NTI brings back voting vouchers, moves election date to May 27
At least three potential leaders vow to enter race
From left, Cathy Towtongie, Andrew Nakashuk, and Jeremy Tunraluk say they plan to run in Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s presidential byelection on May 27. (File photos)
Each adult Inuit beneficiary in Nunavut can look forward to receiving a $100 grocery voucher for showing up at a polling station in the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. presidential byelection, now set for May 27.
NTI announced the new date for its byelection and the return of the voucher program Wednesday in a news release. The vote had originally been scheduled for December.
Voters are picking a new president after former president Jeremy Tunraluk resigned in January.
At that time, four contenders expressed interest in running: Tunraluk, Andrew Nakashuk, Manitok Thompson and Cathy Towtongie.
Tunraluk confirmed he will run again for the position he stepped down from less than two months ago.
“I will be happily running for president,” Tunraluk said in phone interview Wednesday.
Towtongie, a former NTI president and former MLA, also still plans to enter the race.
“I’m running,” she said in a phone interview.
Nakashuk said he is also keeping his hat in the ring.
“I seriously thought about it and have decided that I am going to run again,” he said by phone.
Nakashuk, a Pangnirtung resident, ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2021 and 2024, losing first to Aluki Kotierk and then to Tunraluk.
When asked if Thompson plans to run in the May byelection, the former MLA for Rankin Inlet South/Whale Cove replied she is choosing to remain quiet.
“I’ll let others speak up,” she said in a Facebook message on Wednesday. “I’m just going to keep silent.”
For its 2024 presidential election, NTI offered Inuit beneficiaries a $100 voucher for a gift card as a way to encourage voter participation.
Voter turnout was 66.7 per cent in 2024 compared to 17.5 per cent in 2021, when there was no incentive in place to encourage voters.
The three potential presidential candidates have differing views on the use of the vouchers to encourage voting.
Tunraluk and Nakashuk are in favour of the initiative while Towtongie is against giving vouchers to voters.
“NTI did that before with an outcome that people were just voting without looking at the issues,” Towtongie said. “I’m not happy with it.”
NTI announced in January there would be a byelection to fill the vacancy created by Tunraluk’s resignation. At the time, the organization said the presidential byelection would be held in December, coinciding with a scheduled election for vice-president.
Tunraluk, who was elected in December 2024, had been president for about a year when Iqaluit RCMP charged him with a single count of assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm in December 2025.
That charge was stayed during Tunraluk’s first court appearance on Jan. 15, halting prosecution of the criminal charge.
NTI put Tunraluk on unpaid leave after the charge was laid. In January, its board opted to remove him from office, triggering the byelection.
Paul Irngaut, formerly the organization’s vice president, is serving as president until the byelection.
Additionally, NTI appointed Adamee Itorcheak as vice-president until the byelection. Itorcheak had been secretary-treasurer of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.
NTI’s election rules don’t specify when a byelection must be called after the president’s seat becomes vacant.
The news release did not say when candidates can register to run for president or when the cutoff for entering the race is. It said further information about both the byelection and the voucher program “will be announced shortly.”
Representatives from NTI were not available for an interview about the change of date for the byelection or about the plan to offer voters a $100 voucher to encourage voter turnout.
Of course you have to pay people to go vote for something that should already be an interest to them. Do you think they will make an informed choice or just put and X beside a name and go get their groceries ?
Must be nice not to have to worry about where your next meals going to come from? The reason why a lot of people don’t vote is because people living in poverty voting is one of the last things in their lives? They are more concern about where there next meals going to come from? Before you say they need to get jobs and rely less on hand out, most people do want to work but opportunities are far and few between for Inuit.
Thanks, ‘really ‘, though you might be a tad over self-rated and also overrating other voters. Do you really think that voters, in general, are well-informed, knowledgeable and capable of comprehending complex social, financial, scientific, and other technical issues? Do you think they are able to determine if a given individual or party has integrity or ability? For that matter, do you think democracy really exists?
Keep the $100.00, how about investing that towards an online Inuktitut language course. free to the internet?
What a bribery from NTI, this is how they spend our nlca $$
Explain what the bribery is and how it’s going to benefit NTI? Other than getting people to come and vote for an important and necessary position. Remember Nunavut was created through the Nunavut Agreement that NTI is responsible ensuring that all levels government adhere to the modern treaty.
It is bribery, look up the definition, as for your claims that it is “important” and “necessary”, for whom? The ones getting elected? No nunavummuit actually benefits from the organization other then the so called elected officials.
Be specific about the bribery! You’re mistaken for incentive, NTI is a private organizations that represent Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement. They know people that they represent are not able to afford a lot and this is a way for increase vote and make sure people are represented. You haven’t explain the bribery in specific and how it illegal or how it will benefit a certain individual or organization.
I have no interest in schooling you in bribery, and dont take my word for it as it sounds like I struck a cord with you. Before getting all worked up before noon, please do ur homework.
I don’t agree with paying people to vote, but it is not a bribe. You talk about looking up the definition of bribery, here it is: the offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for an action which is illegal, unethical or a breach of trust.
Is NTI giving an advantage? Yes.
Is is an inducement for an action which is illegal, unethical, or a breach of trust? Absolutely not. It is an incentive for people who are entitled to vote to go out and vote, and to vote for whoever they want to vote for.
Not illegal. Not unethical. Not a breach of trust.
NTI stands to gain nothing whether the voter turnout is 15% or 70%. It’s like the Government of Canada offering each Canadian $100 to go play in a park.
It might not be illegal, but I think the larger questions are around ethics. You say it is “not unethical”, as if you’ve demonstrated that.
I disagree.
Paying people to vote, even if not directing them in a particular way, is unethical because it degrades the democratic process by transforming a civic duty into a commercial transaction.
Consequently, people don’t show up for ideas, but for a bag of groceries. Democracy and civic duty indeed become a transactional exercise.
To me the more nefarious purpose of buying votes is to mask the problems and dysfunction that poor voter turnout expose. The result, it stops the questions that might eventually provide answers that will truly serve Inuit.
This is exchanged for an illusory space where questions around legitimacy, the efficacy of the organization and its social and economic roles become silent and invisible.
I agree it is a disgrace, embarrassing, and highly unethical.
The amount of thumbs down on this comment goes to show the amount of ignorance many people on here possess. I guess if it doesn’t fit your narrative, thumb it down and continue to shout ‘bribery’. Lmao
It’s pretty clear that you are mainly interested in schooling, Arcticrick.
My personal opinion is totally different from schooling. Thanks
NTI providing beneficiaries $100 gift certificate to vote isn’t bribery rather it’s an enticement.
It’s sad that NTI believes the only way to increase voter participation is to give them money rather than do anything else to help beneficiaries understand and care what NTI does or does not do – on their behalf.
Clearly, majority of beneficiaries feel disengaged from our Inuit organizations.
The state of Nunavut Inuit politics is truly depressing. Majority of Inuit feel like that they have lost control over the Government of Nunavut and lost control over our Inuit organizations and Inuit development corporations despite being “run” by Inuit boards …
The United Nations provides election support all over the world. Their role in supporting elections began in 1947 when they supported the first elections in Korea through their Temporary Commission to Korea.
Today, through the UN Department of Political Affairs, Electoral Assistance Division, the UN works to support places around the world to conduct elections.
“Elections have been a component of decolonization, democratic transitions, and the implementation of peace accords in countries around the globe, and the United Nations has played a major role in providing assistance for these important processes of change. In the days of decolonization, the UN supervised and observed plebiscites and referenda leading to the creation of new independent states; today, the efforts of the Organization are increasingly focused on providing technical assistance to help Member States build credible and sustainable national election systems.”.
Today we have a situation where the indigenous group in charge of trying to get us decolonized cannot run an election without resorting to inducements.
Perhaps it is time for NTI to call in the UN DPPA-EAD to run our election?
It’s not that the election is run poorly, it’s that Inuit aren’t interested in their Inuit org because they feel nothing is being done for them. It’s irrelevant.
Sounds like a Makivvik Election, but without the bribe, but with the 1/3 turnout (if that).
Can the new President make changes at NTI please, with all that new funding they have been sitting on and not getting most of the funding out we don’t know what NTI has been doing.
We don’t get any updates or consultations anymore, NTI seems to only travel south and they don’t come to the communities anymore.
Here you go! https://www.tunngavik.com/publication_categories/nti-annual-reports/
That is not enough, a link to some of what NTI does, the link is only good for oct 2024, this link does not show all of what NTI should be doing, even their annual reports are very late and minimal at best, this is not reporting back to NTIs beneficiaries, how about all the new funding NTI has received from the federal government, over 900 million in deferred funding sitting in NTIs bank account not getting out to Nunavut?
How about other funding that’s just sitting there at NTI, what is NTIs plans to use all this new funding! Then there’s the regular funding NTI has, NTI has so much money just been sitting in their bank account.
NTI has so much money they have been travelling all over the south constantly but NTI never travels to any of the communities, it’s always to the big cities down south. Beginning of March the NTI department of Makigiaqta chartered to Nuuk for a department trip, costing over a 100,000 for charter, hotels and per diems. Now the board of NTI and their staff have chartered to Nuuk costing even more.
NTI has been sitting on so much money making do much on interest they are finding ways to spend it but for all the wrong reasons. Remember this when voting day comes, NTI should be looking how they can use all these new funds to help their beneficiaries, not on paid holidays for board and staff.
New leadership is needed at NTI, changes are needed at NTI, they don’t represent Inuit in Nunavut anymore, all their paid holidays south now to Greenland, what’s next? A board meeting in Hawaii? NTI is so disconnected and secretive all the while they have never before have so much new funding just sitting in their bank account.
Hopefully the new president will clean up NTI, there’s a lot to clean up there, changes to be made, I, voting for a president that will do that and get NTI back on track, connected to Inuit again.
eskimo joe platform; 40% of royalties to the closest communities from the mines, 10% to RIAs and 50% to each region’s communities. RIAs are stock piling cash and their presidents are getting fat, Kivalliq KIA must have (maybe more) about 250 million in the bank with two operational mines.
When will a person with only a new hat be elected and who’s the right leader take a hint ,
This selection process is going outward bound due, Some investigations needed who has done some damages ,
Acting president is too quiet always keeping things to him self always,
Why would NTI appoint Adamie he already had said he sits in number of Boards and can’t get anything done ,
By the way Public had Elected him as Secretary/Tres for QIA and why not Ulayuu Akesuu take the lead for this position,
Will QIA have a by-election for Adamie’s position!,
Not a happy beneficiary to the Board of NTI/QIA
I intent to run upon my retirement (next Kiv KIA election, so current Prez, you better do something fantastic during your tenure), does my platform looks legit? Perhaps to much for the boards of Inuit orgs…..Rankin and Baker would benefit most and Arviat with rumor of mine south west of the community.
I sure hope someone new will run for President, someone who has had good jobs and has experience in high levels of employment, who understands governance, board governance, financial governance, who has a plan, not just fb posts about nothing.
Someone that will put in the work to make meaningful changes and get funds out, get things going in our communities.
Someone with new ideas, new approaches, not afraid to try new things and also incorporate tasted and fresh new ideas.
I do hope we will see someone new try for this position, not the rerun positions that keep trying and never do anything meaningful. Not the same ones that are just in it for themselves. We are tired of recycled politicians. You guys can keep posting your pictures on social media, let some new energy try.
Sister Amigos had thrown their names to the hat. isn’t that enough?
that $100 voucher is my money anyway
And the $100 going to end up at the Beer and Wine Store instead of food.
I hope great people like Jesse Mike run to be president. Someone with practical ideas of how to uplift the lot of Inuit out of the despindency that we see today. We need someone who is genuinely Inuk and young and carries the aspirations of young Inuit. We also need someone who will deal with the insecurity of the current CEO who is so conscious of her deficiencies as a make believe Inuk. NTI will only start to truly represent Inuit when they stop hiring friends and actually hire competent Inuit who are NOT from Baker Lake.
I and many I know would not vote for her,she talks but does not produce. But I do agree change is badly needed at NTI, there’s CEO is so disconnected to Inuit and cannot even speak Inuktut, I don’t think she grew up in Nunavut.
Cannot work with people and it’s her way or the highway attitude. That does not work and we have seen it’s not working at NTI all the while they have so much new funding for years, just sitting in their bank account,
We need a president that focuses on how NTI can actually help Inuit, how NTI can help in the communities, how to give hope back to Inuit, NTI has become invisible and disconnected to Inuit and communities.
A president that will put in the hard work and difficult discussions that need to be made, in house clean up at NTI will be a job in itself but needed.
Who cares if leaders and managers speak good Inuktut when all that comes out of their mouths is stupid and uneducated garbage?
I wish we’d get serious about running this territory instead of just talk. We need proven, educated and skilled Inuit to make the changes we need. Instead we just get clueless posers.
You sound very colonized and confused Inuit who are connected to oil culture and heritage, know how to speak their own language and use it every day are also educated, educated in their language in their culture at the same time educated in the western education system.
I’m tired of people like you who try to belittle Inuit, it sounds like you want some that’s a little but Inuk but with more western culture, you need to decolonized more.
Inuit culture (or any culture) is no replacement for the actual formal education and hard skills needed to run a three billion dollar a year territory this huge and with so many challenges.
Without educated leaders we will continue to go around in circles as people continue to suffer and lose hope.
There are Inuit who speak Inuktitut as their first language and are also educated, no one is saying otherwise, what I don’t agree with here are is that you need someone educated but also don’t speak Inuktitut, take the CEO of NTI for example, did this person grow up in Nunavut? I don’t think so, does she speak Inuktitut? No she doesn’t, when we Inuit speak with her we can tell she has very little connection with Inuit and Nunavut, she is trying to learn and understand but again very disconnected to Inuit values.
There are Inuit who are well educated and are from Nunavut who speak and are connected to Inuit values and culture.
We see this also in Greenland where Inuit over there speak their language and have their Inuit values while they have master’s degrees or higher.
I just don’t agree with your view of having a educated person is enough, even if they don’t speak Inuktitut, that is not enough, we need more pride in ourselves and where we come from, we need to hold our values and culture, language at a higher level.
NTI is sitting on millions of $$, they need to see difficulties of ordinary people of facing high cost of living and and dealing with single airline serving the WHOLE territory. Air Canada, come back. Porter Airlines please start your routes in eastern NU.
I for one will be there on voting day to collect my gift card. Not to vote.
Prices went up, gimme $200 and I’ll vote
Those who go to vote should become eligible for a $20,000.00 territy wide draw.