Orders of the Day
Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. As an Inuk and indigenous person, I have inherent mistrust in law enforcement. I have seen all too often how law enforcement treats my community, indigenous people and people of colour. All too often we have been at the wrong end of the law. Law enforcement arbitrarily targets my communities. My NDP colleagues and I have weighed very heavily the measures allowed in the Em…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I want to thank the member for Don Valley West. I also want to thank the parliamentary staff, who have been doing an extraordinary job. I have described the leaders of the so-called “freedom convoy” as extremists. I am being asked by my constituents in Nunavut what extremists I am talking about. Could the member describe those who have led the illegal blockades and tell u…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I would like to thank the member for La Prairie for his very entertaining statement and for talking about leadership. I would like to ask about the Conservatives' attempt to minimize these extremist activities. I would also like to highlight that there was news that law enforcement had intercepted a new convoy heading to the Ambassador Bridge recently. Does the member agr…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I would like to thank the member for Calgary Nose Hill for her statement. Yesterday we heard from the member opposite that the Emergencies Act was not needed to settle the rail blockades of 2020, the Oka crisis or the crisis at Caledonia, but these are not comparable to today's realities. The Emergencies Act is a drastic measure for the sole purpose of protecting our safe…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I would like to thank the member for Fleetwood—Port Kells for his statement. The Conservatives seem to be attempting to use the chamber as a vacuum. Listening to them downplay what is going on is such a great concern. Without the benefit of the news and the social media, people could be persuaded that this is not a serious national issue. What can the member say to those …
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I am feeling quite compelled to compare this debate to when COVID-19 was first announced in November 2019, and how long it took before lockdowns were instituted. Lockdowns were not instituted until April 2020, and that would have been about six full months after the first case. We keep hearing the Conservatives say that Canadians are being alienated and they cannot be any…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I am very concerned about the extremist ideologies spreading across Canada. I have seen threats from as far as New Brunswick. Is it not important to prevent further support of these extremist views from taking root in the rest of Canada?
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I want to express that the member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue and I have some similarities, including taxing the rich and not the poor, that he supports passing the bill, that we have bilingual constituents and that the second language of our constituents is English. In the rollout of this program, I wonder if the member would agree that bilingualism also needs to include i…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for North Island—Powell River. I have appreciated her leadership on this important issue. From the beginning, the government has broken many promises made to Nunavummiut and indigenous peoples broadly, and specifically when it came to rolling out pandemic supports. In this statement, I will paint a picture of the structural challenges Nunavummiut experienc…
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Madam Speaker, in hindsight, I think we all feel like we can learn from the past. All we can do is use that new knowledge to do what we can to make a difference now so that we can make sure that mistakes like these do not keep going on in the future. I have been listening to the debate and really appreciate that we need urgency on this matter. Hopefully, in the rollout the CERB will be communicate…
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Qujannamiik. Madam Speaker, the services for Inuit might be slightly better compared to first nations and Métis. In the past they have tried to hire bilingual Inuktitut-speaking agents, but the availability, the consistency and the retention has not allowed the services to consistently be provided in Inuktitut, so there can definitely be improvements. Because of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, …
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Qujannamiik. Madam Speaker, it would be critically important. The information we need to get for all first nations, Métis and Inuit needs to be in the language that is the preference of our first peoples. When people understand this information, people will use it for their purpose. It is so important that these programs, whatever they are—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, for too long the families of first nations, Métis and Inuit women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA members have suffered violence and injustice while consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments stood by. It is six years since the Liberals came to power, and things are only getting worse. In May, 2020, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada announced its concerns for delays in implementing the MMI…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. On January 6, the Government of Nunavut announced it would limit testing to preserve tests only for health care workers. By January 12, the federal government announced that 140,000 tests would be sent to Nunavut. Nunavut's population is more than double that. Can the minister confirm more than 155,000 tests will be sent to Nunavut so that any resident requiring the test …
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Uqaqtittiji, I appreciated the Minister of Health agreeing today that we cannot fight what we cannot measure. In Nunavut, out of the 25 communities, there is only one community equipped with lab technicians. Back in November, of the said eight lab technicians, five had resigned. Also, in January, the Government of Nunavut had decided to ration its testing for COVID-19 to only health care providers…
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Qujannamiik Uqaqtittiji. The member has made a powerful statement. First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia has shown that indigenous people are five times more likely to experience an overdose and three times more likely to die than other residents. This demonstrates that Canada's colonial efforts to “take the Indian out of the child” continue to have impacts on the mental health of Inu…
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Uqaqtittiji, when former prime minister Stephen Harper made his apology for residential schools in 2008, the Conservatives acknowledged the importance of moving toward reconciliation with Inuit first nations and Métis. The Health Canada expert task force on substance use also recommends “respecting the sovereign rights of indigenous peoples in Canada to support their governments and provide approp…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. This “freedom convoy” exposes the injustice that first nations, Métis, Inuit and people of colour experience in Canada. The convoy has the freedom to demonstrate unrestricted violence, mainly without punishment. On the other hand, indigenous peoples live in fear of reprisal for protecting indigenous lands, as they are met with violence by law enforcement. The CGL pipeline…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I want to thank the member for acknowledging that the NDP have a great leader in our member for Burnaby South. Unfortunately, I cannot share the same sense of acknowledgement for the Liberal leadership. The Liberal government has shown a history of either inaction or responding to issues too slowly, some of which include its promises to address indigenous housing and to f…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I want to thank the member for his comments. I just need to express that I disagree that a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian. The extremist activities have shown that this is not the fact and this is not the case. Law enforcement has reacted very differently to this extremist activity compared to how law enforcement reacts to first nations, Métis and Inuit who have def…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji, and qujannamiik to the member from northern Ontario. I am glad to say that I am from a more northern territory, and that the information the member has shared is drastically worse in the north. According to a 2017 statistic, 76% of Inuit over the age of 15 from all over the north suffer from food insecurity. Having said that, many of the other statistics show that there i…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I want to thank the member for talking about the arts. I also want to let her know that Nunavut is the only jurisdiction that has no performing arts centre at all in any of its communities. I hope she will take that into consideration for any future work with respect to supporting the arts in Nunavut. As well, as she was talking about the fall economic statement, I want t…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I was glad to hear the member talk about the middle class. Unfortunately, within many first nation, Métis and Inuit communities, there are too many who are still living in poverty. I would like to give a brief example of my home community of Igloolik, where the temperature right now is -34°C. Its population is 1,700 people. Out of the 472 cases in Nunavut, 108 are in Iglo…
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji. I appreciate the member's advocacy to provide relief for Canadians struggling amidst the rising cost of living. Nunavummiut experience this crisis disproportionately. In 2016, Nunavut food costs were three times the national average. In 2018, 62% of Nunavut's households with children were food insecure. High cost of living affects Nunavummiut's access to their most basic …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations' statement on October 26, 2021, that "[...] it's time to give land back" to Indigenous people: (a) what land is the Minister of Crown-Indigenous relations referring to; (b) for each response in (a), which First Nation, Inuit, or Metis group does the minister believe the land should be given back to; (c) if applicable, when will the land in …
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With regard to the Canada School of Public Service, broken down by department: (a) how many government employees, by unit and percentage of total employees, have completed the Indigenous Learning Series, as of June 10, 2021; (b) is participation in the Indigenous Learning Series mandatory; (c) are new employees expected to complete any part of the Indigenous Learning Series as part of their traini…
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With regard to government investments in long-term care and home care in Nunavut, broken down by year since 2015: (a) how much funding has been promised to Nunavut for the purpose of home and community care services; (b) of the funding in (a), how much of that funding has been delivered; (c) how much funding has been delivered towards the implementation of the international Resident Assessment Ins…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to congratulate the member on his election. There have been two great reports: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report and the MMIWG report. Both of them make a call to address mandatory minimums. Why is the government only taking a half step toward reducing the overrepresentation of indigenous, Black and other racialized Canadians in the criminal justice system?
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Uqaqtittiji, I have been concerned today hearing the Conservatives' view about their labelling criminals, and criminals being criminals. I do not think criminals are born criminals. They become criminals because of the system in which they live. Does the member recognize that criminal records for personal possession of drugs is a significant barrier to employment and housing? Both are necessary fo…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for mentioning that the Liberal government acknowledges indigenous people are over-incarcerated and has trust in the judicial system. However, removing mandatory minimums instead of decriminalizing the personal possession of drugs makes sure that people with addictions will still end up in the criminal justice system rather than the health care system. Why is the go…
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Madam Chair, does the minister have data related to how much more it costs to build a house in the north as compared to building a house in the south?
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Madam Chair, I am going to turn now to the next set of questions, regarding energy. All 25 of the communities in my riding run on diesel. The Qulliq Energy Corporation is eager to explore renewable energy production across Nunavut. In the 2019 election, Prime Minister Trudeau committed to moving all Inuit communities off diesel power to clean energy by 2030. Nunavut has yet to see any significant …
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Madam Chair, will these investments be made?
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Madam Chair, the minister did not answer my question, but I will move to the next question. What investments will be made to ensure that first nations, Métis, Inuit and Nunavut communities can take care of their own elders in their own home communities?
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Madam Chair, still related to housing but more focused on seniors, what investments will be included for long-term care homes in Nunavut, first nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada?
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Madam Chair, by how much will the minister increase short- and long-term federal investments in housing in Nunavut and indigenous communities now and in the future?
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Madam Chair, other than COVID-19, what has been the delay in starting the drafting of the strategy, which was promised two years before the COVID pandemic started?
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Madam Chair, has the minister reached out to first nations, Métis and Inuit to initiate the dialogue toward the development of the strategy?
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Madam Chair, housing was a main campaign issue in this last election. The Liberal government promised four years ago to deliver an urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy. Could the minister provide a timeline of when this work will begin?
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Iksivauta, I have appreciated the ministers' responses and their willingness to work together. I will be asking my questions for the Indigenous Services Minister. I understand and acknowledge that they have been willing to work together. In my line of questioning, I will ask responses to be provided with timelines and amounts. My first question is regarding housing in Nunavut. Could the minister p…
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Madam Chair, does the minister have data related to how many units are needed in Nunavut for first nations, Métis and Inuit communities?
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Madam Chair, is the minister aware of the cost of building a house in Nunavut?
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Uqaqtittiji, this is a very important discussion, and I would like to ask the Minister of Justice about an issue that is very important to Nunavut. How was Johannes Rivoire allowed to leave Canada? He is now protected in France. I would like to hear from the minister what the government plans to do about this criminal who is hiding in France at the moment.
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Uqaqtittiji, first, it is my first opportunity to congratulate the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo on his election. I noticed that his speech was silent on the amendments to the Canada Labour Code, yet he spoke passionately about the importance of health professionals. According to Statistics Canada, my riding of Nunavut has the lowest ratio compared to the rest of Canada for the national ave…
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Uqaqtittiji, as I mentioned earlier today, another example of the lack of health services has to do with three communities in Nunavut: Igloolik, Gjoa Haven and Sanikiluaq. Each of those communities has a population of over 1,000 people. The services I have been talking about and the paid sick leave are all very important. I am trying to hear how difficult it might be for paid sick leave days. My q…
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Uqaqtittiji, as I said in my earlier intervention, Nunavut does not have very much access to physicians and health services. More than one-third of the Government of Nunavut's departmental budget is spent on costs associated with medical travel, at $109 million, with physical and hospital services outside of the territory costing $69.5 million. As such, I have quite an interest in how workers are …
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, we do not have much access to health care. We only have one hospital for all of the 25 communities, so the rest of the 25 communities have to get health care services through health centres. Not many of them have doctors. Most have health nurse practitioners. A lot of the patients from Nunavut, when they are looking to access the same level of health care as everybody else…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is clear now that my whole focus in my line of questioning has been to find ways to ease the burden on the health system. Nunavut has three main regions. Kitikmeot is one of them. With Kitikmeot, Cambridge Bay is the regional hub. Outlying those communities are Qikiqtaaluk, Kugluktuk, Kugaaruk and Gjoa Haven. They all rely on visiting doctors. There are no full-time doctors availab…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᐅᖃᖅᑎ, ᐅᖃᑲᓐᓂᕈᒪᕗᖓ ᓴᓗᒪᓐᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᒥᖃᖅᖢᓂ ᐃᓗᐊᖏᔾᔪᑕᐅᕗᖅ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᖏᓐᓂ. ᐅᓇ ᐊᑯᓂ ᐃᓗᐊᖏᔾᔪᑕᐅᓕᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓄᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᐋᓗᖕᓄᑦ. ᐅᕙᒍᑦ ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᑭᓲᓐᖏᑦᑐᖁᑎᒋᔭᐅᔪᒪᔪᖅᓃᕐᓗᑕ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐲᖅᑕᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᕈᓐᓃᕐᓗᑕ ᓂᕆᐅᒋᔭᕗᑦ ᐅᕙᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐲᖅᑕᐅᑐᐃᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑦ. ᑕᒫᓃᑉᐳᒍᑦ ᐅᓪᓗᒥ, ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᒐᕙᒪᖃᕐᕕᖓ. ᐃᓄᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᓕᖅᐳᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐸᕿᔭᐅᔮᔪᓐᓃᖅᑐᒍ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓂᑦ. ᐆᒪᔪᒍᑦ ᑕᐃᒫᒃᑕᐅᖅ ᑭᒃᑯᓕᒫᑎᑐᑦ, ᐸᕿᔭᐅᔮᓐᖏᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᓂ. ᐃᓅᔪᒍᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᒍᑦ. ᓄᓇᖅᑲᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᓇᖕᒥᓂᖅ ᑐᑭᒧᐊᒃᑎᑦᑎᔾᔪᑎᖃᖅᑐᑦ, ᐃᑲᔪᖅ…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᐅᖃᖅᑎ, ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᕈᒪᕗᖓ ᐃᓚᐅᔪᖅ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᖃᑖᖅᑐᖅ. ᑖᓐᓇ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐅᕙᖓ ᑲᑎᒪᓚᐅᖅᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᑭᓯᓪᓗᓂ ᖃᓄᐃᓕᖓᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ. ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔪᖓ ᓴᓇᖃᑎᒋᑦᑎᐊᕈᓐᓇᖅᑕᕋᑦᑕᐅᖅ. ᑭᒡᒐᖅᑐᐃᕗᖓ ᐃᓐᑎᐱ, ᐋᕿᒃᓯᓯᒪᕗᖓ ᓴᓇᖃᑎᒋᓂᐊᖅᑕᒃᑲ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᖃᑎᒌᑦ ᐱᐅᓯᕚᓪᓕᕐᓂᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐃᓅᓯᕗᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓄᖁᑎᑦᑕ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᑦ. ᐋᕿᒃᓯᓯᒪᕗᖓ ᓴᓇᖃᑎᖃᕐᓂᐊᕋᒪ ᑖᒃᑯᓂᖓᑦᑕᐅᖅ ᒥᓂᔅᑕᓂᒃ. ᑲᑎᒪᖃᑎᒋᓚᐅᕐᒥᔭᒃᑲ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ. ᑲᑎᒪᖃᑎᖃᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖓ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᓂᒃᑕᐅᖅ. ᑐᑭᓯᔪᖓ ᑖᓐᓇ ᓴᓇᑎᖃᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᓄᖕᓂᒃ ᖃᓇᑕᒥ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᔨᓂᒃ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑕᐱᕇᑦ ᑲᓇᑕ, ᑲᓇᑕᒥ, ᑕᐃᒪᓗ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪ…
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