'I came to Parliament seeking help for Indigenous people, but no one cares enough to act'

Commentary by MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq for Nunavut, published in Toronto Star, June 18, 2021

I’m glad people are finally listening to what I’ve been saying over and over in my time in federal politics: Nunavummiut live in some of the worst conditions in Canada and the federal government is to blame. We have the highest suicide rate in the world. Housing costs are far beyond the reach of most Inuit. Mouldy and overcrowded public housing is the norm. Many don’t have clean water year-round. There’s a food security crisis. In Iqaluit, a gallon of milk costs $20. Even on an MP’s salary, raising a family in my riding would be extremely challenging.

In addition to the racism, sexism and ageism that I’ve faced as a young Inuk woman in Ottawa, the structures of the federal institutions create huge barriers for any MP from Nunavut, no matter who they are or which party they serve in. The largest single-member electoral district in the world cannot be adequately serviced with an office budget that is less than some urban ridings in the south, where constituent outreach can happen by subway or streetcar instead of expensive flights.

Dealing with these constraints is one thing, but then I have to listen to flowery rhetoric from Liberal MPs, cabinet ministers and, yes, the prime minister, about “reconciliation” or “transformational change,” all the while seeing little to no real change on the ground.

Last summer, I travelled across Nunavut on a housing tour to see the human consequences of the housing crisis firsthand. I heard stories of struggle, loss and resilience from dozens of families that I shared in my housing report. I called it “Sick of Waiting.” Unless something dramatic changes, we will be waiting much longer for even band-aid solutions to the housing crisis that is literally killing people in Nunavut.

In the lead-up to the last federal budget, NTI, the Inuit organization that is officially mandated to represent our interests with the Crown, made a formal request for a $500-million emergency housing investment. Nunavut got a $25-million “down payment” for the territorial government to apply for more funding. That’s like needing $5 and being given a couple quarters and told to invest them wisely.

Government members have told me over and over that they know action on housing is needed, but in two years they have done almost nothing to address the crisis. The minister for Indigenous Services, Marc Miller, told me that he hadn’t even bothered to read my report and Adam Vaughan, the Liberal point person on the housing file, answers my pleas for immediate assistance by tweeting “more to do, more to come” on social media. The situation is so dire that even the Conservatives are asking hard questions about mouldy homes and federal underfunding of housing in Nunavut during Question Period. Even small proposals with tiny price tags have been dismissed out of hand by the Liberal government. Take my amendment to Bill C-19, which would have put Indigenous languages on election ballots. A COVID-19 election seemed like a perfect time to protect Canadian democracy through adding Indigenous languages on ballots. I thought that breaking down a long-standing barrier would be a no-brainer for the Liberals and Conservatives on the committee. I was wrong. They shot it down.

Every time I’ve tried to make change, I’ve been blocked by a Liberal (or a Conservative) who smiles at me and condescendingly compliments my courage while they slam the door on me. Sometimes my work feels meaningless when those with power keep acknowledging that I’m right while they continue to do wrong themselves.

And so I’m calling on all my non-Indigenous allies: I urge you, put pressure on the federal government and the politicians who control it. Don’t let them get away with this anymore. They have the power. I want politicians who refuse to use their power to be bombarded by emails, phone calls and meetings with Canadians who will actually defend my right to live a safe life in Nunavut. So if you want to help, do something. Because the federal institutions certainly won’t.

I will be forever grateful to Inuit and Nunavummiut who believed in me and elected me to represent them. But I will never again put my faith in these institutions, or in Canada, until I see structural changes happening. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about the thoughts and prayers, the symbolism, the crumbs they throw us when tragedy strikes. They actually sting when they mask more colonial inaction.

More and more people across this country are waking up to something that Indigenous people have known for a long time: radical change is needed. It’s time for the federal institutions to give us the basic human rights that Nunavummiut were promised when Canada colonized the territory 70 years ago. And if they don’t give us what we’re owed, it’s time for all Canadians to show their outrage and demand it.