Next NTI president has ‘big shoes to fill’: federal, territorial leaders
Dan Vandal, Dennis Patterson, P.J. Akeeagok and Lori Idlout reflect on Aluki Kotierk’s legacy
Aluki Kotierk is not running for re-election as president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., opening the field to four contenders. (File photo by Meral Jamal)
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. is losing a fierce advocate, household name and a president who redefined NTI’s role in Nunavut.
In interviews with Nunatsiaq News, territorial and federal leaders shared these observations at the end of Aluki Kotierk’s two terms as president of the organization mandated to ensure promises made under the Nunavut Agreement are carried out.
Kotierk herself did not respond to a request for an interview.
Inuit beneficiaries voted for Kotierk in the 2016 and 2020 NTI elections.
In October, she announced she wouldn’t be running again, opening the field to four contenders in the upcoming election set for Dec. 9.
Kotierk has yet to announce her plans for the future, but former Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson said he has heard “speculations” that Kotierk is one of the potential candidates to step into his former role as the senator from Nunavut.
“She would be a credible candidate, for sure,” he said, adding she has extensive experience in working with the federal government in promoting Nunavut’s interests.
Kotierk was one of the four signatories of Nunavut’s devolution agreement in January — the largest land transfer in Canadian history that will give Nunavut control of a vast majority of its Crown lands.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk, right, along with, from left, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier P.J. Akeeagok, celebrate after signing the Nunavut devolution agreement in January at the Aqsarniit hotel in Iqaluit. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Two of the other signatories praised Kotierk’s advocacy in achieving what Patterson called “the best deal in all respects” in comparison to similar agreements previously signed by Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, who represented the federal government with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in signing the agreement, said Kotierk’s contribution on behalf of NTI was “important,” “heartfelt” and “appreciated.”
“She has the respect of so many people in Ottawa. [They] are attentive when she speaks about issues in Nunavut,” Vandal said in a phone interview with Nunatsiaq News.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok said that without NTI’s “blessing,” the agreement would have never been reached as they were “equal partners” in the negotiations.
However, NTI and the Nunavut government have had disagreements during Kotierk’s tenure, including an ongoing legal battle over the provision of Inuktitut-language education in the territory.
The Government of Nunavut asked the Supreme Court on Nov. 1 to kill the lawsuit first brought by NTI in October 2021.
A news release quoted Kotierk saying the organization was “baffled” by the Nunavut government’s actions.
“Just like in any family, there are always going to be disagreements,” Akeeagok said, adding there’s no point in “pulling our limited resources into courts.”
Patterson said the lawsuit is one of the signs of a shift in NTI’s role in the territory, which he considers Kotierk’s most important mark on the corporation.
Under her leadership, NTI moved closer to “Inuit self-government,” which would “rival” for federal funding and jurisdiction with the Nunavut government, Patterson said, adding it’s a departure from the vision of previous Inuit leaders.
Vandal, Patterson and Akeeagok all worked for years with Kotierk during her presidency.
Members of the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. delegation in France, including Steve Mapsalak, left, president Aluki Kotierk and David Aglukark Jr., right, leave the Ministry of Justice in Paris one evening in September 2022. (File photo by Emma Tranter)
Nunavut’s NDP MP Lori Idlout said she knew Kotierk personally for decades before they were elected to their offices. They studied in the same school in Igloolik, and Idlout said she was always impressed with Kotierk’s work ethic.
For Idlout, one of the important parts of Kotierk’s legacy is her advocacy on behalf of Inuit to bring Rev. Johannes Rivoire, who was accused of sexual abuse of young children while working as a priest in Nunavut, to justice.
Kotierk was part of a 2022 delegation to Paris, France, to demand the return of Rivoire to Canada, where he could face his charges.
The attempt was unsuccessful. But the delegation consisting of survivors and their families had the opportunity to meet with Rivoire face to face.
“It was good to see that she made an attempt to help some of the survivors,” said Idlout, who herself tried to organize trips for alleged victims to meet Rivoire before his death in April.
“Whoever ends up filling her role will have big shoes to fill,” Idlout said.
Frankly, I’m inclined to think that Aluki’s principal legacy will be the absolutely huge deficit NTI have racked up under her leadership.
I know what a deficit is, but am not sure what you mean. Can you explain?
A deficit is when you plan to spend more than you make. For example, you buy a car while knowing you don’t have enough to pay for it. You are essentially creating debt for yourself in the future.
Yea, pretty sure I said “I know what a deficit is” … maybe you could explain it in the context of NTI? In other words, let’s hear about NTI’s deficit?
I think we should get clarification on the deficit, the Nunavut Trust shortfall becomes a deficit. Which NTI board approved to spend. So technically it is not deficit but Nunavut Trust refers to it as deficit.
By that logic they could spend down the whole trust in 10 years and there wouldn’t have been any deficits involved.
If it is as you describe, then it’s a deviation from the sustainable fiscal plan they have traditionally used. While one could argue it’s not technically a deficit, the case could be made that it’s even worse. Governments can tax more, but NTI doesn’t have an easy way to replenish the capital that is the source of their O&M money. Lawsuits are a bit of a gamble.
I do agree that we should get clarification.
The Inuktitut language lawsuit is a complete waste of money and effort. Nowhere near enough Inuit to teach in Inuktitut. Even if won, a waste of money.
So much for Patterson’s praise of her most important legacy milestone.
Dear Inuk Nov. 29,
Please read Patterson’s statement in the article. He did not praise her legacy. I’m fact if the quote was accurate, Patterson said that the move towards Inuit self government was Aluki Kotierk’s “…most important mark” on the corporation. He went on to (critically) describe her new vision for NTI as a “departure from the vision of previous Inuit leaders” – by which he’s was presumably referring to the many previous Inuit leaders who negotiated the agreement over decades, an agreement which explicitly included a commitment to establishing a ”public government“ (not a government just for Inuit) in Article 4.
400m+ in housing money. Nothing done. 100m+ in infrastructure funding. Nothing done.
Devolution. NTI gave their blessing. Call it a hard days work.
Aluki, the next one has big shoes to fill because you are leaving with nothing planted for its future.
Politicians love to congratulate and heap praise upon each other because, if they don’t, who else would…..
No surprise politicians are jacking each other.
I’m curious as a Nunavut beneficiary what has she accomplished at NTI besides making NTI more disconnected to Inuit and our communities?
NTI is more like a southern government now, they don’t respond to requests for information, requests to meet, their board meetings are so dysfunctional and there’s really no information that gets to beneficiary’s. We are just hear about all the new funding from 3-4 years ago, sounds like a lot of new funding too that we never hear about.
While they run huge differed revenues and also at the same time have a deficit.
So what has she accomplished?
Aluki didn’t accomplished much, never reported to the public in the affairs of NTI. She’s not a leadership quality. NTI became a secret society under her and a lot of us feel she served her friends well financially. There is no shoes to fill as she couldn’t fit the shoes given to her as president. I was embarrassed to have her as our president for NTI. Her only agenda was “Speak Inuktitut”
They’re doing what?????
How much did she spend running around France trying to get an old decrepit man to come back to Canada for charges? As if he was going to willingly come back. She was paid around $250,000 a year and spent how long running around France?