Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Jun 25/01) - The executive council of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association last week asked president Meeka Kilabuk to take a leave of absence.
Kilabuk, under fire for her management style and the organization's current disarray and staff shortages, was asked to step down from her presidency from June 29 to July 18. She will resume her position when the board travels to Grise Fiord for its quarterly board meeting next month.
Kilabuk was on holidays last week and could not be reached for comment.
However, Salamonie Shoo, the association's manager of lands and resources and the organization's former acting executive director, confirmed that Kilabuk was asked to take time away from the organization.
"The leave of absence was at the request of the executive committee," said Shoo. "I'm not sure why -- maybe to do with stress. They wanted her to get away for a while."
Paul Quassa, Nunavut Tunngavik's president, expressed his concern about QIA earlier in the week.
"People have come up to me and talked to me about it," said Quassa. "(NTI) is responsible to bring it up at the board level. I'm concerned about it and I'm sure my other executive members are."
Because NTI funds QIA and is responsible to ensure the association fulfils its duties under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, Quassa said he felt obligated to raise the matter of the troubled birthright organization at a special teleconference board meeting held late Friday afternoon.
The decision comes a week after the association fired is executive director, John Amagoalik, after only three months on the job.
Amagoalik said at a press conference he was unfairly dismissed and called for Kilabuk to resign. He said he had tried to discuss the QIA problems, including a series of resignations, with Kilabuk, but was rebuffed.
