NationTalk: OTTAWA – Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami congratulates Julie-Ann Berthe, a dedicated childcare and language advocate from Kuujjuaq, and winner of our 2024 Award for Inuit Excellence.
The prize was announced during ITK’s annual general meeting in Inuvik on September 18, 2024, and presented to Berthe in Ottawa on Oct. 22.
Berthe was pregnant with her second child when she got her first job with the Kativik Regional Government as a childcare technical assistant – doing secretarial, reception and translation work to support a small team overseeing four childcare centres.
Twenty-five years later, Berthe is now Assistant Director in the KRG’s Sustainable Employment Department in charge of its Childcare Section, which manages 19 childcare centres in 14 communities. Her team helps to ensure Nunavik childcare centres are safe, culturally appropriate and well managed and that includes providing expertise for financial, staff and building management, insurance, nutrition, health, hygiene, board activities, and laws and regulations.
It’s a huge and important responsibility but she did not expect to win an award for it.
“I thought it was a scam because I’m not used to getting those kinds of messages. I was in shock,” said Berthe of outreach from ITK to inform her of the prize. “I had good parents raising me and you just do what you have to do to help your people.”
Berthe was instrumental in helping to promote and support the creation of Nunavik childcare centres in the early 2000s, after Quebec introduced its subsidized, $5 per day childcare. Back then, childcare was not common for Nunavimmiut, but that quickly changed.
“In the beginning when childcare was new, most of the childcare centres were empty because nobody believed in what they offered,” said Berthe. “The year after, when school started, teachers saw the difference between the child that attended childcare and the one who didn’t, and word spread. People started registering their children.”
Now it’s difficult for KRG to keep up with demand for space, she says. Recruitment and retention of early childhood educators is challenging, especially in finding qualified staff who speak Inuktut – something Berthe is committed to.
One way to attract and keep staff is by supporting professional development and training. Berthe took advantage of this opportunity and in 2019 earned a Diploma in Childcare Management from Cégep de St-Félicien in Québec’s Saguenay region.
A mother of five, a grandmother, and talented seamstress, Berthe also inspires others outside of her work. In 2015, to honour her family, her community and herself, she quit drinking and smoking.
The ITK Awards have been presented annually for more than 20 years. In 2023, we shifted to recognize Inuit who have demonstrated excellence in an area that contributes to Inuit self-determination.
“It is an honour to recognize Julie-Ann Berthe for her years of commitment to Nunavimmiut which, in turn, benefits all Inuit and all Canadians,” said ITK President Natan Obed. “Her dedication to nurturing children and supporting families helps us to grow strong and resilient societies, which is the foundation of our work.”
The 2024 winner was chosen by an ITK selection committee from more than 50 nominations.
Media Inquiries:
media@itk.ca