Assault charge stayed against NTI president Tunraluk
Crown halts prosecution one month after arrest
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jeremy Tunraluk’s assault charge has been stayed by the Crown. He is seen in this file photo speaking at a conference last June. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jeremy Tunraluk’s assault charge has been stayed.
“The Crown directs a stay of proceedings,” said Crown prosecutor Stephanie Boydell in an Iqaluit courtroom Thursday morning.
“The Crown has been in touch with the complainant,” she added.
A stay in proceedings means the halting of a criminal prosecution, but not a dismissal of a charge. The Crown can resume prosecution within a year of entering a stay.
Tunraluk was not present in the courtroom when Boydell announced the Crown’s decision. Lawyer Victoria Perrie appeared by video conference on his behalf.
Iqaluit RCMP arrested Tunraluk on a single count of assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm on Dec. 3. He was charged under section 267(c) of the Criminal Code, which makes it an offence to choke, suffocate or strangle someone.
Shortly afterward, he went on an unpaid leave of absence from his role at NTI.
Tunraluk was due to make a first appearance on the charge Thursday.
“Paul Irngaut continues to serve as acting president at Nunavut Tunngavik while Mr. Tunraluk remains on unpaid leave,” said Ivaluarjuk Merritt, NTI’s communications director, in an email Thursday.
NTI has not announced any additional leadership changes since December.
Perrie called the Crown’s stay of proceedings an “appropriate outcome.”
“Mr. Tunraluk was intending to maintain his innocence in this matter. However, the Crown did stay the proceedings before any plea was entered,” Perrie said when reached by phone Thursday afternoon.
“It is quite early on for that stay to be entered, and what I can say is that it was the Crown’s decision to stay the charges.”
Perrie did not provide information about what might have led to the stay. She said conversations between defence and Crown are privileged.
Perrie also said she was solely retained for Tunraluk’s case before the court, and could not comment on how the stay impacts his leave from NTI.
Tunraluk declined to speak about the update to his case, deferring comment to his lawyer.
When asked about the status of his role at NTI, he provided little detail.
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of days,” he said.
NTI Board of Directors remove the NTI president, we have no room for anyone in leadership to be in this situation.
Jeremy, do the right thing and resign as president of NTI.
Absolutely not.
Yay! New election!
Right on!! More VOTE gift cards coming soon!!
Re vote …..for N.T.I. …this time $ 5,000 bucks for all beneficiaries…we need those promises from the big vote we did about creation of nunavut ….we will never see a penny from n.t.i. think hard if u was 16 voting firsttime ever.
Right on. We need Mr. Tunraluk to get back to his job and continue building those $1800/month homes. Since he was suspended, nothing had been going on regarding construction. I don’t know if everyone noticed but since Tunraluk’s suspension, everything stood still in Nunavut. Maybe we can stop Trump from proceeding with his ideas to annex Greenland. Trump listens to Jeremy.
Give the young man a chance. We all carry our own baggage, some of our baggage is so heavy we gotta drag it. Then there are some of us that have this long string tied to the loop of our jeans with a bunch of pop and tied to it and we drag it around like nothing is wrong. We just hide better.
As the president of the organization that represents all Inuit, why should he be allowed to continue in his role if he has personal issues so significant that they result in criminal charges, and he is supposed to continue in his role and take it seriously? This is a huge breach of public trust. People in trusted positions shouldn’t be breaching public trust and shouldn’t be allowed to continue in their roles. In the wise words of Ariana Grande, Thank you, Jeremy, next.
RESIGN!!!!!
This is what your showing the younger people of NUNAVUT.
Being in a high position in this organization and not having been fired from your position shows these young people that it is okay to go around and choke or strangle someone. Be a decent human being (if you can) and QUIT. There is extremely to much VIOLENCE with the INUIT CULTURE today.
SO SAD!!!!
Should start a petition niiiii
Why people know how to write their name?
In 2002, NTI scrapped the Nunavut Social Development Council and assumed direct responsibility for Article 32 implementation.
That is to say, NTI, and therefore our President, are now directly responsible for “defining and promoting Inuit social and cultural development goals and objectives”.
Due to this, NTI plays a central role in telling government how to meet our social needs appropriately, which includes justice services, on our behalf.
Besides this stayed charge being an embarrassment to Inuit, it can be well argued that our President has lost the ability to legitimately represent us on these social issues.
Can it be said that Inuit would be fully satisfied to have our leader set and promote our social and cultural goals for us given his apparent behavior?
How exactly can he be taken seriously talking to government about things like domestic violence or victims services with this personal criminal matter still looming?
And, if he refrains from talking about such issues because of his situation, can it be said he is really doing his job?
These are legitimate, serious questions that can be avoided if he steps down.
The Nunavut Tunngavik Inc corporation is legally established to safeguard, and promote the interests of Inuit, foster Inuit values and ensure that governments carry out the provisions of the Nunavut Agreement.
This includes the spirit and letter of the Nunavut which encompasses the obligation to be role models to Inuit youth.
Imagine, a meeting where the NTI is meeting with government to discuss the scourge of domestic violence, crime and family unity. Would Tunraluk’s words be taken seriously given his recent accusation?
What has NTI been doing since they removed the Nunavut Social Development Council? They are supposed to according to the Nunavut agreement produce a annual report that goes to the federal government coming from the Nunavut Social Development Council, we never see any reports now and this has a huge impact on Nunavut.
Makigiaqta where NTI received hundreds of millions for training Inuit, why is it so difficult to access this funding and we do not hear anything about this important funding opportunity from NTI, for training, it seems that the only once who get to use these funds are close friends from the executive staff, hockey schools and such.
Hundreds of millions for infrastructure, hundreds of millions for housing, all new funding 4 years ago, where is the information and updates about all this? Why is NTI such a closed secretive organization now? No more monthly newsletters, no more updates, all the while NTI has never had so much new funds in their bank accounts.
NTI in the last 8 years have become so secretive and distant, so disconnected to who they represent it’s no wonder’s people do not want to go vote anymore, we are not represented accordingly, NTI needs to make changes with their executive leadership on the staff level. It has become more government and disconnected to Inuit more than ever. What will it take to make changes?
They are secretive. If the board makes changes to how NTI is running, it would definitely be representing all Inuit
For any head of a large corporation to continue on as if nothing happen after facing a significant charge is a no brainer. The guy has to resign and we all move on from this era.
With thee unrelenting amount of violence in Nunavut, I really don’t see how the board could keep Mr Tunraluk on as President.
Even though the IQ Principles aren’t unique, elitist Inuks flaunt them as if they were. Given that, which of those principles suggest Jeremy Tunralik should be dismissed; which principles that he should be retained as President?
The time has come for NTI to consider new leadership. Mr. Tunraluk’s credibility has been significantly compromised, and his continued role as president risks creating the impression that the Board tolerates this behavior.
NTI has faced similar challenges in the past, when presidents misused their authority. Those moments remain part of the organization’s history and serve as reminders that leadership conduct matters.
NTI Board, do the right thing: let him go and proceed to a vote. Accountability will earn far more respect than silence.
Wow
Lots and lots of people judging with no facts.
Must be nice to have a perfect family with no issues and no drama.
Good to know that NTI is full of super heroes with no family who misbehave. Or maybe just some no family.