Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 12/99) - Just five days after the official birth of Nunavut, Canada's Inuit took another major step towards self-determination and developing a stronger, more independent economy.

After successfully purchasing Canadian North last spring, the Nunasi Corporation and the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, through the NorTerra Group of Companies, began to negotiate the logistics of reinstating the southbound flight from Iqaluit to Ottawa.

And this past Tuesday afternoon, their dreams were realized at 2:40 p.m. as a 737 aircraft left the tarmac bound for Ottawa for the first time in three-and-a- half years.

Representing the Qikiqtaaluk Corporation on Nunasi's board of directors, Jerry Ell said the flight signalled just one more area where Inuit were moving ahead.

"Inuit are much closer to more control in our own hands," Ell said.

"Same thing on the economic front. The acquisition of Canadian North and the scheduled flights between Iqaluit and Ottawa is just another example of what Inuit are trying to do whether it's political, social or economical," Ell said.

Canadian North's president, Carmen Loberg, echoed Ell's words and added that the Inuit-owned airline planned to aggressively reinstate itself in the marketplace.

As well as offering flights three times a week to start and escalating to six-days a week in the fall, Loberg said he hoped to be able to stimulate new traffic to the North.

"I think we'll probably be able to take some market shares from First Air for all kinds of reasons -- preferences, schedules, fares. But we're going to be very aggressive and aggressive on competition," Loberg said.

He explained that through different fee schedules, freight rates and their partnership with Baffin-based Kenn Borek Air, Canadian North hoped to be able to provide cheaper and better connected flights throughout Nunavut to Canada's capital.

Loberg also said that the airline intended to earn their clients by working hard over the next few years to provide a more culturally- sensitive service.

"We're going to work really hard at doing a good job of that. We'd like to put a little more Northern flavour in our Northern services, some country foods, things like that. They'll be highly respectful of our Northern environment and culture," Loberg said.

During a reception held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa following the high-spirited inaugural flight on Tuesday, John Amagoalik noted that while it was important for an airline to show a profit, it was equally important for them to relate effectively to their clientele.

Along with providing discounted flights for Inuit to attend funerals of their loved ones, he mentioned the need for unilingual Inuit customers to be treated with respect.

"It helps to ease the anxiety of the unilingual elders who have to travel south," Amagoalik said. He added that while he realized such services might seem small to others, they were very important to the shareholders and the Northern-based market.

"The on-board crew should serve tea or a glass of water before the liquor cart comes out."

It's the little things that are important," Amagoalik said.

Nunavut Tunngavik's president, also on-board the flight and at the reception, implored the airline to take Amagoalik's advice and to further their training programs for beneficiaries.

"Develop training for Inuit pilots and all other aspects of staff," Kusugak said.

He also complimented the high level of service already offered by the crew.

"When you see they have telephones, television service, I think it's right up there with the best of airlines and it means they care about their Northern customers. I'm beyond happy."