. Though the committee has no veto power, Makivik said it gives representatives from all members of the Nunavik Party a chance to review the framework agreement before it is presented in Quebec’s legislature.

Though Makivik said the school board was invited to attend, the KSB said it had not received an official invitation as of press time.