Protect Inuit Communities: Keep Pitseolak Peter From Returning to Iqaluit
To the Parole Board of Canada, Correctional Service Canada, public officials, and all Canadians,

My name is Rachel Seepola Michael, and I am writing this in sheer desperation and fear for my life and the safety of my community in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

In February 2013, my mother, Kathy Michael, was brutally murdered by a man named Pitseolak Peter. I was only 17 years old at the time. At an age when I should have been focused on graduating high school, building my future, and being guided by my mother’s love and support, my life was permanently shattered by violence and trauma no child should ever have to endure.

Only 13 years later, I continue to live with the pain, grief, and lifelong trauma caused by the horrific loss of my mother.

Now, after everything my family has endured, there is a possibility that the man responsible for her death could one day be released back into my home community.

I am terrified.

Not only for myself, but for my family, my loved ones, and the broader community of Iqaluit.

This man violently took a human life. A daughter lost her mother. A family was forever broken. A community was traumatized.

And yet, throughout the investigation and trial, Pitseolak Peter repeatedly changed his story, denied responsibility, and showed no genuine remorse for the life he took. To this day, he has never provided a meaningful apology or demonstrated true accountability for his actions.

Court records and public reporting described the violence inflicted upon my mother as catastrophic. She suffered severe injuries including head trauma, burns, bruising, and a broken neck. The sentencing judge described the violence as being “at the very high end of the scale” and referred to Pitseolak Peter as a “ticking time bomb.”

Those words have never left me.

They continue to haunt me because they reflect the very real danger that still exists today.

This is not simply about punishment. It is about public safety, victim safety, and preventing further harm.

Since his incarceration, Pitseolak Peter was reportedly placed in a halfway house in Ottawa and later detained again after reoffending while on release. This raises serious concerns about his rehabilitation and the risk of reoffending.

The possibility of his return to Iqaluit creates overwhelming fear and psychological distress for surviving family members and many others in the community. Northern communities are small and deeply interconnected. Survivors and victims’ families cannot simply avoid violent offenders when they are returned to the very same streets, neighbourhoods, workplaces, and public spaces.

I deserve to feel safe in my hometown.

My family deserves to feel safe.

Our community deserves to feel safe.

This petition is not only about my mother’s case. It represents a broader national concern regarding violence against Indigenous women and girls across Canada.

Thousands of Inuit, First Nations, and Métis women and girls have gone missing or been murdered. Indigenous families continue to carry unbearable grief and trauma while too often feeling unheard by the very systems meant to protect them.

This case raises serious questions about the release of violent offenders who have demonstrated little or no remorse, accountability, or rehabilitation.

We cannot continue asking survivors and victims’ families to bear the burden of fear while violent offenders are reintegrated into the communities where the harm occurred.

I am calling upon the Parole Board of Canada and Correctional Service Canada to:

Deny any release that would allow Pitseolak Peter to return to Iqaluit or Nunavut communities where surviving family members reside;
Fully consider the ongoing trauma, fear, and psychological harm experienced by surviving family and community members;
Prioritize public safety and victim safety above reintegration into the victim’s home community;
Recognize the unique realities of Inuit and northern communities, where survivors cannot simply relocate or avoid contact;
Ensure Inuit women, survivors, and victims’ families are heard and protected during all parole and release decisions.
This petition is not rooted in hatred.

It is rooted in survival, safety, accountability, and the right of Indigenous women and families to live without fear.

My mother mattered.

Her life mattered.

And the safety of those left behind matters too.

Please stand with us.

Please sign and share this petition to help protect our community and to send a message that the safety of Indigenous women, families, and survivors must come first.

In memory of Kathy Makituq Michael.