SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Aboriginal women across the territory aren't being properly represented because of internal conflicts at the Native Women's Association of the NWT, board members say.

The association, which receives annual funding from the territorial government, hasn't held an official meeting since July, and no date has been set for its 2010 annual general meeting when elections to the board are typically held. Meanwhile, all of the board's five elected regional directors say the non-profit organization is dysfunctional and that conflicts with the president, Terry Villeneuve, who is at the end of a second three-year term, have kept them from properly serving their constituents.

Every aboriginal woman who lives in the NWT qualifies as a member of the association, which was founded in 1978 to provide training to women across the territory and to advocate on their behalf.

"This organization is really in trouble and it's not operating as it should be," said Lisa Duncan, Sahtu regional director. "We are not serving the needs of the women of the Northwest Territories anymore."

"Right now it's serving a select few and it has to stop."

Much of the problem, according to Duncan and the other regional directors, stems from an apparent conflict of interest in the hiring of the president's daughter to work as the association's finance officer, which has led to a perception of favouritism in the operation of the organization - a perception that all regional directors said they share.

Since the association receives $230,000 annually plus a $169,000 grant-in-kind from the GNWT, Duncan has written letters to Sandy Lee, minister responsible for the status of women, and Justice Minister Jackson Lafferty asking for help in addressing those concerns. She received no response.

Beaufort regional director Agnes Kuptana, who lives in Ulukhaktok, has been a part of the women's association since it was founded. She said she no longer trusts the organization's ability to represent all aboriginal women fairly.

"Our people elected us, believing in us that we would voice for them as one and not bicker with each other," she said.

But now, Kuptana said, "the board is overrun."

"They have no voice. It is very frustrating," she added. "When she (Villeneuve) got elected I said, 'we know as a president that you will be voicing for everyone equally and not just individual people, because otherwise nothing is going to work.' And this is what happened."

Kuptana was not present at the association's July meeting because the executive told her it would be too expensive to fly her to Yellowknife.

At that meeting, the board passed several motions - including requests for a forensic audit and an external review of operations - that have not been implemented. Members also struck up a sub-committee to plan the 2010 annual general meeting before the calendar year is over.

Villeneuve, who lives in Fort Resolution, said the AGM hasn't happened yet because the association doesn't have enough money to host it. She denied allegations that the organization isn't functioning properly and said she doesn't see a conflict of interest in her daughter taking care of finances because the finance officer reports to the executive director, not the president.

"There's no conflict of interest. I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

According to the association's constitution, the executive director - currently Sharon Thomas - is to be hired by the board, however the regional directors allege they weren't properly informed about the president's decision to fill the position after Cynthia James Cardinal, former executive director, resigned earlier this year. The constitution also notes that the board has no authority to interfere with daily staff operations of the organization.

"There are a lot of things going on but we can't control it," said North Slave regional director Lena Gargan, who's been on the board for six years. "Now we're trying to get some local women members to write letters if they have a concern."

Any 10 NWT women members of the association can call a special general meeting by presenting a petition to the president or the

vice-president.

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