The Department of Agriculture is awarding a company owned by Victor Tootoo, brother of former Liberal cabinet minister Hunter Tootoo, with a sole-sourced contract of $32,668 to promote "cultural literacy," according to Blacklock's Reporter.
NVision Insight Group Inc. is a consulting firm which focuses on Indigenous and Metis issues. Victor Tootoo serves as director and vice president of the company, and served as president up until 2019.
According to the report, NVision has benefited from 17 government contracts since 2017. The total cost of the contracts for the government in that period has amounted to $508,732. Agencies which have worked with the group include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Department of Justices, and the now-defunct National Energy Board, among others.
The most recent sole-sourced contract commissions the company to conduct six-hour training sessions "on cultural literacy and intercultural intelligence when engaging with Indigenous peoples."
The training sessions involve a variety of interactive programs which seek to tackle stereotypes about Indigenous people. "Whether it’s a drunk on the street, a wise elder, the Indian princess, a road-blocking warrior or someone on welfare on a reserve, this course will help you see beyond these stereotypes to the real stories," states one of their videos on the matter.
It is not the first time Tootoo has been involved in operations which have faced concerns over conflict of interest.
Tootoo formerly served as chief financial officer (CFO) of the Nunavut Planning Commission (NPC), which is responsible for directing natural resource and land use in the territory. According to a 2016 federal audit, he held financial stakes in two companies which were hired by the NPC as contractors.
Conservative MP David Yurdiga called the revelations at the time "troubling," complaining that "Victor Tootoo, who was the chief financial officer of the Nunavut Planning Commission, was also the president of two companies to which the Commission was charging hundreds of thousands of dollars. I know the Liberals do not understand conflict of interest."
According to the Department of Agriculture, Tootoo's firm is the only one with the expertise for the job they were hired for. "A training program for educating scientists working with Indigenous partners is required on a government-wide scale," claimed staffers for the department.
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