Cathy Towtongie is one of four candidates running for the presidency of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (File photo by Sarah Rogers)
Cathy Towtongie running as ‘candidate of change’ at NTI
Towtongie, a former NTI president, says organization has become ineffective and ‘useless’ in the eyes of Inuit
Online from Dec. 3 to 6, Nunatsiaq News is profiling each of the four candidates running in Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s Dec. 9 presidential election. The profiles will also appear in the Dec. 6 print edition.
Cathy Towtongie says she will be the “candidate of change” at a time when many Inuit believe Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to be financially irresponsible and “useless.”
Nunavummiut “want to see change in the way beneficiaries are being served,” she said in a phone interview with Nunatsiaq News.
Towtongie is one of four contenders running for president of NTI, the organization responsible for ensuring obligations made to Nunavut Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement are upheld.
Incumbent president Aluki Kotierk is not running for re-election, leaving the field open to Towtongie, Nicole Camphaug, Jeremy Tunraluk and Andrew Nakashuk.
Nunavut beneficiaries will be able to cast their votes for one of the four at advance polls on Dec. 2, mobile polls from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6 or on election day, Dec. 9
Towtongie was previously NTI president from 2001 until 2004, and then again from 2010 until she lost the 2016 election to Kotierk.
She went on to serve one term as MLA for Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet from 2017 to 2021.
Towtongie is a mother, grandmother and graduate of the Native Law program at the University of Saskatchewan.
She is a residential school survivor and longtime Rankin Inlet resident, saying she considers the hamlet her “centre of the universe.”
For years, Towtongie and her husband, Rankin Inlet Mayor Harry Towtongie, were passionate dog team owners, she said.
She said that under her presidency, NTI was a transparent and accountable organization in a good financial state — the opposite of what it is now.
Towtongie criticized the underperformance of Nunavut Trust this year and was the only one of the four candidates to speak against NTI’s $100 gift card initiative aimed to increase voter participation, calling it undemocratic.
“I am a Canadian first and Inuit second, and I abide by the rules of fair, unbiased elections,” she said.
If Towtongie is elected, she said she wants to restructure the organization which she said has become too centralized and has “completely left out urban Inuit.”
When asked, she didn’t clarify specifically what she would change about the structure of the corporation, saying she would have to look into that.
She said NTI will be better, more transparent, communicative and “closer to people” with her as president.
Towtongie said she plans to have NTI invest more in housing, mental health and support for youths.
Oh my
Please not again
I find it difficult to understand how an Inuit individual could identify as Canadian first and Inuit second. Given that Inuit have existed on these lands long before Canadian sovereignty was established, it seems natural to identify as Inuk first and Canadian second. This perspective aligns with the deep historical and cultural roots of the Inuit people in this region. Best of luck Cathy but my votes on Andrew !!
does this tie to the “Canadians first, first Canadians”? by Jose Kusugak
moving NTI departments to the communities would probably cost a lot more money to spend on buildings, housing more hiring for local staff. Would the staff that would need to move to the communities be compensated and get housing? which communities would get the department maybe Coral Harbour?
Perhaps you find it difficult to understand because you are cognitively rigid and struggle with complexity and broad picture thinking?
” …many Inuit believe Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to be financially irresponsible and “useless.”
She… “was the only one of the four candidates to speak against NTI’s $100 gift card initiative.”
As I see it, she has more courage and integrity than any of the other candidates.
“Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s elected leaders will now have the option of upgrading their flights from coach to executive class thanks to a recent amendment to their travel policy, passed Sept 2.
The new amendment, brought forth at an NTI board of directors meeting by NTI President Cathy Towtongie and Vice President James Eetoolook, will allow NTI executives to upgrade their plane seats in “extraordinary cases” of health or volume of travel.
“We should take proper care of ourselves,” said Towtongie during the amendment discussion, saying NTI leaders need to look after their health.”
she was president for 8 of the last 25 years of Nunavut already. and i think a lot of us feel ” …many Inuit believe Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to be financially irresponsible and “useless.” has ben accurate for the majority of the time… including when she had her time before as well.
do we really want to make it 12 of 29 if she is elected.
Rename it Nunavut Towtongie Inc.
you must not know her.
if you have not yet voted, if you have any common sense, you would not consider voting for Cathy Towtongie.
Haha courage is no where near! Remember when she kept saying she almost became a lawyer
She has been President 2 times already, you think she should be able to give direct examples of what she would do to make it NTI better. Also maybe explain why what she wants to do this time that was not done the first 2 times? Has something changed that will allow her to do it now? Has she learnt anything from the previous times?
Didn’t she want change last time?
NTI candidate: Cathy Towtongie wants to address high cost of northern living
Towtongie wants to see improvements to airline service and education. “CBCNews”
NTI should lower their Executive payroll by half. And have performance evaluations for all the top positions in order to ensure the common people get their due.
What’s the point of voting for NTI or our RIOs? Beneficiaries doesn’t seem to get support from NTI or RIOs. Yes we get funding to provide traditional and culture programs, yes we get NTI cards, yes we get discounts on Canadian North, yes we get food vouchers, yes we help for our hunters and they support HTA’s.
NTI and RIO’s get per diems and honariams for regional meetings, hotels, accomodations.
NTI and RIOs presidents/staff members of each organizations travel across the territory and receive honorariams and per dieams, i’m assuming vehicle rentals too. Collect airmiles, aurora reward miles and benefit themselves.
NTI and the Regional Inuit Organizations need a financial audit from the auditor general of Canada to see if each organization is spending the budget properly.
FYI, NTI and the RIOs are audited each and every year. Audited financial statements (usually part of the annual report) are available on their respective websites. If you have an issue, register for and attend an annual general meeting and voice your concerns. I believe you can also attend board meetings. Better yet, run for office at the organizations and make the changes you want.
NTI hasn’t put their financials statements online since 2013….wonder why…
throw NIWS in there too.
Many nasty comments about Cathy.
Really sad to see these.
Rather than complain, run for office at NTI or the RIOs.
Nah…😝
Eliminate NTI, ITK, RIO and GN.
Return the Nunavut education to Alberta Curriculum. Fold Nunavut. 🤘🤣
The Alberta curriculum is going downhill, out present day government discourages education because it makes them look bad.
Homecare who look into building ramps into homes should be looked into. For purposes of being bodily suffering from health problems like those elders and Inuit individuals who cannot support themselves who are on wheelchairs. It is embarrassing having be put a ramp into homes and just creates big ramps here in Nunavut, it’s a public embarrassment. I hope they look into those.
What?
Anyone but the outgoing President! Cheering for Cathy Towtongie all the way!
Last time Cathy ran for president of NTI she promised to put dollars into the pockets of Inuit. That never happenned, until now, when Inuit get money for voting.
If the candidates really wanted to help Inuit, they could do worse than helping those convicted of a crime make their way through what used to be called the Pardon System. Help those who want, but don’t know how, to become contributing members of society.
Taima.
Why does NTI even exist? Go to the website and see what it claims to do. Same question for the Nunavut Trust slush fund. As Cathy says, it’s underperforming. Inflation and slush payments directors and management and, especially, to NTI are turning billions of dollars’ worth of gold into lead. Beneficiaries should demand that the trust be broken up into individual family trusts, like Justin Trudeau’s. Look at the trust’s performance compared with the price of houses!
When asked how she would change the structure of the organisation, she said she didn’t know and would look into that.
Feels like the only change she wants is herself at the top with some top travel fun.
Government is too harsh towards Inuit Canadians. The old style government, we need more younger generations millennials to take on office. It’s always windy, always gotta cut short on jobs, there’s eventually same personnel working at gn and nothing for millennials, no new hires, I hope this will change when millennials and Gen z start to take over the world. Get rid of old style government completely.
We need to not let the millennials and Gen Z off the hook so much. so much “free” money given out these days that young people only complain on facebook that they dont have money… but they will not work to get said money.
Cathy you have tried already and Inuit did not want you anymore, so retire already. Fellow Inuit let’s go with a fresher page instead of this failed leader. We deserve better and can do better with the other candidates.
Hot shot is not welcome for Inuit with Nunavut.