Self-government, jobs the issue in Makivik election

ODILE NELSON

Nunavik self-government negotiations are vying with economic development as the central issue in the run-up to this year’s Makivik Corporation presidential election.

The election, which will take place March 28 during the Inuit birthright organization’s annual general meeting, is a three-way race between Annie Popert, Johnny Oovaut and incumbent Pita Aatami.

Popert is well known as the Nunavik commissioner who refused to sign the 2001 Let Us Share report that is supposed to be the foundation for self-government negotiations. At the time, Popert said the agreement short-changed Nunavimmiut and could threaten the Inuit right to self-determination within Canada.

Aatami is a strong proponent of the agreement that Makivik has been negotiating with the federal and provincial governments since August 2002.

But Oovaut, the mayor of Quaqtaq, told Nunatsiaq News this week the self-government negotiations also figured prominently in his decision to enter the election.

“[As mayor] I felt I would be abandoning my community but I made the decision because what Makivik is doing is important. Self-government is of greater importance than what I’m doing right now because what I’m doing right now will be affected by what government we create,” he said.

Oovaut said he understands many Nunavimmiut are tired of the self-government negotiations. But he said it is too important an issue to let pass without more information and discussion.

“I would agree to self-government only if it’s beneficial to our people; only if we don’t lose what we already have,” he said.

Oovaut believes it’s a mistake for the Kativik School Board to not be involved in negotiations.

“The KSB apparently has over 1,000 employees and they’re a major organization. They need to be a part of the process. They’re education experts and we need that knowledge to run a government,” he said.

But though self-government may be why Oovaut entered the race, he said he’s equally concerned with the region’s economic development.

He would like to start pilot projects for sewing amautis and mittens for the Southern market. If elected, he hopes to pursue patenting the amauti design, develop eco-tourism in the region and ensure economic initiatives are equally distributed throughout Nunavik.

He also wants to press the federal government to recognize the dog slaughter of the 1950s and 1960s, and he promises to build a memorial to the event.

Oovaut will have a lot to learn about Makivik if he wins, but he said he would bring an open mind to the position.

“I will behave like a judge and hear both sides of the case in self government [and all issues]. I like to work with people. I like to hear their concerns. My point is I don’t know everything. But I can learn from you and you can learn from me,” he said.

But Oovaut faces tough competition from Aatami.

Since Aatami took Makivik’s helm four and a half years ago after the mid-term resignation of Zebedee Nungaq, he’s developed a thorough understanding of the organization’s many projects.

The birthright organization has also started several new programs under Aatami’s administration. It developed a twice-yearly food basket program, began a marine infrastructure agreement with the federal government, entered into a five-year housing agreement, instituted a 75 per cent discount on Air Inuit flights for beneficiaries, and signed a billion-dollar economic agreement with Quebec.

But Aatami said he is seeking a third mandate because work remains unfinished. Many important projects, such as the offshore agreement-in-principle with the federal government, need completion.

“I want to be planning what we’re going to do once we sign the final agreement with the compensation funds that we will receive. How they will be used, that’s something I want to plan with the Inuit of Nunavik. Also, the selection of the islands, which 80 per cent are we going to keep and which 20 per cent are we going to give up,” he said.

Popert, who was on a tour of Nunavik’s communities, could not be reached to outline her platform.