Currently, I’m a senior consultant with the NVision Insight Group. Before that, I had my own business focusing on community and human resource development. My career has mainly been focused on capacity building at the local level and strategizing to support Inuit and our communities in defining their own paths—both in where they want to go and how they choose to get there. Additionally, I have a political background as the past President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) where I advocated for similar issues at the regional level. I also have extensive experience as Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK). I’ve been advocating and lobbying for Inuit interests, what we want, and how we want it done up here in Nunavut. Incidentally, I have worked for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), for the Federal Government, and for the Government of Nunavut, again focusing on human resources. As an assistant executive director with NTI, I was asked to lead the discussions and negotiations on the Nunavut Unified Human Resources Development Strategy, representing Inuit of Nunavut. That’s how I got involved with the Working Group. I had taken college and university courses but never completed a degree. Most of my work and life experience have been dedicated to community development and human resources. I was assistant executive director at NTI when they asked me to lead the discussions with the Working Group on Human Resources and Training. The consultation around the Strategy lasted for about two years, between 1994 and 1996. The Group included the Government of Northwest Territories (GNWT), Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, and the Federal Government, as well as other committees, to discuss the Inuit workforce, training needs, and human resource needs with this thing called “Nunavut” that was coming up. We were to discuss what we meant by Inuit leading and running the workforce. We talked about whether it was possible and how we aimed to include Inuit in the government. It was particularly exciting to be working with people such as the Deputy Minister of the GNWT and senior officials from the Federal Government. It was a great experience and a good way to get to know how governments worked in strategy sessions. On a personal level, it was my first experience at that kind of level of negotiation. I worked with a team and was one of the leads attending meetings related to the development of the strategy. At the same time, I was also part of the senior management development program. Reflecting back, there was a strong sense of possibility and opportunity in those discussions. At the same time, people were often protective and, at times, territorial about their respective roles and responsibilities. There was a tendency for participants to stay within the boundaries of their own institutions or departments—whether in the education sector, the Department of Executive, or the Federal government—and to apply similarly rigid limits to the contributions of others. From an Inuit perspective, and within NTI, the emphasis was different. We focused on collaboration and cooperation—on how to move forward together rather than deferring to jurisdictional boundaries or areas of control. NTI, in particular, was encouraged to take a collaborative approach: to think about how we, as Nunavummiut, could work holistically and engage as many partners as possible. The goal was to ensure that efforts were aligned in a way that would ultimately achieve a broader vision for Nunavut. Yes, I think that’s accurate—and, in many ways, it remains the case today. Too much work continues to happen in silos, with responsibilities divided rather than integrated. …
