NTI to give beneficiaries $100 vouchers for showing up to polls
Individuals do not need to vote to be eligible for money
Terrence Kango carries his son, Mathew Kango, to the polling station at the Iqaluit cadet hall to vote in the 2024 Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. election. It’s election day for beneficiaries who are picking Kango said he was not motivated by NTI’s offer of a $100 voucher for any registered voter who shows up. “I was going to vote anyway,” he said. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Inuit beneficiaries of the Nunavut Agreement are eligible to receive $100 grocery vouchers for showing up at a polling station during the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. presidential byelection on May 27.
Beneficiaries can receive a voucher at polling stations during both advance voting and on election day, said Annie Thomlinson, the organization’s communications director, in an email on Tuesday.
“For efficiency purposes, vouchers will be distributed at the same time as ballots are issued,” Thomlinson said.
Receiving a voucher is not dependent on casting a vote.
“Poll clerks will not monitor whether an individual chooses to vote after receiving their ballot and voucher,” Thomlinson said.
Polling stations will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday for advance voting.
Mobile stations — meaning a voter can contact their community liaison officer to arrange a time to cast a ballot — will be available Thursday and Friday, as well as Monday and Tuesday of next week.
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.
There are 10 candidates running for the presidency.
Payed to vote. What does that tell us? What does that say about Nunavummiut? In the case of NTI using $100 dollar vouchers to “entice” voter participation says two things and neither of them are good for Nunavut or Nunavummiut.
1. The people simply do not care. They do not care that NTI along with numerous other (way too many) Inuit Organizations are there to promote, grow and ensure a better future of Nunavummiut. That they need incentives to get up off their couch and be an active member of society. That their ACTIVE participation in choosing the leadership and ultimately the direction and agenda of that organization is directly in their hands and should be valued at all costs. That they do not care that the future generations growth, stability and prosperity is directly tied to decisions, policy and leadership within NTI.
2. Nunavummiut are fed up with NTI and most probably all the other Inuit organizations who fail repeatedly to grow the future of Nunavummiut in collaboration with each other and the Government of Nunavut. That the “leaders” are in it for themselves and the benefits the “job” offers. Who constantly fail to clearly demonstrate their value and contribution to improving the lives of Nunavummiut. Organizations who sleep on large sums of money while leaving “the solutions” to everyone else. Who spend time suing and taking to court other Inuit entities instead of contributing ideas, solutions and dollars to desperately needed services and infrastructure. Who generally take few steps forward and seemingly countless steps backwards.
Either of these are very sad and disheartening and speaks volumes about Nunavut and its future at this moment. Not sure any of the 10 people running have given any rise to hope that they can lead desperately needed change. So, the $ incentives will continue to be an upside benefit for a vote, that the voter could seemingly careless about.
NTI is a corporation a private organization for Inuit of Nunavut, what they do with the money is up to them. They are trying to increase voter turn out, because voter turn out is low not just for NTI but all across the board. If you have a better idea how to increase go to one of their board meeting or send them a letter or go see them directly. They are going to respond to comments. There are a number of reason for low turn, poverty being one of them. People of Nunavut are trying to survive day by day and last thing on their mind is to vote. If the voucher increases voter turn that great.
No, it’s not great at all. It’s how the organization glosses over its legitimacy problems by creating the very thin illusion of mass participation.
No it is not a “private” corporation. If you took 15 seconds to look at their annual report or attended any of their AGM’s you would see its a Not for Profit organization that is a designated beneficiary of the Nunavut Trust. Private enterprise follows a totally different set of guidelines to not for profit.
Low voter turn-out is not because of poverty its because people don’t care quite obviously. 100 dollar gift cards are enough incentive to get people off a sofa.
Clearly poverty is not what is preventing voting if voter turn out went from 17% to 66% last election. The 100 dollars didn’t magically teleport them there or suddenly bridge the financial gap in their lives. No, its because people do not care about NTI at all but they do care about collecting 100 dollars. If they cared it would not be the last thing on their mind, period.
What could be a cause is political fatigue. Nunavut is layers of bureaucracy. Provincial Govt, NTI, RIAS, ITK, municipal local election,j etc. Its hard to really care about organizations when you see layers of bureaucracy getting little accomplished.
Where is the hundreds of millions in NTI housing money they announced? Where is the hundreds of millions of infrastructure money they announced? Wheres NU3000 at on the GN side? ITK announceses a university, but no actual fleshed out plan is shared.
There’s hundreds of millions of dollars announced on a rather frequent basis, and then there’s no follow-up on results. You can see how voters just would not care any more, but give me a 100 dollars sure ill walk over.
@Ima. You know how you get out of poverty? You take action, you participate, you demand better, you actively get involved in the process. You ask questions, you hold politicians and Inuit ORG reps responsible and accountable. You vote for those who clearly show you how they will work to help you make a better life for you and your family. You do not sit at home saying, “well I am poor, no need to vote”. Voter turnout is about social responsibility; it’s about trying to make things better for your children. If it takes money to get you off the couch it’s not the poverty that is the issue. It’s the individual. What you just claimed in your comment is absolute nonsense!
Give them 500. 00 at least they will get some sort of dividend,
BRIBERY.
what is the bribery for? To increase voter turn out? Explain how it’s bribery, here is a definition of the crime of giving someone, especially someone in a position of authority, money, a gift, etc. so that they will do something illegal or dishonest for you: so how are the Inuit of Nunavut in a position of authority? Who benefits from the alleged bribery and what is accomplished?
Instead of assuming low Inuit voter turnout is some sort of inherent problem or fault of Inuit, I think it is must be considered that in fact, we Inuit are adults, do in fact make rational decisions on how to spend our time based on enlightened self interest, and would not vote in an NTI election without inducement for valid reasons.
NTI does not, and probably should not, have a huge impact on our daily lives. NTI is not a huge employer, NTI not a big part of the economy, and NTI is not physically present in most of our communities. NTI does not administer significant programs or services that affect us. They mainly mooch money off of the Government of Canada to do what Ottawa wants. Other than that, they are there for one thing and one thing only – to make sure the Nunavut Agreement is adhered to.
NTI probably has as much significance in daily Inuit life as the Supreme Court of Canada has to most Canadians; good to know its there, good to know it works, and let us know when and if they come up with something interesting.
NTI is mostly irrelevant. Who our President is mostly irrelevant. That is not a terrible thing. Its a good thing. I honestly would not want some of these candidates to say one word supposedly on my behalf. That is a consequence of the Nunavut Agreement mostly being properly implemented. It matters much more to the political elite of Nunavut than anyone else, because it involves some of their own. They are the majority of the 16% that normally vote.
Inuit intuitively know this. If NTI had more direct impact on daily life, if it mattered, like a municipality, or a local Coop, or Housing Association, voting would be higher. And amazingly, for those types of groups, Inuit voter turnout is often very large.
Its not us NTI, its you.
What a freaking joke. How absolutely pathetic NTI and Inuit politics has become. What’s next?? Any Inuk with any type of pride for their culture should be shaking their head.
Many families enjoyed their meals tonight… I think giving $100 is a great idea, NTI leadership get a stronger mandate and Inuit get a small gift, Do any regional Inuit associations do this?
You can give away money without contaminating the democratic process.
I’ll give you money, too; more of it, five days a week, all you really have to do is show up … still won’t work.
A tempest in a teapot 🙂