Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 29/01) - Maybe you remember her as a flight attendant offering a hot meal and warm smile. Or perhaps she flashed you a playful grin before disappearing over a ridge on her new snowmobile.

Either way, Eva Onalik is committed to seeing more Inuit reach high profile, high ranking jobs.

Eva Onalik: Committed to seeing more Inuit reach high ranking jobs.

News/North: You are a former flight attendant, a rather glamorous job. Or is it? Eva Onalik: It's a lot of fun. Travelling around. Seeing other places, meeting new people.

N/N: Have the hijacked flights into the World Trade Centre twin towers Sept. 11 affected business in the North? Ticket sales haven't dropped?

EO: No, this is a time when lots of people fly. It's different in the North. Everybody knows each other, creating a feeling of safety.

N/N: Has it affected you personally?

EO: No, because I'm trained to be ready for an emergency when I step on a plane. Every time.

N/N: What prompted you to make the transition to sales three years ago?

EO: Working for our own (Inuit) airline. Nunasi bought Canadian North in 1998. That's why I joined the airlines in 1985. To serve the people in our language. My interest in the airline goes back to when I was a kid and I'd travel.

N/N: How many Inuktitut-speaking flight attendants were there in 1985?

EO: Dorothy Tootoo, she's with Air Canada at the moment. There was another girl but when she became pregnant she resigned.

N/N: Why is it important to have Inuktitut-speaking flight attendants?

EO: For passenger safety if an emergency arises. And I had a mother who couldn't speak English so I understood not understanding another language.

N/N: You must have met people on medical travel?

EO: There were cases where passengers were flying to Montreal for a cancer diagnosis. They'd be worried and just talking to them during the flight would put them at ease. They'd tell me that.

N/N: Were you ever in an emergency situation?

EO: Just a fire-indication light in the cockpit. But everything was fine.

N/N: Anything you miss about being a flight attendant?

EO: The days off (laughs). You put so many hours in. Then you had a nice stretch of days off. And I miss the people. Getting off a flight and seeing them smiling. In sales, you can't please everybody.

N/N: Who is the most famous person you met?

EO: (Member of Parliament) Jane Stewart and retired hockey players.

N/N: You were born and raised in Iqaluit?

EO: Apex.

N/N: So you knew Bill MacKenzie. Did you go to his estate sale?

EO: No, I forgot about it. I wanted to go because I like antiques.

N/N: What's something you wish you did more of in school?

EO: Further my education.

N/N: How far did you go?

EO: High school, GREC -- Gordon Robertson Education Centre. Grade 11. I went through some tough times, family life.

N/N: Do you come from a big family?

EO: There are seven of us. Five are adopted.

N/N: You mentioned earlier you were shy. Did you outgrow it in high school?

EO: Towards the end.

N/N: Do you keep in touch with high school friends?

EO: When I go to other settlements, Ottawa. I love it.

N/N: Do you think community high schools are a good thing?

EO: It's good for students to stay home.

N/N: If you went back to school what would you study?

EO: (Long pause.) Marketing and sales. When I accepted this job, I was so excited and I'm still learning. It's like training on the job.

N/N: What's your ideal vacation?

EO: Quiet and peaceful.

N/N: Hot or cold?

EO: Hot.

N/N: How hot?

EO: Caribbean, lying on the beach.

N/N: What's something you feel strongly about as an Inuit?

EO: We are moving ahead, we have jobs unlike the ones our parents had.

N/N: Do you think there should be more Inuit in management and government jobs?

EO: Yes, but it is better than before.

N/N: What's going to make that happen?

EO: More training.

N/N: And school?

EO: When I finished high school, not too many people went to college because there was no college here in Iqaluit.

N/N: Like the Akitsiraq Law School, what other professions need more Inuit?

EO: Doctors and pilots. We (Canadian North) are in the process of training Inuit right now. The reason Nunasi bought Canadian North was so beneficiaries had jobs. And our president makes it very clear we want beneficiaries working within the NorTerra group of companies.

N/N: Who are your role models?

EO: I have a great respect for elders. So much has changed for them is such a short period of time. I remember when we got our first washer in the 1980s. My adopted mother had no idea how to operate it. She couldn't read the directions. Everything (technology) was coming in so fast. I think it's difficult to adapt.

N/N: What do you do for fun?

EO: I bought a snowmobile last spring. I like getting away, camping. I'm looking forward to it this year.

N/N: Are you married?

EO: No.

N/N: What's it like dating in Iqaluit?

EO: I don't go on too many dates.

N/N: If you could switch places with someone for a day, who would it be?

EO: Another Inuit?

N/N: Anyone.

EO: Probably a president within the airline. I've always been a flight attendant and sales now. It would be interesting to see how things look from the top down.

N/N: What was your New Year's resolution?

EO: Probably like a lot of people, to quit smoking.

N/N: Any luck?

EO: No.

N/N: Any words of advice for youth?

EO: Stay in school, even though it seems difficult at the time. Ask questions, ask for help. Don't be afraid to reach out for help during a tough time.