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Lori Idlout

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
NDP

Nunavut
Nunavut
Voting Attendance: 67%
Expenses Last Quarter: $178,285.32

Government Page

Nov/6/23 7:20:51 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, when Grassy Narrows submitted more changes to the funding request, as required by the department, it waited eight months for an answer. The Minister of Indigenous Services met with Chief Turtle in May and approved the project. She said that everything was ready to go, but the government needed to get the funds from Treasury Board. She said that Grassy Narrows would see the funds by September at the very latest. It is now November and there are still no funds from Treasury Board. There should be no further justification for this delay. When will this funding finally be sent to Grassy Narrows so it can start building the mercury repair home it so desperately needs?

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Context: House Hansard - 247 - Nov/6/23

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Nov/6/23 7:16:27 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, in Grassy Narrows, the effects of mercury poisoning can be traced to 1970, more than 50 years ago. The Liberal government committed in 2017 to build and operate a mercury care home. Six years later, the ground has yet to be broken for this facility. I asked the Prime Minister in June when the suffering from the effects of mercury poisoning would end. He said that the situation “has gone on for far too long” and that he was “working...with local leadership and moving forward” on a solution. This potential project is another in a long line of broken Liberal promises to indigenous peoples. Chief Turtle wrote to the Minister of Indigenous Services on October 13 saying that he continues to wait for Canada to provide the full funds to build the mercury repair home. For six years, Grassy Narrows has worked to get the project started. For six years, it has experienced barriers from the Liberal government. While elected officials say that the government is committed to this project, approvals are delayed. The first nation has done what it can do to get the project started. Grassy Narrows has done everything asked of it. It has submitted the applications, done its due diligence and followed all the government's bureaucracies. There can be no more justification. It is the federal government's responsibility to provide Grassy Narrows with the care it needs, not to prevent that care from starting. The delays are not justifiable. Meanwhile, this community continues to suffer. Research published in July found that the youth suicide rate is three times higher than other first nations. Consumption of fish from mercury-contaminated waters has led to nervous disorders and psychological stress over generations. Mothers indicate that over 40% of girls have attempted suicide. Before the mercury was dumped in 1970, the community did not report a single suicide. The connection could be said to be clear. The Prime Minister once said that Canada's most important relationship is with indigenous peoples. So far, Canada's relationship with Grassy Narrows has been marked by barriers and neglect. What is Canada's delay in honouring the minister's promise?

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Context: House Hansard - 218 - Jun/21/23

Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Jun/21/23 2:36:10 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, all I heard is empathy. What indigenous peoples need is action. Grassy Narrows is still waiting for the government to fulfill its promise to build the mercury poisoning care home in Grassy Narrows. After decades of toxic drinking water, just like countless first nations across this country, people in Grassy Narrows are left waiting for the government to keep a promise it made years ago. Indigenous peoples have heard empty words for decades. Will the government finally deliver the treatment centre that Grassy Narrows desperately—

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Member of Parliament

Lori Idlout