The flagship presenter of the Inuktitut television news will receive the prestigious Gordon-Sinclair award in February.

Journalist Rassi Nashalik, recipient this winter of the Gordon-Sinclair Award for Outstanding Journalism. (Photo credit: Courtesy of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television)

Some 25 years after starting out as an Inuktitut newscaster at CBC North, Rassi Nashalik was awarded the Gordon Sinclair Award for Talk Journalism this winter.

After beginning her career as a translator for the Government of the Northwest Territories, Rassi Nashalik found herself somewhat by chance at the helm of Igalaaq, CBC's Inuktitut television newscast. This position, based in Yellowknife, allowed her to become a privileged witness of the evolutions and transformations of the Canadian North. Her experience as a translator, she says, helped her a lot in translating information from English to Inuktitut almost instantly.

Arrived by chance and having trained in journalism late in life, Ms. Rashalik says she is very honored by this award: “I never thought I would receive such an award when I started working as a journalist. This is the highest award I can receive. It's an honor ".

Rassi Nashalik retired in 2014 after 19 years as a presenter. After two decades in front of the camera, she now combines many advisory roles for the accompaniment and assistance for the well-being of Arctic natives. She is also an Elder and Knowledge Keeper in Residence at the University of Alberta, where she serves as a link between northern students and Inuit cultures and traditions.

According to Ms. Nashalik, information and well-being are linked, especially in a linguistic minority context such as communities in Canada's North. She explains simply, “understanding what is happening both in your community, but also in the world, can help build a healthy lifestyle”.

Asked about her desire to support more and more people from indigenous communities towards journalism, the former presenter is optimistic.

“A lot of young people in our communities speak our language very well [l'inuktitut, NDLR], and they would just have to learn how to write good stories, to have access to translator training. This is the training I received and it is really helpful because you can easily access the information. The government could easily implement this. »

Considered a journalistic reference in the Canadian North, Rassi Nashalik was inducted into the CBC Hall of Fame in 2021 for her work. In February 2022, she will receive the prestigious Gordon-Sinclair Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for excellence in journalism.