Tunraluk era at NTI begins on solid footing
Clear winner in healthy election gives new president a strong mandate to lead at an important time for Nunavut Inuit
Jeremy Tunraluk speaks at the Nov. 30 Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. presidential debate in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Nunavut voters have spoken, and three good things came out of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s presidential election: there was a clear decision, it was from a respectable number of voters, and every region of Nunavut was represented.
New president Jeremy Tunraluk has a strong mandate to lead the organization at a time when there’s a lot of important business on the horizon.
Tunraluk won Monday’s election, taking 34 per cent of the votes cast compared to 32 per cent for runner-up Cathy Towtongie. Two other candidates, Andrew Nakashuk and Nicole Camphaug, split the remaining 34 per cent. In a four-way race, one-third of the votes is considered a healthy win.
Tunraluk, who was born in Arctic Bay and lives in Iqaluit, enjoyed solid backing from the Qikiqtani Region. He topped the polls in eight of its 13 communities and came in second in the other five.
In the Kivalliq, he won in two communities and finished a strong second in five.
The Kitikmeot Region is another matter, where the new president finished in second place in two hamlets and third in the other three.
He talked a good game about representing the entire territory, filling what he called a “void” that exists between NTI and beneficiaries.
During the campaign, Tunraluk made an effort to visit different parts of Nunavut. The day after his win, he told a reporter he plans to visit each community in the territory, or to have a team visit them.
The proof will be in the pudding but he’s off to a good start, and even beneficiaries in the Kitikmeot have reason to believe he’s their president too.
It was encouraging that 67 per cent of Inuit beneficiaries who were eligible to vote did cast ballots — even though they had to be paid to do so.
That turnout is comparable to federal, territorial or municipal elections.
The dismally low turnout in the 2021 presidential election — 17.6 per cent — meant former president Aluki Kotierk faced the challenge of leading the organization where fewer than one in five members cared enough to vote.
Tunraluk won’t have that same challenge. He can confidently assert his leadership, knowing two-thirds of beneficiaries participated in the democratic process.
It’s also encouraging that he made time to talk to a Nunatsiaq News reporter the day after his big win. He had been accessible when reporters wanted to ask him questions during the campaign — as were the other three candidates.
Hopefully, that will continue over his four-year term. Tunraluk said he told Premier P.J. Akeeagok, “we’re not always going to agree.”
The same is true with the media, but if both sincerely resolve to help Nunavummiut, we can agree to disagree while maintaining a professional relationship.
It’s going to be an important four years. Tunraluk will be sitting in the president’s seat when Nunavut’s devolution agreement with the federal government takes effect in 2027.
On the housing front, the Government of Nunavut will need to make a lot of progress on its Nunavut 3000 plan to build 3,000 new homes in the territory by 2030. While it’s the GN’s plan, NTI plays a role in housing.
And while the lawsuit NTI brought against the Nunavut government over Inuktut instruction in schools is still before the courts, Tunraluk has signalled he’s interested in a more conciliatory approach with the GN than his predecessor.
Voting is a relatively new concept to older Inuit and is a totally western thing. Inuit don’t know how one vote impacts outcomes.
Our experience with anything of governance is that decisions have always been made for us and we’ve been forced to accept it.
Some Inuit, who struggle daily, aren’t exposed to the privilege of politics and the internet and social media.
It would help too if the leaders actually visited their constituents.
I can’t agree more, Inuit have come to this western system in a very short period of time, one to two generations in the family, it’s incredible how quickly things have changed in the last 60 years,
Completely different lifestyle, completely different values and needs, completely different rules and laws in a very short period of time.
It hasn’t been easy at all with residential schools and the abuse and all but with even all that we have come a long way in a very short time.
We still have a lot of work ahead of us to make our home land to what we want and need but we are getting there, the younger generations have been stepping up and they keep surprising us with how well they are doing in trades, academia and so on. With moving into this new world so fast we cannot leave behind who we are, we need to know where we come from, where our ancestors came from, culturally, our traditions, our language, we need to include these more in this new western system we are trying to navigate through.
Yes, Western-style government, based on voting, is fairly new to Inuit, but it’s condescending to claim that Inuit don’t understand voting. In 1992 the Inuit turnout on the vote to ratify the land claim was nearly 70% and there were a lot more Inuit unfamiliar with Western political processes then. And turnout in territorial elections is fairly high. If NTI were operating effectively and doing things that matter to Inuit there would be lots of incentive to vote in NTI elections. Paying people to vote is an admission that NTI lacks credibility.
Nunavut voters have spoken, and three good things came out of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s presidential election: there was a clear decision, it was from a respectable number of voters, and every region of Nunavut was represented;
Even the writer is out of touch with Nunavut! How can someone be a clear winner, when you pay people to go vote, I’m 100% sure majority of people just selected any box, why? Nunavut’s numbers show such disrespect to democracy, paying people to vote, what a joke! Anyone of them could have won, we’ll never no, you get what you pay for.
Just how many people think now on future voting, will want something out of it, ”What are we getting next election”? NOTHING!! what??? “well I won’t be voting this year”. one of the stupidest things I’ve lived through, YEAH I voted cause its my right too!! What kind of leadership are we showing for our children?
The editors milquetoast response to people being paid to vote is pretty much on point for how I’ve come to see most of his editorial work as of late; avoid serious issues, reflect and muse on tertiary ones, make sure nothing offendable is said.
“It was from a respectable number of voters”.
When you can’t be sure that voters were voting for the right reason, that they even knew what the people stood for that they were voting for, then the number of voters doesn’t matter.
I’d rather win with a majority of voters who voted because they wanted to, rather than win with a plurality of voters who were paid to vote.
I which order the names were on the ballot and if that had anything to do with the outcome. That is, paid voters just checking off the first box.
A ranked ballot would have given a clearer mandate.
I disagree Inuit don,t understand voting, we vote for various council committees, co-op commities, DEA committee, they understand.
When are we getting put 100 goft card in Ontario?
when you move back to nunavut. go ahead and vote in ontairo elections.
If you voted in the NTI election out of territory, you should receive a $100 prepaid visa.
With all due respect Corey, when you have to pay the voter to vote it’s not a healthy election.