Makivvik needs help connecting with three-quarters of its voters

Pita Aatami is popular among Inuit beneficiaries who voted in last week’s Makivvik presidential election. Makivvik itself … not so much.

Aatami, a boardroom veteran, was re-elected handily to another term as the head of the corporation created in 1978 to serve Inuit beneficiaries of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

He got 1,862 votes — more than double the combined total of his two challengers. That’s more than 71 per cent of the votes that were cast.

However, only one in four eligible voters — 26.5 per cent — actually voted. That’s down from 41 per cent in 2021 and 47 per cent in 2018.

Coincidentally, that turnout is comparable to Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s 2021 presidential election, where Aluki Kotierk was re-elected but only 17.5 per cent of Nunavut eligible beneficiaries voted.

Maybe more people would care about Makivvik if they understood how important it is and how it matters to them.

The president of Makivvik is not only an important leader for Nunavik’s Inuit. He’s a powerful business leader and a significant player on the national political stage.

Makivvik is part-owner of Canadian North airline and whole-owner of Air Inuit. Makivvik is at the forefront of talks with the Quebec government about Inuit self-determination in Nunavik.

But there’s a lot of work to be done for the average person to understand Makivvik.

One thing people do remember is how Aatami and the board of directors of Makivvik-owned First Air gave themselves bonuses, based on Nunatsiaq readers’ comments on news stories during the campaign.

It has been 16 years since that controversy erupted in 2008. But people have long memories.

Another thing that would help people better understand Makivvik would be for the corporation to tell the public how much the president gets paid.

In the days leading up to the election, Makivvik would not disclose what the president’s salary is, telling a Nunatsiaq News reporter who dared to ask, “The remuneration of Makivvik elected officials and employees constitutes confidential information that cannot be shared publicly.”

That’s a hard pill to swallow, considering Makivvik exists to serve people. It should be easier to know how it works.

Makivvik issued a news release Feb. 5 that included a three-sentence quote attributed to Aatami, calling the corporation’s accord with the Quebec government “a significant journey towards self-determination.”

“[I] am committed to ensuring that the voices of our people are heard in the decision-making process,” Aatami said.

Ironically, the people haven’t really heard Aatami’s voice since his re-election, despite several interview requests Nunatsiaq News made through the corporation’s headquarters in Kuujjuaq.

So, as Aaatmi begins his second consecutive term at the corporation’s helm, here’s an offer from Nunatsiaq News: Let us help you convey Makivvik’s significance to the 73.5 per cent of beneficiaries who don’t understand what it does or, worse, who don’t care.

The media are here to help readers understand the community, the region, the world they live in. Coverage will be critical but fair.

Best of all, it will help the three-quarters of beneficiaries who have tuned Makivvik out.