Natan Obed changes plan, says he wants another term as ITK president
Natan Obed says he will run as a “veteran” in seeking his fourth term as president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada’s national organization for Inuit, despite previously saying he wouldn’t run again.
“Part of my deliberation in making this decision was recognizing that I would be overturning my statements around the last election,” Obed said in a phone interview Thursday.
“I didn’t make this decision lightly.”
Obed, 49, announced Wednesday he will seek re-election in a Facebook post, the same day ITK opened the nomination period for its Sept. 18 presidential election.
Obed has been at the helm of the national Inuit organization for 10 years and is its longest-serving president. He won the 2015 and 2018 presidential elections, then was acclaimed when no one ran against him in 2021.
During the 2021 campaign, Obed said it would be his final term as president.
But last fall, in the “dying days of the Trudeau government,” he reconsidered that decision.
With a new federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney and international uncertainty stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threats and musings about making Canada the 51st state, Obed said Inuit would benefit from “continuity” in ITK’s leadership.
“I am one of the last Indigenous leaders that is around here in Ottawa from when I first started in 2015. There is an advantage to being a veteran and being somebody that has seen a lot in these last 10 years,” he said.
Not ruling out future bids
Obed said it’s unlikely he will run again in 2029, but adds that he learned his lesson not to be “definitive.”
“Considering that I hadn’t imagined that I would put my name forward for this particular election, I would find it even less likely that I would continue on after this term.”
Over the past decade, ITK co-developed “landmark” legislation like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, led the creation of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, and brought Inuit vision to the national and international stage, Obed said, adding he wants to continue the progress.
He has heard the criticism suggesting he’s seeking re-election for financial gain, but rejected that idea.
“Financial compensation has never been in the forefront for why I work for Inuit,” Obed said.
He confirmed that in 2024, his salary ranged between $300,000 and $349,000.
Presidents of ITK are not directly elected by Inuit Nunangat beneficiaries.
Instead, the head of the organization is selected in a vote among four recognized Inuit organizations: Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.; Makivvik Corp., representing Inuit in Nunavik; Inuvialuit Regional Corp., of the western Arctic; and the Nunatsiavut government, the Inuit lands-claim organization for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Additionally, two delegates from each region and the vice-president of ITK cast a ballot.
Nomination deadline Aug. 28
Candidates must be Inuit beneficiaries over the age of 18. They can be nominated either by a designated member representative from one of the Inuit organizations or write a letter describing their leadership experience, according to the election rules.
The nomination deadline for the ITK presidential election is Aug. 28 at 5 p.m.
As in previous elections, Obed will be nominated by the Nunatsiavut government.
Its president, Johannes Lampe, is so far the only one of the four Inuit organizations’ leaders to publicly voice support for Obed in an interview.
Spokespeople for Makivvik Corp. and Inuvialuit Regional Corp. both declined comment, and a Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. representative couldn’t be reached for comment.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Tsiigehtchic, N.W.T., has a new chief. Here’s what she’s hoping to accomplish, CBC News
Finland: Finnish Court annuls 2023 Sámi elections, The Independent Barents Observer
Norway: Silje Karine Muotka is new President of the Sámi Parliament in Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
