Inuit org boss replies to editorial
I thank the editor for pointing out in his Feb. 5 editorial “The real hypocrites,” the incredible strides in health and well-being that Inuit have made in the past 60 years.
But Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami would do Inuit a great disservice if it did not continue to advocate for increased services in Arctic regions. There is no hypocrisy in shedding light on the inequalities in health outcomes that exist between Inuit and all other Canadians. I invite you to come to Nunavik and see with your own eyes what’s being done to address these disparities.
I find the editor’s sanctimonious tone and demoralizing diatribe to be distasteful at best, bordering on slanderous. It is hardly a good use of newsprint to incite divisiveness over crucial issues of Inuit health.
For an editor who rarely picks up the phone, it is hypocritical indeed to interpret any perceived silence on my part in your pages to be a lack of opinion, concern or action.
Pita Aatami
Acting President
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
Email your letters to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Nunatsiaq News welcomes letters to the editor. But we are under no obligation to publish any given letter at any given time.
In our print edition, we usually print letters on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. In our online edition, we usually print letters as soon as we are able to prepare them for publication.
All letters are edited for length, grammar, punctuation, spelling, taste and libel. You may withhold your name by request, but we must know who you are before we publish your letter.
(24) Comments:
Pita, did you lose your marbles? There is no way you can defend scilence and inaction especially when you were caught with your hands in your Beneficiaries cookie jar.
That bonus money you idiots approved could have been used to higher a doctor in one of your communities for at least 4-5 years improving the lives of your people instead of your net worth!
Your actions talk more then your words
Slap that writer guy down.
He probably gets a bonus for doing his job too.
Jim Bob tell us about your bonus, so the letter writer can slap you with it.
“it is hypocritical indeed to interpret any perceived silence on my part in your pages to be a lack of opinion, concern or action.”
It is not only the perceived silence, it is the complete silence to the abuses of the children that shows that lack of concern or action. The net worth of the “inner circle” of the leaders grow, as the light at the end of the tunnel dims on the future of the children of the North.
Well Mr. Aatami, I’ve read your letter and I’ve read the editorial by Mr. Bell. When you compare the two, Mr. Bell offers links to other articles and compelling evidence supporting his position. In your letter, you offer…*insert sound of crickets here*...no evidence to contradict Mr. Bell’s editorial. Therefore, I am left to conclude that you have not got the stones to back up calling out the “editor’s sanctimonious tone and demoralizing diatribe”. And the simple fact that your organization voted in favour of giving yourselves EXCESSIVE bonuses (virtually unheard of on any other Board…in the Country) which meant taking money away from Beneficiaries, means that your word is pretty much mud.
Pita you are simply fueled by your need of money and power.
Help your people out with what you have, once you have exhausted all of those resources then ask for more money from the feds, oh, i mean more money for Nunavik and not your own bank account.
For someone complaining that his people do not get given enough from the Feds you sure are doing awfully well for yourself Pita. Nice big bonus you got this year. While you have more than you need, my family is hungry. Why is there this disparity amounst inuit? Why dont you share your excess with those of us who have not been as unfortunate?
You are right on Joe Snow. The editor’s piece was very informative and included accompanying articles that speak to health indicators in the north and other information. I am not sure what Mr. Aatami means by “demoralizing diatribe” and “incite divisiveness over crucial issues of Inuit health.” Today is the time to discuss these issues among Inuit, debate and dialog do not mean becoming divisive. If Mr. Aatami has something to add to the debate it should be action and not sound bites. Children of the North need leaders now. Asuu asks, Why there is disparity amongst Inuit, it is because Inuit choose leaders such as the above.
The dismal picture you had written in your Editorial about the social problems is a government responsibility.
So according to the definition of hypocrisy this would qualify the governments and the democratic society to say they have complete control and responsibility over the social programs but these medical reports/surveys that you have pointed out in your editorial says they are not, is enough evidence to say they are the ones who are being hypocrites.
Inuit leaders have done very well despite lack of legit powers or controls over social programs and one day they will be responsible.
Social problems will exist as long as they are a “job”, it will start changing when it becomes a “responsibility”.
The editorial is totally appropriate in calling Inuit leaders to account. The mandate of “Aatami’s Makivik” mandate for instance is to look after the interest of the Inuit. This organization should be an advocate for it’s people; it’s membership.
It also comes as a surprise that Pita Aatami is the acting President of ITK. There is a great lack of transparency in many Inuit organizations, in many regions. For a few years now, Inuit are becoming them and us people. They don’t tell us anything anymore.
E62G, the problem is we have been waiting patiently for the government to solve our problems. Unfortunately nothing is being done and this is where our leaders have to start acting like leaders and speak up to bring our issues to the table to be addressed.
Our leaders like Pita have to start putting the pressure on the government to address our socail problems.
Wait all you want, without a strong united voice from our leaders in NTI, Makivik, QIA, KIA, the other KIA, ITK and other inuit organizations we will never be heard and our problems will never be solved.
An old saying goes….the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
The only reason why Pita remains scilent is becuase his bank account has been greased very well with his people’s money.
When you are making a lot of money for doing nothing, there is nothing to complain about.
Hunter: You raise some excellent points; especially regarding our leaders of the Iunit Orgs. However, let’s not loose sight of the fact that leaders like Pita must begin with improving themselves before they criticize others. NTI, Makivik, QIA, KIA, have all experienced less than ideal behaviour from our leaders of these orgs. Before they can advocate against the GN, they need to prove themselves as servent leaders to the population and that their orgs are doing everything they can to benefit Nunavut. So far, the leaders have all been all hat and no cattle…or all shiny new sled and no dog team. Instead of spouting vague one-liners about all the work that was done…show us the results. Be accountable.
Pita has been improving his net worth and he has proven though his actions that is all that he cares about.
Pita and Paul over at NTI are jokes, they only care about themselves and it is time they moved on for the good of their people!
Once again, the poor health of Inuit, the lack of adequate investment in health infrastructure by the federal government in what it calls federal lands (Nunavut, northern labrador and northern quebec) to build a good infrastructure, which by the way, Inuit leaders are not responsible for, contributes to the poor social inequities that exist, which by the way, help to fuel the generation upon generation of Inuit who abuse alcohol, drugs etc. and who when they become leaders do what they did best before they became leaders…hello? Once again Jim Bell and rodger dodger are allowed to step on the soapbox of racism, ignorance and total lack of respect for the Inuit overall…
we have to look at Nunavut more than Makivik, at least the money for payouts was only 7 to 8 million, in NTI they lost 150 friggin million dollars. if that money was given to us directly I would be a millionaire. I can’t wait for elections and I will also make a poster of Paul Kalujak standing behind a nuclear mushroom cloud and with the words “Inuit Support the end of the world”!
Happy Iqaluitmiut,
I find it halrious when Inuit revert to playing the racium card when cornered! I have done it may times in my younger days and ended up learning never to be cornered.
Calling our an elected offical is hardly racist! It is calling them to tasks, holding them accountable and responsible for their actions or in this case inactions.
An old saying goes “If you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” Maybe it is time Paul and Pita got out of the kitchen because what they are cooking smells awful!
......don’t get me started on Paul Kaludjak….
Dear NU bene.
Paul K. has naturally curly hair and piercing round eyes…
Dear zero
I was thinking more along the lines of:
He Sunk the Inuit Organization “Sakku”, he’s doing the same with NTI- audit his expenses/receipts.
I can almost guarentee he’s in Vancouver (Olympics). not as an invited Official- yet, NTI foots the bill.
Happy Iqaluitmiut,
Accountability is not rasism. The federal government “invests” about 70K per person in Nunavut in a fiscal year. If Canada did that for every region it would work out to over 2 Trillion. We should know what is being done with that money, NTI, QIA, KIA are in place to ensure the well being of Nunavut, and the betterment of it’s people. If you are happy with the way the youth of Nunavut are cared for; then worrying about “us” who moved to Nunavut because they fell in love with the North and its people are the least of your concerns.
LMFAO good one Nu Beneficiary.
Paul is a scum bag of a leader! He does not care about Nunavut Beneficiaries, he only cares about his personal and private interests.
rodger-dodger,
Nunavut’s approximate average population sits at 35,000 with your figure of $70k a year, the Federal Government is investing 2.45 Billion into Nunavut every year.
Even if we use the low population numbers the Federal Government uses of 30,000 that using your figure of 70K per person turns out to be 2.1 Billion per year.
Government of Nunavut’s fiscal budget sits at aboiut 1.1 Billion, which 99% comes from the Federal Government, where is the rest of the money going? Oh right I forgot they just installed a solid gold toilet seat in the new RCMP HQ in Iqaluit and paid $40,000 for a new hammer to build that building.
I’ve read that INAC bureacracy takes the first 20 percent. Then about another 60% goes to admin., consultants, and other middlemen. That leaves about 20 percent that comes into the community. I’ve always thought that absurd, but it does come up from time to time.
Anyways what ever the Government Gives, first it has to go through all the filters, 5 middle men later, the money finally comes in and it’s not even enough to actually accomplish what it was set out to do. Inac Gets the biggest chunk and proudly displays the left overs for us Inuit.
The money comes and two minutes later it already back in the south and well spent 1.1 billion dollars of federal money.
If our government gets that much to represent us, thats 1.2 billion for 35,000 people and yet 80 % of them are below the poverty line.