Iqaluit councillor says he'll resign if prayer dropped from meetings

An Iqaluitcity councillor is speaking out against a plannedmotion to replace the opening prayer at council meetings, saying he'll resignif it passes.

CouncillorSimonNattaqoften says the prayer at the beginning of council meetings.Hesays it is both useful and helpful. He said last week thathe wouldresign if councillor KennyBell's motion passes.

"When we pray, I don't think about what religion we should be praying for," Nattaq said. "I'm focused on the prayer."

Last week,Bell announcedhe would move to replace theprayer traditionally used to open city council meetings with a one-minute moment of silence. He says heplans to make the motion at the next city council meetingonMay 12.

Bell's announcementfollowsa Supreme Court of Canada decision that ruled a city council in SaguenayQuebeccannot open its meetings with a prayer.The court saidreciting a Catholic prayer at council meetings infringes on freedom of conscience and religion.

• Related:Iqaluit councillor will move to end prayer at city council meetings

The Supreme Court's ruling has set off a string of decisions from municipal councils across Canada to dropprayer from their meetings, includingEdmontonandCalgary.

The backlash to Bell's announcement has been swift. Some residents have said that praying is an important part of Inuit culture, and that should be respected by city council.

Not everyone agrees, though. Caroline Ipeelee-Qiatsuk, who is completinga course through the University of Regina on Inuit culture and identity, saysprayer is an adapted practice for Inuit.

"There's nothingwrong with them believing that," she says, "but if people are going to say it's our culture, our Inuit culture, it really isn't, if you think about it. It's an adapted culture that we adapted from the missionaries, which weren't Inuit."

Bell has said that it's important city council to be inclusive and not favour any one religion. "If you're specifically praying one certain way," he said,"then you're not being inclusive to your whole population."

Deputy mayor Romeyn Stevenson has said he'll second Bell's motion. He says, like Bell, hehas nothing against praying or reflection, but that the city can't impose one religion on people and should respect the court's decision.