NTI says it will seek to negotiate Inuit self-government with Ottawa

Organization says ‘the Inuit quality of life has alarmingly declined’ under Nunavut’s public government

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. says it will pursue talks with the federal government to bring Inuit self-government. NTI president Aluki Kotierk, seen here speaking at the Aqsarniit Hotel in Iqaluit on Aug. 13, said in a statement that the Nunavut government is “a regime that does not support us nor wants us to succeed in fulfilling the vision of a prosperous and thriving Nunavut.” (File photo by Corey Larocque)

By Madalyn Howitt

Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. says it will seek to negotiate with Ottawa to bring about Inuit self-government.

NTI said in an article on its website that, since Nunavut’s public government was created 22 years ago, “the Inuit quality of life has alarmingly declined.”

It said the Nunavut government resists “policies, programs and services which would meet the needs of Inuit, the majority population of Nunavut” while “historical colonial policies, programs and services are defended or strengthened by the government’s focus on the non-Inuit minority.”

The announcement follows a resolution passed on Tuesday by board members at the organization’s annual general meeting in Rankin Inlet this week.

NTI says it will pursue a negotiation mandate, which would open up discussions between it and the Government of Canada to consider “more viable options for Inuit to gain control over their own governance.”

“It will be difficult to continue … under a regime that does not support us nor wants us to succeed in fulfilling the vision of a prosperous and thriving Nunavut,” NTI President Aluki Kotierk said in a statement.

“To re-build the hope and dreams that [were] originally envisioned for Inuit and their future generations, this conversation of self-government must begin again,” Kotierk said. “We owe it to Inuit to represent their full potential.”

In October, NTI filed a lawsuit against the Nunavut government, saying it had failed in its legal obligations to ensure Inuktitut language education is offered throughout the territory’s public school system.

Share This Story

(60) Comments:

  1. Posted by Pork Pie the Pundit on

    I suspect Aluki’s legacy will, in the end, be the accomplishment of absolutely nothing. In fact, it might even be worse than that.

    99
    13
    • Posted by I m Confused on

      Are the Inuks not already running Nunavut

      8
      3
      • Posted by Not Confused on

        Unfortunately no, the Inuit are not running Nunavut, the bureaucrats at the GN have been since the start of Nunavut to where we are today.

        8
        14
        • Posted by What a Shame on

          Really disheartening to know that none of the elected Inuit who were supervising all of those bureaucrats for the past 22 years weren’t able to be leaders.

          24
          • Posted by Huge shame! on

            It is a shame and a huge shame our MLAs can’t do the ground work too, if they can’t get their bureaucrats to do the work then they should find the right ones that can, its been long enough and look at where we are today.

          • Posted by Confused on

            Who supervises the managers and directors at the GN? Aren’t these the positions that carry out the work given to them or directed by the government?

  2. Posted by uvanga on

    PJ is the new premier, new government lead. Approach him, instead of working against the Nunavut government, learn to work together, offer solutions with the problems you put forth, that’s the way to go. I feel like you are trying to separate what the Inuit worked so hard for. Work together. I hope this is not a personal thing for you but rather work together to work on the goals that the original Inuit politicians from years ago worked hard for. Include them, ask them for assistance.

    101
    5
  3. Posted by Northern Inuit on

    Nunavut is 22 years old. barely enough to drink in all provinces in Canada. I would seriously reconsider this move Aluki. this is a frightening step.

    look at our voter turnout in the NTI and KIA/QIA/KitIA Elections. please, please reconsider.

    we are finally moving in the right direction and yes, there has been some growing pains. but a lot has been done in the right direction.

    85
    7
  4. Posted by Oscar on

    I honestly believe we were better off under NWT. But they (GN) has done some good work for the Inuit to date, but more needs to be done. The GN works for ALL residents of Nunavut, not just the Inuit of Nunavut. Inuit Self Government was why the territory of Nunavut was created, but has failed to date. I give credit to NTI and hope they succeed, but they might be some conflict if this goes ahead? If the Inuit of Nunavut wants Nunavut to succeed as a territory, the Inuit must first get educated, trained and employed. The Inuit must stop taking handouts and being spoon fed from the GN and start taking control of their own lives and destiny.

    61
    10
  5. Posted by Iqaluit Fox on

    I look forward to seeing what “self governance” means for NTI, who has sat on their hoard of money and done nothing but obstruct and complain about the GN/Canada since the day Nunavut was created. The progress we have in Nunavut is *despite* NTI, not because of it.

    Aluki was elected with 69% of votes in an election with 17.5% turnout. How can she, or anyone at NTI, claim to speak in the best interests of Inuit?

    “Seek to negotiate” to “open discussions” about “more viable options” for NTI to take over government functions?? Give me a break. That Aluki will leverage Lori Idlout and the NDP to support this nonsense will just end up with more money disappearing into NTI’s bank account.

    100
    3
    • Posted by uvanga on

      if they are sitting on hoards of money, they should use that money for whatever they are complaining about what the Nunavut government isn’t doing and do it and and take the lead for it. NTI, start working for the Inuit people instead of hoarding the money!

      35
      3
  6. Posted by supportive but sceptical on

    This seems to me to be the easy – or should I say lazy? – way forward for the well-educated, well-paid, well-housed folks at NTI who no doubt genuinely want to build a better Nunavut for all. In other countries and regions, this elite layer in society would form a political party, develop and promote a political strategy to address economic and social challenges, run candidates in an election, and try and win enough hearts and minds (and votes) that they can win an election and take control of a government by democratic means. But instead of the hard work of doing all that, NTI is taking the legalistic option. Nunavut Inuit have every right to play the self-government card, but even if negotiations were to take two years rather than twenty years (which they won’t) is it really the best way forward? The day after creation of an Inuit self-governing authority there won’t be more trained Inuit teachers, more Inuit Deputy Ministers up to the challenges of the job, more public housing units, etc. Failing to articulate a clear political program for doing so, and entering into lengthy negotiations with Ottawa instead, strikes me as the slowest, easiest and laziest way to try and move Nunavut forward. Regardless of whether it’s the Legislative Assembly or a self-government authority that has political authority, there stlll needs to be a coherent and concrete plan to address Nunavut’s many challenges.

    68
    3
    • Posted by Nami? on

      Dear NTI,

      Where the Social Policy Council tho?

      Sincerely,
      The Government of Nunavut

  7. Posted by Not Impressed on

    This is a great piece of theatre to distract from the glaring fact that NTI and the RIAs are also doing screw-all to benefit any Inuit other than themselves while stuffing the organizations with white advisers and consultants to do the (any) heavy lifting at great financial and political cost to the collective.
    This is how the thin privileged layer of Inuit stay privileged at everyone else’s expense.

    78
    5
  8. Posted by This Will Lead to Diverted Resources on

    It is easy for NTI to be in a critic role when it has no responsibility to deliver any services or resources to Inuit in Nunavut. It can choose what it engages in. The GN has to provide essential services to the Territory. While NTI can generate revenue via Mining Royalties, Investments from its settlement monies, and through its subsidiaries, The GN however is reliant almost exclusively on Federal Transfers. Sure we all are unhappy with some decisions the GN makes, but cards on the table NTI could not be more effective with some or all of that service delivery. NTI is good at hiring Directors and Senior Managers that do not manage anyone……

    What is worse, is the time, effort, and money that will be used to go through this exercise and the exercise of suing the Government of Nunavut will result in lower service delivery rates to all Nunavut residents due to the already strained capacity. NTI needs to not just criticize, take legal action, or conduct studies that says Nunavut is struggling, but actual come up with concrete proposals for solutions, They could even take the opportunity to use some of their $2+ Billion to do this work. However they are going to not spend Inuit money on building housing, or elders centres, or mental health services, they are going to give it to White Lawyers and Consultants to do all this work and lobbying!

    Inuit need to start asking NTI hard questions about what its doing to improve the lives of Inuit, instead of becoming a cash cow for lawyers, fund managers, and consultants.

    86
    2
  9. Posted by Irony on

    The Government of Nunavut is a uniquely indigenous government, and always has been. If Aluki says it is a failure, it means Inuit have failed. What NTI has in mind for self-government initiatives is surely money. They will take cash, subcontract to a southern agency, and pocket the savings. NTI elites will benefit from lucrative contracts as they do now for everything in territory from transportation to construction, but this will expand to services in areas of social housing, child welfare, income assistance, etc. that will surely stay the same or become worse for regular Inuit.
    .
    NTI cannot manage itself, its capacity is limited. It can barely function as a finger-pointing organization, being almost completely reliant on southern consultants and advisors, so how would it govern? I can’t wait to see how the NTI elites would plan to govern from their comfortable mansions in Ottawa (basically the entire leadership of NTI and executive staff live in Ottawa). It is ironic that they will probably propose a “from-away” model, which looks a lot like a colonial federal model northerners dropped decades ago.

    66
    2
    • Posted by This is an Inuit Government on

      It really is puzzling to understand what Aluki wants. What is Inuit self-government in Nunavut? Is it Inuit electing Inuit representatives to run a government? Because if so, that’s what already exists.
      .
      Over 80% of the voting population is Inuit.
      All but one of the MLAs are Inuit (and John Main is there because Inuit elected him to be there)
      The entirety of Cabinet is Inuit
      The Premier is Inuit
      .
      If the Nunavut government resists “policies, programs and services which would meet the needs of Inuit, the majority population of Nunavut” while “historical colonial policies, programs and services are defended or strengthened by the government’s focus on the non-Inuit minority”, then it is Inuit themselves that have let this go on.
      .
      Somebody will pop up and say that the Cabinet Members are puppets to their southerner bureaucrats. Well, Inuit elected them. The bureaucrats ALL report to Cabinet Members; the Cabinet Members are the bosses of the entire government. If the elected Inuit members cannot make the bureaucrats their puppets, then what makes you think that some other sort of Inuit Self-Government will be any better?
      .
      Final Note… Aluki, you were one of the high-ranking Government of Nunavut bureaucrats. What did you do?

      67
      1
      • Posted by Aputi on

        John Main is an inuk, he’s not whites, he speaks inuktitut very well, he grew up in nwt/nunavut, he’s bad ass

        15
        10
        • Posted by OP on

          I wasn’t saying he doesn’t speak Inuktitut, didn’t grow up here, or isn’t badass. But he referred to himself yesterday as a qallunaq and I believe he has white parents.

          25
  10. Posted by Absolute power… on

    How can this direction occur without a referendum? Put it to a vote and let Inuit participate in the decision!

    56
    • Posted by MONICA A CONNOLLY on

      From the NlCA, on amending it:
      “PART 13
      AMENDING THE AGREEMENT
      2.13.1
      An amendment to the Agreement shall require the consent of the Parties as evidenced by,
      (a)
      in respect of Her Majesty, an order of the Governor in Council, and
      (b)
      in respect of Inuit, a resolution of the Tungavik, except as provided otherwise by its bylaws or Section 35.9.1,
      but the jurisdiction of the Legislative Assembly shall not be altered, and the Territorial Government shall not incur any financial obligations, through any amendment without its written consent.”

      Sounds like a three-way negotiation.

      30
  11. Posted by Northern Baffin on

    a little early for April 1st?

    43
    1
  12. Posted by awkward on

    When PJ was President of QIA he was a member of the NTI Board. As such, he would have been briefed on development of this proposal to supplant the “regime that does not support us nor wants us to succeed in fulfilling the vision of a prosperous and thriving Nunavut” — the regime that he will soon be the Premier of.

    29
  13. Posted by Pipedream on

    She looks like she needs to take a step back and think at what she’s doing for a second. Nunavut currently gets over $1,800,000,000 per year from the Federal government in equalization payment, per capita this is like 10-30x more than the national average. Without this Nunavut would not survive. Does self-government mean leaving Canada? If yes, this is laughable. $1,800,000,000 greatly surpasses Nunavut’s entire economy. Good luck.

    36
    2
    • Posted by Buzz Words on

      Self-Government in other regions where indigenous people have negotiated it is not exactly what comes to most people’s minds. It really means self government OF A VERY LIMITED SET OF SOCIAL AREAS. For example, NTI would have power to start a child welware agency that deals with Inuit children only. Non-Inuit are still covered by GN. Same with income support, legal aid, and so on. NTI can run health programs for Inuit, but they would need to meet national standards. Teaching and education the same. So it really is just a buzz word, not real and true governance like a separate Inuit Territory. As as a non-Inuit person it will not effect me directly so much as it will effect my tax pocketbooks. While I won’t judge how well having two parallel social systems will work, I can definitely say that having TWO of everything means double the bureaucrats, double the salaries, and therefore less money for services to regular people. You can be assured that if there are any problems, NTI will claim it is set up to fail because there isn’t enough money being handed to it to deliver the programs (like the GN says now).

      35
      1
  14. Posted by LOL on

    LOL

    37
    1
  15. Posted by Sam on

    Have a territorial vote for the Inuit and make it like our booze vote 60 percent plus 1 it will never pass, because all nti can get to vote in their elections is 12 percent what a joke no credibility

    26
    2
  16. Posted by Yup on

    This is not going to end well for her, Nunavut is still a baby and still trying to find its way. now we know what our high priority problems are in Nunavut. being housing, mental health, shipping/cargo/airline fares. fixing those can fix the majority of problems we face as Nunavutmiut, only after that we can tackle all the smaller problems , smaller compared to the 3 listed above. jobs is a problem but can be helped by the increase in housing. building/maintaining/administration. fixing the freight problem first so that costs can go down for the other problems, thus making the $1.8Billion stretch further.

    i dont think she is making the right decision in what is the high priority.

    26
    2
  17. Posted by I live in the Arctic on

    i don’t know what to say, as a inuk living in nunavut, this territory is far from ready for self government, more education is needed to fill the positions of self government, schools are open now, leadership is needed to get students interested in going to school. NTI and GN please work together on making this happen.

    30
    1
  18. Posted by Crystal Clarity on

    I think we should see a plan of what that would look like before anyone starts negotiating on our behalf. Are we talking independence from the rest of Canada? A separate nation/country? How will it be funded since we are pretty much totally funded by the Canadian tax payer? I don’t think Nunavut contributes much to that pot as it is. Different style of government? Different social programs? Different infrastructure programs? Reducing cost of living? We know the quality of life has gone down considerably since we became our own territory (I think that has happened all over Canada) but I want to know how they plan to improve all that before negotiations start. Lets call a spade a spade. Alone Nunavut doesn’t have a pot to piss in. Inuit control the legislature and a fair part of the civil service and will control more and more as people become more educated and experienced. Even so, we have a long ways to go before we can develop a sustainable economy. There is a fair percentage of the population who don’t want to see any development. They just want to hunt and fish and collect SA, but someone has to build the economy and pay the bills. You can’t get “self-governance” and still claim all the transfers from the Feds. This whole idea seems very foolhardy at this point in our history.

    37
    2
  19. Posted by Northern Inuit on

    Have you seen what NWT pays for fuel in High Arctic?

    Sachs Harbour $1.61 for heating fuel and $1.93 for gas.
    Ulukhaktok $1.60 for heating fuel and $1.95 per litre for gas!
    And $21 per 4 litre can of naphtha.

    We have some issues we are working on but am thankful the GN Subsidizes our fuel.

    24
  20. Posted by Quality of Life Driver on

    Can Aluki point to where quality of life has decreased? She says it, but I can’t find that information on NTI’s website. If she’s going to use that as a major driver behind this, it should be substantiated.

    38
    1
    • Posted by M Center on

      One simply can check Stats Canada for the decrease in quality of life impacts for substance. Or do you require it printed in an article for you? Honest question and neutral question. Plenty of substance there at Stats Canada for substantial quality of life…Suicide, Food Access, Low Quality of Education, Housing Shortages, Cost of Living, Lack of Elder Care, etc….

      3
      18
      • Posted by To M Centre on

        According to StatsCan about Nunavut:
        .
        2006 levels of Bachelors Degree – 12.7%
        2016 levels of Bachelors Degree – 14.3%
        .
        2006 levels of High School Diploma – 10.3%
        2016 levels of High School Diploma – 14.6%
        .
        2006 levels of No certificate, degree, or diploma – 46.2%
        2016 levels of No certificate, degree, or diploma – 40.9%
        .
        2005 Median Household Income – $71,285
        2015 Median Household Income – $97,441
        .
        2017 Deaths by Suicide – 25
        2003 Deaths by Suicide – 36
        .
        Yes, I do need NTI’s analysis of the degradation of Quality of Life printed somewhere.

        22
        1
        • Posted by M Center on

          So, how has quality of life improved?

          2
          2
    • Posted by Frozen Dude on

      When Nunavut was created, Inuit were asked if they wanted a “public government” (like the real governments) or if they wanted a reserve type system. They chose a public government and that is what we have. The real message here is that NTI does not want to have to worry about those pesky non-Inuit type people. The attitudes here are beyond crazy. They do want our money though… to pay for the pie in the sky dreams.

      You want to help Nunavut grow… get your people to learn and show up for work.

      36
      2
  21. Posted by Piitaqanngi on

    All interesting posts to read. I don’t agree or disagree with the well thought out arguments being made. They’re sound and reasonable.
    However, the question not being asked here is why the NTI board made the decision it did. What made them decide to pursue negotiations with the feds for self-government? They must have reasons why they chose to go down that path.

    14
    3
    • Posted by No Moniker on

      I certainly don’t have the entire answer, but I would be surprised if groupthink was not some part of it. Also consider the Asch Conformity Experiments.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA

      “Asch’s experiment is a classic, it reveals how people will deny what they see and submit to group pressure. It allows us to not only observe conformity but to study the conditions that increase or reduce its occurrence.”

      7
      1
      • Posted by Piitaqanngi on

        Thanks for your reply. I suspected groupthink as well but Youtube? That is not the source of reliable information in my POV.

        Anyhow, I think it needs to be researched why elected members of the NTI Board from the three Regiinal Inuit Associations decided to pursue Self-government and be reported on. As a lot of us seem to rely on Northern media for this type of information.
        One could argue that I could ask the member from my RIA but the person lives in a regional centre, far, far away from my little community.

        5
        1
        • Posted by No Moniker on

          Thanks for your response too.

          YouTube has some great content, a lot of garbage, and all things in between. I think you’d be making a mistake to categorically reject all content that appears there though. In any case the Asch experiments were conducted in the 1950s and really have nothing to do with it.

          Back to groupthink and conformity, these are very common phenomenon. A successful organization is not only mindful of this, but works to prevent it. There is a growing literature, which the wisest of our leaders are reading, on how to avoid this pitfall.

          In most social settings humans are incentivized to conform to group norms as this ensures a sense of belonging and reinforces one’s place within a community. The problem, of course, is that prioritizing conformity disincentivizes heterodoxy, which prevents counter narratives and challenges to prevailing ideas… even the worst ones. It is not hard to imagine how such forces might be at work behind the veil of such a non-transparent and only barely accountable organization.

  22. Posted by Hey Paul on

    Mr. Okalik, even if Inuit are self-governing they still won’t re-elect you. Put down the puppets and get a hobby.

    29
    5
    • Posted by Huh? on

      There is no mention at all about Paul Okalik in the article. How or what gave you the idea that this is about him? Where does it say Okalik is running for office? Dumbfounded here.

      2
      8
  23. Posted by Stop and rethink this on

    Wouldn’t Inuit lose their seat at the table this way though?

    Like if the Nunavut Inuit go with self-gov (like the Nisgaa or the Tlicho), they would then be nested within another jurisdiction. In Nunavut’s case, if the Inuit go with self-gov, what’s the point of the GN? To serve just the non-Inuit? Seems dumb with such a small pop, so likely the GN would fold – and we would go back to the NWT with Inuit self-gov in a corner of what used to be Nunavut, kind of like the ISR in the NWT right now.

    And this is the kicker – then Nunavut Inuit would lose their unique and incredibly important seat at the national table. It’s not like the leader of the Nisga or the Tlicho or the Inuvialuit gets to sit down with the premiers of the provinces and territories on the regular. But as of right now, the premier of Nunavut – always a Nunavut Inuk – gets to sit at that table.

    It seems super dumb to want to change that and lose that national stature. The original negotiators wanted to change the map of Canada – with a de facto self-governing Inuit territory. Aluki seems ready to dump that – for really nothing better in return. Is life that much better in self-governing First Nations elsewhere in Canada? No. It is not.

    If Aluki and her crew are serious about building Nunavut, they should run for office (like PJ) and get to work. It’s so easy to sit on the sidelines and do jack squat. Getting in there and doing the work and actually building institutions? That’s real leadership.

    39
    3
  24. Posted by Northern Guy on

    Good Luck! The Inuit signed a CLCA with Canada, so its deal done and case closed as far as Canada is concerned. Pretty rich for NTI to now say that a public government elected by a majority Inuit population and led by a majority of Inuit leadership has failed Inuit!

    27
    2
    • Posted by Kitikmeot Folks ( Cambridge Bay ) on

      If this did go thru ,lot of people in West Nunavut would demand to go back with the
      N.W.T.
      Pity we did not follow Holman Island example !
      People are so fed up with Aluki and her N.T.I. dictatorship, grabbing everything, and
      accomplishing nothing .

      25
  25. Posted by Putting this out there on

    Reading the comments what might be interesting is if NTI became the backers of a political party (unofficially). they could put their support behind a candidate from each community in the next territorial election. this way Nunavummiut can know which candidate is basically an NTI rep for the MLAs. And with Nunavut 80% Inuit if the direction NTI wants to go is the way we want to go we will go that way, and then if the candidate is elected NTI would have an ally that will help ensure the GN and NTI work together to make the system work better for all Inuit, and non-inuit alike.

    5
    6
  26. Posted by Soothsayer on

    Something to remain mindful of is that NTI can not unilaterally impose this vision on Nunavut. It would take a long process of negotiation that would only be possible with the consent of the GN and the Federal Government, which is to say… this is not going to happen. Unsurprisingly.

    That Aluki has chosen to take this route is probably not that surprising to anyone either. This is, if anything, consistent with a pattern of taking the extreme position, probably to get a reaction and draw attention to an issue.

    Unfortunately, this appears to be the one and only tool in her toolkit.

    25
  27. Posted by Sandi on

    Thanks Aluki. I’m happy she’s brining up the issue, it has to be discussed sooner or later. There are no other groups/representatives that keep their constituents in the centre of their strategy. Anyone? Since Aluki is acting against the prevailing opinion or tendency of non Inuit who feel threatened for their positions and do not want to see Inuit progress. Being a visionary with forethought is very hard to swim against the naysayers, as well as, your own Inuit people.

    3
    28
    • Posted by Not Worried on

      Nobody’s feeling threatened for their position. Even in a self-government, non-Inuit would be needed for the work. Let’s take QIA as an example, a Regional Inuit Organization whose Mission is to advance the rights and benefits of Qikiqtani Inuit through protecting and promoting our social, political, economic and cultural interests; while safeguarding the land, waters and resources that sustain our communities. Their Vision is Political and cultural empowerment, social equality, economic prosperity and a healthy environment for Qikiqtani Inuit.
      .
      They’re a relatively small operation, yet take a look at their staff page. There’s still a significant amount of non-Inuit, despite this being an organization that doesn’t really have much to do.

      20
      2
      • Posted by Tom on

        Yes that is correct, but getting the right southerners is key, with vision to think outside of the box, outside of what they know from where they come from.
        Unfortunately a lot are too comfortable with pushing their limited knowledge of how things are down in the south to up here and not open to new ideas and ways.
        Also please up date yourself with QIA, that organization has done a lot for its size compared to that of our government that has a lot more staff and resources.

        4
        8
    • Posted by Crystal Clarity on

      The issue has been brought up many times over the last couple of decades. What strategy are you referring to? I haven’t heard or seen any strategy at all except the assertion that “they” want o negotiate self-government with the Fed’s. That’s not a strategy.

      8
      1
      • Posted by Soap Box Hero on

        I would just rephrase your point as it is not a “serious strategy” … the kind that involves foresight, strategic prowess, and a clearly defined plan. It is a strategy inasmuch as it is meant to achieve a reaction from the GN (that is all, and it is not much) granted it will probably not even accomplish that.

  28. Posted by Curious on

    What exactly does NTI spend their royalties from the mines on? We’re not talking pocket change, they get a lot of money yearly.

    13
    1
    • Posted by Gobble Gobble on

      Salaries and duty travel.

      10
  29. Posted by Northern Guy on

    I would like to see concrete examples as to how the lives of Inuit have materially deteriorated since the creation of Nunavut. I would argue that many socio-economic indicators for Inuit (employment, education, median income etc.) have remained the same as they were before Nunavut was created and in some cases have likely gone up (maternal health, longevity, infant mortality).

    6
    1
    • Posted by Arctic Person on

      Key words here is remained the same, that is the problem, I would argue also it has gone down hill.
      The spirit of Nunavut, what we envisioned is not the Nunavut we have today. Trying to cookie cutter Nunavut to fit in as the same as southern Canada doesn’t work and will not work.

      4
      5
      • Posted by John W Paul Murphy on

        Arctic Person, I do agree with you that much is still the same.
        Advancement tho is not just the responsibility of the GN, GC, NTI etc though.
        They DO have their input financially for sure.

        The focus for change has to come from each individual resident.
        It has to start with parents ensuring their children get a long-term education That they get up and to school on time. Most schools have a breakfast programme, so a healthy meal is not the issue.
        Jobs ARE available, many are mediocre, in some opinions, but available. But, mediocrity, attitude and commitment will lead to success for us older folk. OUR responsibility is to teach the kids THEIR responsibility. Both by direction and example.
        WE as adults have to lead and set a positive example to our kids to ensure they have a better life. Watching us wait for handouts is NOT a positive example.

        8
        2
        • Posted by Arctic Person on

          I agree with you to a point, education is key but unfortunately with Inuit we cannot be taught in our language and trying to learn in another language has its challenges not to mention the culture differences.
          Back in the NWT days there were more Inuktitut teachers and the college did more to educate and train Inuit teachers, today is a different story which is not working out so well.
          It has been more then 20 years for our GN to work on improving what was started by the GNWT, instead it seems like we have moved backwards and today we don’t even have any Inuktitut curriculum in place and we lack more Inuktitut teachers .
          Its great to tell people to just get up and go to school but when there are so many issues on so many different levels that is not a positive or productive way to go about it, it is like two different worlds we are trying to live in, where we Inuit see how we are and what we want out of our government and what we see in our government is totally something different, very foreign and that doesn’t fit in our lives but do for the minority that live up here.

          4
          1
  30. Posted by name on

    these nasty commenters are so afraid of Inuit and their desire to do things our way. some nasty racist in Nu! do us all a favor, leave already! If not on your own you are going to loose your job to an inuk and its coming sooner then you think lol!

    12
  31. Posted by Will I Am on

    Our MP is supportive of Inuit self government.

    These people are our leaders.

    1
    3

Comments are closed.