Inuit women’s association in crosshairs of ‘Me too’ movement

Inuit Me Too is picking up steam with Nunavut's senator weighing in calling for abusive men to be removed from leadership roles, echoing the national Inuit organization

A movement dubbed ‘Inuit me too’ is sweeping across Inuit nunangat and beyond, with women speaking out against abusive men in leadership positions under a shared hashtag.

But the national representative body for Inuit women has found itself in the crosshairs, being called out over anti-LGBTQ2 social media posts purportedly made by its new board chair.

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada tells Global News chairwoman Looee Mike “is taking a leave of absence from the board, while alleged conduct is investigated.”

The organization is tight-lipped about the sudden dismissal of CEO Nikki Komaksiutiksak, a queer woman, while investigating claims its new board chair made anti-LGBTQ2 social media posts.

Komaksiutiksak also wouldn’t comment and Mike didn’t respond to an interview request.

But many Inuit women are speaking out, including Polaris Prize winning singer/songwriter and author Tanya Tagaq.

“That’s supposed to be an Inuit organization for Inuit women,” Tagaq says. “If people in that organization can’t push aside their internal biases to follow the mandate, then it is a defunct corporation. The whole thing doesn’t work.”

On Thursday, Nunavut Senator Nancy Karetek-Lindell added her voice, with a lengthy statement on her senate social media page saying, “a neutral stance or staying silent in the face of harm reinforces and allows abuse to continue.”