GN doesn’t protect Inuit values

This is in regards to the Fair Practices Act complaint that I had filed.

I completely disagreed with the learned arbitrator’s conclusion that what had happened to me was “bad human resource management”. I am presently appealing the arbitrator’s decision to the Nunavut Court of Justice.

The following is a brief summary and my personal thoughts about “my two fellow Inuit,” Paul Okalik and David Omilgoitok.

In July, 2001, while employed with the Department of Health and Social Services in Kugluktuk, I became aware of a primary health care conference being organized by my co-worker under the direction of our immediate supervisor, Keith Best, the assistant deputy minister.

Of the 21 people who had been identified as participants to attend this PHCC, not a single person was an Inuk. I made my co-worker aware of this and said that this was wrong in this day and age of Nunavut’s political development and demographic; she agreed and put my name on the list. However, on the next day my co-worker was directed by Keith Best to remove my name from the list of participants due to “cost constraints.”

When I questioned my supervisors, Keith Best and Andrew Johnston, the deputy minister, through two letters, about the lack of Inuit involvement in matters fundamental to us, they chose not to respond. Instead of responding to my valid concerns, they chose to have Tom Thompson, the assistant deputy minister of Human Resources, terminate my transfer assignment without stating a single reason why and directing that I report back to my former position in Iqaluit.

In order for my supervisors to respond to my concerns, they would have had to review their value systems on Inuit involvement in matters of governance. They chose not to do this. My job was set up to try and actually increase the number of Inuit employees within the department. When the senior managers felt that no Inuit employee of H&SS was worthy of attending, they should have said to themselves that this situation is screaming for someone like myself to be intimately involved.

Eventually the GN’s position, as eloquently stated by Tom Thompson for the termination of my TA, was that I was being “insubordinate” for questioning my supervisors. When I questioned Omilgoitok as to why he did not raise the same concerns as I, his immortal words were “that it would have been disrespectful to my colleagues.” Omilgoitok’s family has to two-by-four him upside the head to knock it into to him that he is an Inuk first before he is anything.

When I made Okalik aware that his henchmen were set on raping Inuit humanity, he chose not to respond by helping me, and by extension, all Inuit beneficiaries of Nunavut.

The analogy that comes to mind is that rather then rushing to my defense, Okalik and Omilgoitok helped my non-Inuit supervisors by pinning down my arms so that they could cut me down, as there was no way that they could get me to drop my pants and bend over forward for them. In celebration of cutting out a danger to their way of managing, it’s as if Okalik and Omilgoitok dropped their pants, bent over forward and had their Inuit humanity happily screwed out of them by their non-Inuit colleagues.

The following statement is made not to appear boastful, arrogant or prideful, but to clearly show that I will always act when I see my fellow man in danger. I rightfully viewed my supervisor’s reckless and discriminatory actions as being dangerous to the health and safety of my people.

During my relatively short years, I have helped save four lives with the assistance of other people; three in Kugluktuk and one in Yellowknife.

When my time on Earth is done and I am standing before my God to be judged, I want to be able to say that despite my many shortcomings and faults, when it mattered the most I was there to be counted.

Each time that Okalik and Omilgoitok look at their children and families, I want them to know that they helped non-Inuit cut someone down from their own Inuit family who would still give his life to help protect their precious ones.

Robert Ayalik
Iqaluit