Government Orders
Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank my colleague for all the work that he does in the area of mental health, as well. Reconciliation is going to be a very long journey because of the deep impacts that colonialism continues to have. Definitely, better funding, healing centres and healing programs will take that step forward quite a bit, but that will not be sufficient. There are too many investments…
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Uqaqtittiji, I have asked several times in the House about the nutrition north program, which is a federally funded program that is subsidizing for-profit companies, rather than helping people in poverty. Because of the subsidy that is being given to for-profit companies, people who are in poverty are suffering and are continuing to live in mental health conditions that they should not have to. I …
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Uqaqtittiji, I really appreciate the space that the hon. member has given me to retell a story that is still so fresh in my mind that it still brings me to tears, which I was told by the Taloyoak Housing Authority. When, unfortunately, this young pregnant Inuk woman was told that, no, she was not getting a house, she died by suicide because she felt so hopeless. It brings to bear just how much of …
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Uqaqtittiji, I would first like to acknowledge the great work the member does with my colleagues from Courtenay—Alberni and Edmonton Riverbend for Father's Day on the Hill, which focuses on improving men's mental health. I think that is great work. Qujannamiik for that. Knowing that professional certified mental health services are not adequately meeting the needs of indigenous peoples, does the m…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for sharing her story. It is a very important one and one that too many Nunavummiut relate to, because the youth suicide rate in Nunavut is quite high. Having said that, I know that one of the things that seem to be most effective for addressing suicide is to make sure that youth actually realize there is nothing wrong with them, because the way that suicide prevent…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, when I visited Kugaaruk, I was told of the consequences that housing boards face when they say no to an applicant. One decision resulted in turning away a young pregnant woman because there were no houses available. In hopelessness, she completed suicide. The housing board suffers with this decision while the government continues to fall short on meeting the housing needs in Nunavut. …
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Uqaqtittiji, according to Statistics Canada, in 2018, 6.8 million people avoided visiting a dental professional because of the expense. That was three years ago. It has taken the Liberals this long to create this bill. I wonder if the member could describe why at this point they have decided finally to implement this national program.
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Uqaqtittiji, it is really unfortunate that the Conservatives are seeing this as a cost to Canadians, when it really has to be seen as a benefit to low-income families. Having said that, I think we also need to recognize the urgent issues we need to address, especially around mental health. The Mental Health Commission of Canada estimates, for example, that mental health issues and illness cost Can…
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Uqaqtittiji, the NDP has been supportive of the bill because it has been made obvious that there are gaps in the dental care program. This bill attempts to fill some of those gaps. Why, during this time of inflation, when families are forced to make difficult choices as to what they can afford for their dental care needs, which is an essential part of their overall health, do the Conservatives con…
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Uqaqtittiji, I, too, would like to give my condolences to the member for what has happened in his riding. It is always very sad to hear about these kinds of incidents of violence anywhere. I just wanted to ask a question in relation to what I asked a previous member. There have been a lot of gaps in the dental care and health care system. I really feel that this bill tries to fill some of those ga…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I want to thank the member for sponsoring this bill. I have every respect for it, but unfortunately, it excludes Inuit cultural practices. I wonder if the member would be willing to see amendments to make sure all indigenous cultural practices are reflected in this bill.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I welcome members back from break week. I had the wonderful privilege of going home to Iqaluit and then on to two of my communities, Taloyoak and Kugaaruk. Bill S-219, an act respecting a national ribbon skirt day, is about preserving a cultural world view and the importance of ribbon skirts. It provides an opportunity for us to recognize indigenous cultures and the prominence of indi…
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[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᐋ, ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ, ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑳᕈᒪᓵᖅᑐᖓ ᑐᑭᓯᑎᑦᓯᔪᒪᓪᓗᖓᓕ ᓈᓚᒃᑕᐅᔾ-ᔮᖏᑦᑐᖓ ᐃᓄᑦᑎᑐ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᑎᒡ-ᓗᖓ ᑖᓐᓇ ᐅᐃᕖᑎᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᖅᑲᐅᑎᒡᓗᒍ ᐱᖅᑲᐅᖏᒻᒪᑦ. [Inuktitut text translated as follows:] Mr. Speaker, I want to begin in Inuktitut to make you understand that I am not heard when I speak in Inuktitut. The member spoke in French and this did not happen. [English] I wanted to start by speaking in …
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Uqaqtittiji, while the New Democrats welcome this benefit, more short- and long-term solutions are needed to address the housing crisis. I have a constituent in Whale Cove. He is the mayor, Percy Kabloona, who lives in a social housing unit that has not been renovated in five years. His house has split in half, and they use duct tape to keep the wind from coming in. I know that a lot more investme…
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Uqaqtittiji, indigenous peoples with disabilities face extra challenges when trying to access services and, I am sure, will have extra challenges trying to access this benefit once it is available to them. I wonder if the member could agree that indigenous peoples with disabilities will need to get special provisions in trying to access these services, especially when they prefer to speak or be he…
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Uqaqtittiji, inevitably, there will always be people with disabilities who cannot be gainfully employed. I hope they are not going to be ineligible because of that. I want to ask, instead, about indigenous peoples with disabilities and others who have disabilities who live in rural and remote communities, communities that have a higher cost of living. I wonder if the member agrees that maybe there…
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Uqaqtittiji, the population of Nunavut is about 40,000 people. This bill, if passed, would help more than two million people. That is more than triple the number of people who live in Nunavut. Why is the member against targeted measures that would help all these millions of people in Canada?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for Northumberland—Peterborough South for this thoughtful bill. I thank my constituents from Nunavut for trusting in me to represent their voice on such important matters as Bill C-281. I especially appreciate this opportunity, as I learned more about our laws in this bill and where our work as parliamentarians can make a difference for human rights domestically and…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for introducing this important bill. Canada has not yet responded to the United Nations call for Canada to develop an international human rights action strategy. I wonder if the member would agree to amend the bill so that it would require Canada to develop such an important strategy.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, Nunavummiut deserve a government that takes indigenous mental health seriously. It is not enough for the government to announce only $11 million for the national Inuit suicide prevention strategy, despite committing to $228 million for indigenous mental health. Indigenous people rightfully expect more from the government, which continues to be all talk with no action. Will the governm…
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Uqaqtittiji, the realities in Nunavut are very different from the other northern territories, NWT and Yukon, so food production is quite different. For Nunavut, one of the ways that improvements could be made is to better support hunters and harvesters who still rely on subsistence hunting, which they do not get enough support for. I would definitely professionalize the systems in which Inuit thri…
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Uqaqtittiji, I was very recently in Greenland with other parliamentarians at the Arctic parliamentarians summit, and we had the great pleasure of visiting a greenhouse facility that runs on hydroponics. It was such a great example of what can happen in Arctic communities, and we need to model those kinds of examples. If they can work in Greenland, they should be able to work in Nunavut as well.
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Uqaqtittiji, people are clearly frustrated that they are paying more for food, but the CEOs of big food chains are making big profits on the backs of people, and we are not villainizing these people. For the seven years that the Liberals have been in power, this government has protected the profits of the wealthiest by refusing to toughen the Competition Act to punish the CEOs of the big companies…
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Uqaqtittiji, Canadians deserve answers. We deserve to learn why corporate greed is protected while Canadians pay more for food. This motion is a way to try to get some of those answers. Does the member agree that the agriculture committee should call the CEOs of the major grocery chains to come and explain their excessive profits?
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Uqaqtittiji, big grocery stores are taking too much from struggling Canadians. Much of the time the north experiences unique challenges. Unfortunately, the north is not immune to this issue. NorthMart, owned by the North West Company, reported net earnings of over $150 million in 2021. This is nearly a 10% increase from the year before. Canadians need answers. Shareholders profited from increased …
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Uqaqtittiji, the first question I would ask is how they formulate profits over prices, because prices do not need to be at the cost of profits going to CEOs.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Uqaqtittiji, Savanna Pikuyak moved from my riding to Ottawa in pursuit of becoming a nurse. Savanna was murdered before the school year began. We all have failed her, her family and all indigenous girls, women and two-spirit people. Words of empathy are not enough. As parliamentarians, we need to do better. We must work in our constituencies to seek justice for Savanna and for all missing and murd…
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Uqaqtittiji, colonial laws and policies remain deep-rooted. Death by suicide in Nunavut is 10 times higher than the rest of Canada. I have asked the government repeatedly to invest in Nunavut and indigenous communities so they can thrive, but the government is still failing to deliver the mental health supports needed. Monday is World Mental Health Day and indigenous communities are watching. Will…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, the parliamentary secretary has not answered my question about whether the ministers have met directly with the impacted communities. When I was trying to arrange meetings with the ministers and my communities, I was frequently told by the ministers that they were concerned about the conflict of interest relating to the Mary River project, explaining why they could not meet directly w…
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Uqaqtittiji, indigenous communities deserve justice and a chance to heal from the legacy of residential schools. The government promised $200 million in funding for burial site searches but has delivered less than half of that money. It is shameful that the government is denying indigenous communities the funding needed to search for their lost children and for vital mental health supports. When w…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, several months ago, I asked the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and other ministers if they had met with impacted communities regarding their concerns with the Nunavut Impact Review Board's recommendations on Baffinland's phase two proposal. The minister's response was, “I can assure the member...that the consideration of indigenous people and the people of the north, Inuit…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ, ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ, ᓯᕗᕐᓕᕐᒥᒃ, ᐋ, ᕋᐃᒪᓐ ᓂᖏᐅᒃᓯᐊᖅ ᐃᓚᑯᓗᖏᑦ ᓇᒡᓕᒋᒍ-ᒪᕙᒃᑲ ᑭᖑᕚᖏᓪᓗ ᑕᒪᒃᑕᑦᓯᐊᖅ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᑕᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᕿᒪᒃᑕᐅᔪᐃᓐᓇᐅᒐᑦᑕ, ᐅᖃᖅᑎᖅᓯᔩ, ᐋ, ᐱᕋᔭᒃᓯᒪᓂᑯᐃᑦ ᐃᒃᓯᓐᓇᐃᓯᒪᓂᒡᓗ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ, ᐋ, ᑲᔪᓰᓐᓇᓗᐊᕐᒪᑦ, ᐅᕙᒎᔪᒍᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖅᔪᐊᖑᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕈᓇᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᓄᖅᑲᖅᑎᑦᓯᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᖃᓪᓗᓈᑎᑐᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖏᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓯᒪᓗᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᒫᓐᓇᒧᑦ, ᐅᕙᒎᔪᒍᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᕐᔪᐊᖑᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᓅᑉᐸᓪᓕᐊᑎᑦᑎᔪᓐᓇᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᐊᓂᕐᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᓂᕐᒧᑦ, ᓈᒻᒪᒃᓴᖃᑎᒌᓕᕐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕆᐊᖃᒻᒪᕆᑉᐸᕗᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᔭᕆᐊᖃᖅᑕᖏᓐᓂᒃ …
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for mentioning frequently that indigenous peoples have been engaged in this whole process. Indigenous peoples have frequently experienced being deprived of their rights and their rights being infringed. The 94 calls to action frequently talk about the importance of implementing UNDRIP. I wonder if the member could explain why Bill C-29 does not have an…
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Uqaqtittiji, families across Canada are struggling with food prices. Grocery costs are even worse in Nunavut. CEOs of big grocery stores get millions of dollar in bonuses, while families in the north are unable to access affordable, fresh food. The government refuses to listen to Inuit and fix the nutrition north program. When will the government step up and finally implement a windfall tax on gro…
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Uqaqtittiji, the North West Company is a for-profit corporation that benefits from the federal nutrition north program. In its last quarterly report it reported a 2.4% increase in sales to the tune of $579 million. Meanwhile, one in four indigenous Canadians lives in poverty. Does the member support corporate greed over indigenous poverty?
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Uqaqtittiji, the New Democrats agree with this bill and the necessary relief it would provide for families. Unfortunately, the amount does not address both inflation and the high cost of living for my constituents. All the figures mentioned by the member are not reaching my constituents. In what way will the government ensure all these investments he mentioned are reaching my constituents, who I a…
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Uqaqtittiji, the cost of living does not seem to be factored for my constituents in Nunavut in this bill. I wonder if the member could respond to the passing of this bill being absolutely necessary, especially with increases factored for remote and isolated communities. This is actually very necessary to make improvements for those more vulnerable communities.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, it is clear Nunavut communities are the last priority for the federal government, as they tell me they struggle to access Service Canada. When Nunavummiut attempt to call Service Canada, they are expected to wait or to speak a different language, or they have their phone calls dropped. It is unacceptable that 22 of my communities have to fly out to access a Service Canada office. When…
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Uqaqtittiji, I share the same concerns about the appointment process. I have seen gaps in the text in terms of who could make appointments. At this point, I struggle to share ideas of how that can be improved, because I know that Canada, as a diverse country, has many first nations, Métis and Inuit communities that we must ensure are heard through this whole process. I am sorry, but I cannot answe…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for that excellent question. Indigenous peoples have been oppressed through language laws and making sure that we lose our language through residential schools. It has to be a measure, absolutely, to make sure that as a part of reconciliation there are better protections and practices to ensure that indigenous languages can be revitalized.
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Uqaqtittiji, today Statistics Canada confirmed that one-third of people in Nunavut are living in overcrowded houses that are in desperate need of repair. That rate is three times higher than it is for non-indigenous Canadians. In 2017, the government promised an indigenous housing strategy, but no one has seen one since. The Liberals are failing indigenous peoples. Will the Liberals commit to putt…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for his very thoughtful speech and his statement. I really appreciated it. I do agree with the member that there are some gaps in this bill and I think we are going to need to make sure amendments are made. I wonder if the member could share with us whether one of the gaps is that it does not take a rights-based approach to ensuring that indigenous rig…
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Uqaqtittiji, I was particularly interested in the member's statement about Quebec as a nation agreeing that reconciliation with indigenous peoples is very important. I know that all of Canada, including Quebec, is founded on indigenous lands and that all of Canada is land settled by settlers, including people from Quebec, but I wanted to ask a question about reconciliation and how important indige…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to first thank my constituents in Nunavut for putting me here, for putting their trust in me. I will continue to work hard to ensure their needs are being met and to ensure their voices are being heard. I also extend a warm welcome back to all the MPs. I hope they had a good summer, and I am hopeful that we will make changes that will have positive impacts for indigenous …
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Uqaqtittiji, I just had one sentence left, which is basically that Bill C-29 is one of many ways that reconciliation can be stewarded. In terms of education and the calls to action, I go back to the calls to action quite frequently, because it is such an important document. When we talk about education, we must ensure that the education is not just among first nations, Métis and Inuit communities.…
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Uqaqtittiji, absolutely there has to be a full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We cannot just keep paying lip service to it; we need to make sure that all of us, as parliamentarians, are doing what we can to ensure that UNDRIP is respected in Canada.
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to split my time with the member for Edmonton Griesbach.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Nutrition North Canada (NNC) program, since the 2014-15 fiscal year: (a) how many complaints of spoiled or expired products has NNC received, broken down by supplier and eligible community; (b) what quality assurance mechanisms are in place to ensure that perishable goods, from all sources, reach their final retail destination prior to their best before date; (c) what is the fre…
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With regard to the Inuit Nunangat Declaration on Inuit-Crown Partnership signed on February 9, 2017, and the Inuit Nunangat Policy announced on April 21, 2022: (a) how much has been spent implementing the Partnership Declaration annually from fiscal years 2016-17 to date; (b) how has the government ensured accountability in the implementation of the Partnership Declaration; (c) in what ways has th…
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With regard to investments in on-reserve kindergarten to grade 12 education, broken down by fiscal year since 2014-15 and by province or territory: what was the annual investment in (i) language and culture, (ii) literacy and numeracy, (iii) special needs education, (iv) learning materials and supplies, (v) accommodation and transportation, (vi) information technology, (vii) teacher salaries?
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