[Nunavut, Canada] Cathy Towtongie, the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., says she will not apologize for remarks made about the rainbow flag raised at Iqaluit city hall last month. At an Iqaluit meeting of Baffin mayors March 5, Towtongie commended Iqaluit city councillor Simon Nattaq for speaking out against the decision to raise a rainbow flag outside of Iqaluit city hall during the recent winter Olympics. “The Inuit culture have had no time to discuss same sex,” CBC Radio reported Towtongie telling the mayors meeting March 5. “In fact it was an agenda that was hijacked and there was the excuse of [homophobia] which Inuit should have had time to digest.” In a letter to Towtongie, Iqaluit resident Laakkuluk William Bathory expressed shock that the president of Nunavut’s birthright organization would “spread such prejudice, hate and misinformation.” “The prejudice you showed to fellow Inuit and to other human beings is not fit for your very important position in society,” Williamson Bathory said. READ MORE
