ICC Canada

Lisa Koperqualuk

Vice President – International Affairs

Lisa Qiluqqi Koperqualuk was born in Puvirnituq on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Northern Quebec (Nunavik). She was raised by her grandparents Lydia and Aisa Koperqualuk. When her elementary schooling was done in Nunavik, she continued her education in Southern Canada earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from
Concordia University, Montreal; and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from Laval University, Quebec City. Her areas of interest include lnuit political and community development, education, justice (particularly lnuit customary law), the northern environment, and the lnuit culture and language.

Lisa’s experience at Makivvik Corporation as Communications Officer during seven years gave her an understanding of lnuit self-determination, political and economic development. She represented Makivvik in a number of regional, national and international forums such as ICC Conferences in Kuujjuaq20Q2 and Barrow 2006 (as delegate), as well as the United Nations Permanent Forum on lndigenous lssues. She participated in the Arctic Governance Task Force of the University of Washington, whose school of international Relations collaborated with Makivvik. She also joined the Coordination Autochtone Francophone, an international body of French speaking lndigenous peoples, for two years. Her experience at the Federation of the Cooperatives of Northern Quebec (FCNO) for three years also brought a keen awareness of the importance of greater economic and political autonomy in lnuit Nunangat.

As the co-founder and former president of Saturviit lnuit Women’s Association of Nunavik, the issues of socialjustice concerning lnuit women and children lead her to spearhead a study looking into the lnuit women’s situation in Nunavik based on their perspective. The Resfore Hope and Peace report raised issues expressed by lnuit women of Nunavik on housing needs, education and employment, violence and abuse and the justice system in Nunavik.

As an anthropologist and writer she has published several papers and made presentations on the above-mentioned topics. For example she wrote the conclusion of the book Arvik, about the return of the bowhead whale hunt in Nunavik. A history project with Avataq
Cultural lnstitute allowed her to examine how lnuit perceive customary law in Nunavik, resulting in the publication of Traditions Relating to Customary Law of Nunavimmiuf. She studied the political and religious dynamics of an lnuit community for her thesis.

Lisa is a member of the Kativik Environmental Quality Commission (KEQC) since 2010, an independent decision-making body responsible for evaluating and reviewing development projects in Nunavik. KEQC was created by virtue of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNOA), governed by section 23 of the JBNQA and the Environmental Quality Act of Quebec. She is part of the Research Team, since July 2017, of the National lnquiry into Missing and Murdered lndigenous Women and Girls, a part{ime position.

Her fluency in lnuktitut, English and French lends her the capacity to communicate easily between different cultures bringing the lnuit voice to the fore.

She is the mother of two boys, the eldest being involved in lnuit arts and the youngest being a pilot for Air lnuit. ln her hobbies she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing in the north, berry-picking in the tundra, and travelling. She has been practicing karate for nearly 25 years and currently assists in the instruction of karate in the same dojo she began her training.

Natan Obed

Vice President – National Affairs

Natan Obed was elected in September 2015 as President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and assumed the role of Vice President of National Affairs for ICC Canada.

Natan is from Nain, Nunatsiavut. Prior to moving to Ottawa, he lived in Iqaluit, Nunavut for 10 years, where he worked for Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. as the Director of Social and Cultural Development. NTI represents the rights of beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Obed has devoted his entire professional career to working on behalf of Inuit representational organizations to improve the health and well-being of Inuit in Canada.