ITK President Natan Obed to seek 4th term in upcoming election

Natan Obed says he will be seeking a 4th term as president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami when the organization holds its election on Sept. 18 in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Elections will be held following the ITK’s annual general meeting. Obed, 49, made the announcement Wednesday – the same day ITK opened the nomination period for its presidential election. He originally said he wouldn’t run again. Obed has been at the helm of the national Inuit organization for 10 years and is its longest-serving president. He won the 2015 and 2018 presidential elections, then was acclaimed when no one ran against him in 2021. With a new federal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney and international uncertainty stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threats and musings about making Canada the 51st state, Obed said Inuit would benefit from “continuity” in ITK’s leadership. “I am one of the last Indigenous leaders that is around here in Ottawa from when I first started in 2015. There is an advantage to being a veteran and being somebody that has seen a lot in these last 10 years,” he told Nunatsiaq News local journalism initiative. According to ITK, the organization represents 70,000 Inuit throughout Inuit Nunangat (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut (northern Labrador). According to its latest financial report to the Canada Revenue Agency, ITK received $23.2 million from the federal government in 2024. It has initiated several programs, including an Inuit suicide prevention plan and has lobbied for the creation of the Inuit Nunangat University. Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Duane Smith, left, chair and CEO of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, and Natan Obed, right, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, to a meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee in Inuvik, N.W.T., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press. Over the past decade, ITK co-developed “landmark” legislation like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, led the creation of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, and brought Inuit vision to the national and international stage, Obed said, adding he wants to continue the progress. He has heard the criticism suggesting he’s seeking re-election for financial gain, but rejected that idea. “Financial compensation has never been in the forefront for why I work for Inuit,” Obed said. He confirmed that in 2024, his salary ranged between $300,000 and $349,000. ITK election According to ITK’s website, “votes are cast by the designated Member Representatives of Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makivvik and the Nunatsiavut Government, in addition to two delegates per region, and the Vice-President of ITK.” Candidates must be Inuit beneficiaries over the age of 18. They can be nominated either by a designated member representative from one of the Inuit organizations or write a letter describing their leadership experience, according to the election rules. The nomination deadline for the ITK presidential election is Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. ITK said candidates will be given a “10-minute opportunity” to address delegates at the gathering. As in previous elections, Obed will be nominated by the Nunatsiavut government. Its president, Johannes Lampe, is so far the only one of the four Inuit organizations’ leaders to publicly voice support for Obed in an interview. Spokespeople for Makivvik Corp. and Inuvialuit Regional Corp. both declined comment, and a Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. representative couldn’t be reached for comment. With files from the Local Journalism Initiative – Nunatsiaq News Continue Reading