Almost from the day of Makivik Corp.’s latest election, we at The Nation tried to reach the new President, Simeonie Nalukturuk, to interview him. We called his secretaries and assistants nearly every day for two months, only to be told Nalukturuk was always busy, in meetings or on the road.

Who was the relatively unknown new Inuit leader? Would he bring a new direction to Makivik?

Not everyone saw eye-to-eye with Sen. Charlie Watt. But at least it was clear where the previous president of Makivik Corp. stood on the issues. When Watt was rejected by Inuit voters in last spring’s election, that changed.

“He’s a bit media-shy,” Makivik’s information officer, Steven Hendrie, said of Nalukturuk. “You’re dealing with the Inuit, who tend to be much more low-key than the Crees.” Hendrie said the Crees are “media savvy,” whereas Nalukturuk has “different priorities.”

Below we have reprinted written responses to a list of questions we submitted to Nalukturuk through his secretaries.

The more personal questions were left unanswered. We were told to ask these questions of Nalukturuk directly, but four months after his election, still proves to be media-shy.

The Nation: Congratulations on your election victory. How did you feel when you heard you had won the election?

Makivik Corp.: AskSN [Simeonie Nalukturuk]

What was the first thing you did?

Ask SN

Why do you think the Inuit elected you over Charlie Watt?

There was obviously a desire for a change in the style of leadership. It was also clear that the people of Nunavik maintain their support for the principle direction and policies of Makivik.

What is the biggest challenge that you now face?

The biggest challenge will be to achieve self-government for the people of Nunavik.

This means not only reaching agreements that will provide us with the capacity to be self-governing, but also ensuring that we have the economic base to provide a future for ourselves and our children. At the same time we are very conscious of the need to protect our environment and to strengthen our culture.

Zebedee Nungak said in the recent press conference you held with Hydro-Quebec that you would bring mostly a change in style. What changes would you like to make?

AskSN

What policies of Charlie Watt’s do you agree with that you would continue to pursue? And what policies do you disagree with that you would change?

Policies are approved by the members of Makivik’s Board of Directors. There is one member for each community. As President, I am more of an executor than a policy-maker. This being said, I will continue with the main ongoing files, which involve continuing negotiations on self-government with Quebec, the two sets of negotiations regarding the proposed Great Whale project, the implementation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, and our off-shore claim negotiations.

You got a lot of support from Puvirnituq. How will you make this community feel that it is getting all the benefits it feels it should be getting out of Makivik?

I received good support from Puvirnituq as well as from many other communities. Puvirnituq will not be getting preferential treatment over the other communities. However, I have met with the representatives of that community and discussions regarding relations between Makivik and Puvirnituq will continue.

How hard are you finding it dealing with Makivik’s bureaucracy? Do you plan any changes? There were complaints during the election that there isn’t enough debate. How will you address this?

I am sure it is not more difficult to deal with Makivik’s bureaucracy than it was to deal with the Kativik Regional Government, or any other bureaucracy of that size. No major changes are planned and the population will have opportunities to debate any issues. Structures are in place to do just that, and I will be in continuous contact with the various communities. We hold regular board meetings either by telephone conference call, or in person with members from all communities, and from time to time we hold all-organization meetings which bring together the members of the Makivik Board, and elected leaders of all Nunavik organizations.

Some Crees think that under Charlie Watt, Makivik didn’t work very closely with the Crees. Do you think any changes are necessary in Inuit-Cree relations?

The relations between the Inuit and the Cree are generations old, and they are based on mutual respect and the defense of mutual interests. We do not always have the same approach to the issues we have in common. But our long-term objectives remain the same. Both the Inuit and the Cree demand the right to determine their own future and to participate fully in decisions that affect them and their region of the world. We are obviously stronger if we work together, and that will not change.

Do you think Hydro-Quebec could go ahead with the Great Whale project without a deal with the Inuit and the Crees? Is this not a violation of indigenous rights?

There are strictly legal rights involved, as well as basic human rights. Neither Hydro-Quebec nor any other government organization can ignore either in making its plans for the future. We have chosen to continue the process of negotiation with Hydro-Quebec on the question of Great Whale. Let me say clearly that we have not decided if we are for or against the project. We will evaluate all aspects of the project and will come to a decision. We expect that this decision will be respected.

What do you say to Inuit and Crees who are disappointed that Makivik signed the Agreement-in-Principle with Hydro-Quebec?

I do not know of many Inuit who are disappointed over the signing of the Agreement-in-Principle The people of Nunavik accept that signing the agreement gives us the capacity to judge for ourselves all the economic and social impacts Great Whale could have on our people and our region. We have not closed any doors, nor have we in any way compromised our right to make a final decision on this project. The Inuit are united in believing it is better to be at the table than away from it.

What objectives does Makivik have in the talks on self-determination with Quebec?

In the Nunavik Constitution, published in January 1991, we stated the following objectives: 1 ) Assure protection and development of cultures and traditions in Nunavik; 2) Unite and integrate our communities, regional institutions and people; 3) Maintain, protect and develop the use of all official languages in Nunavik; 4) Protect the environment in and surrounding Nunavik to ensure sustainable development for present and future generations; 5) Encourage economic development; 6) Promote more employment; 7) Provide support and develop education and training for residents of Nunavik; 8) Achieve adequate living standards in all communities and equitable distribution benefits; 9) Encourage and support local decision-making in our communities and the recognition of tradition and custom of Inuit in such decision-making; 10) Secure the necessary funds and revenues for Nunavik to ensure good and reliable government; 11) Maintain and encourage relations with other Inuit and other peoples; 12) Develop an equitable balance between collective and individual rights; 13) Protect the rights and welcome the contributions of all residents of Nunavik; 14) Promote and implement all aboriginal and treaty rights of native peoples in Nunavik; 15) Create an accountable, efficient, fair, reliable and effective government within Nunavik.

Are the Inuit of Nunavik worried about Quebec sovereignty? Do the Inuit have the same right of self-determination as Quebec?

The decisions that will be taken by the people of Quebec over the next several years will be taken through a democratic process. Any decision about self-determination would lead to negotiations with all the parties concerned, including the aboriginal people of the province. The Inuit of Nunavik would of course have definite views and principles to put on the table if this occurred.

How are talks progressing with Quebec on commercialization of food?

Makivik signed a commercialization agreement with Quebec on November 11, 1993. The Naskapi also signed the agreement, and the Crees have since signed it as well. So talks with Quebec are quite favourable. The project of commercializing country foods is worthy of a story in its own right; you could write book on it. Suffice it to say at this point that Makivik has invested considerable sums of money, time and effort to develop a new organization called Nunavik Arctic Foods Inc., and has in the past year developed a five-year business plan and overseen the construction of community processing centres in Kangiqsualujjuaq, Quaqtaq and Umiujaq. Pilot projects on the harvesting and processing of caribou, seal and ptarmigan have been done in these communities. It is a promising venture and will capitalize on the skills of hunters in Nunavik.

Makivik has complained of unfair taxation of the Inuit of Nunavik. In what ways are they overtaxed and what is being done to change this?

This is also a topic worthy of a book-sized answer. You may remember that when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced, Inuit actually went to Ottawa in sizable numbers to demonstrate on Parliament Hill against the introduction of the tax. The reason is quite simple: We are essentially an island, with no road links to the rest of the country. All the perishable foodstuff we consume arrives in all the Nunavik communities by air freight, which is a taxable service under the GST. So the food we eat ends up being taxed, and is considerably more expensive than elsewhere. We have argued our case in front of parliamentary standing committees on finances (looking into alternatives to the GST).

We have also formed a taxation working group with members of various ministries at the provincial government level in an effort to gain more favourable taxation status. We are arguing for similar taxation treatment as the residents of the Magdeleine Islands (an isolated region cut off from the rest of the province due to the lack of road connections). This taxation working group has been established for more than a year now.

Finally, regarding taxation matters, about two years ago when former federal finance minister Michael Wilson made changes to the Income Tax Act, it became necessary for all citizens to fill out their income tax form if they were to be assured of receiving certain social benefits. Previously, these benefits were paid as a matter of course. The result of this change in Nunavik was that people who had never filled out income tax forms were suddenly faced with its annual burden. As you must know, it is a burden for most Canadians to accomplish. In Nunavik, it was virtually impossible as the forms are only available in French or English, and there are few H&R Blocks in Nunavik (none actually).

So the problem was that residents of Nunavik would have been essentially cut off from receiving these benefits which they were entitled to. Makivik created the income tax project to assist Nunavik residents to fill out their income tax forms. The project started two years ago. We have worked with Revenue Canada in order to obtain permission from residents to collect tax refunds retroactively to 1986. We have had excellent results with this project, and have been able to return over $1.5 million to Nunavik residents in the process. For 1993, Makivik oversaw the training of community tax preparers using IBM-compatible computers in each community to process the income tax forms for Nunavik residents. We anticipate similar refunds for Nunavik residents.

The situation of the High Arctic exiles remains unresolved due to stalling by Ottawa. If you could speak to the official who dreamed up this idea, what would you tell him?

The basic problem with the issue of the High Arctic exiles was that the Inuit people involved were never given the simple respect of being consulted on their own fate. Even the government has admitted that they were treated in a way that was paternalistic and insensitive. Not being consulted contributed to the tremendous physical suffering these people had to endure in the first years of their exile. Makivik has consistently maintained that the High Arctic exiles must receive an apology from the government for the way they were treated, and they should receive fair compensaiton. Moreover, their contribution in establishing Canada’s sovereignty in the High Arctic islands should be recognized.

Makivik’s 92-93 annual report says Inuit face “extreme hardship” in terms of high unemployment and high food costs. What do you plan to do about this?

The problems we face in Nunavik, including unemployment and the high costs of transportation, are the same as those faced by all northern peoples. Achieving self-government will certainly be a major step in enabling us to shape policies and programs that meet the specific needs of our communities. In addition to this, we recognize the need to acquire a reliable economic base upon which to build a future for our people. Some of this will occur through private-sector economic development based on natural resources and the provision of services to our communities. There are opportunities for resource development and other economic activities to provide stable employment. The challenge will be to exploit those opportunities while establishing rules and regulations that ensure we are protecting our environment and our culture. That is why self-government is so closely tied to our economic objectives.