- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- NDP
- Nunavut
- Nunavut
- Voting Attendance: 66%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $178,285.32
- Government Page
- Oct/31/23 3:18:37 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, the cost of living is creating a crisis in northern communities, and the Liberals are making it worse. Federal employees rely on a subsidy to help them with their housing expenses, and the Liberals are trying to cut that subsidy, a move that would cost workers between $6,000 and $8,500 a year. This would force people out of their homes and cut services that northerners rely on.
Will the Liberals reverse this decision and stop punishing workers?
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for his interest in the north and the Arctic. I am not sure how genuine it actually is.
With respect to this act, the Investment Canada Act, when it comes to ensuring we are doing better at protecting individuals and the land, a lot of what we have to do in these pieces of legislation is prevent the acquisition of certain things. For example, in Nunavut there is a mining company that is not owned within Canada, and a lot of damage is being caused by this mining companies to our lands and our territories. What we need to do is make sure that there is free, prior and informed consent so that indigenous peoples can and will have a say in ensuring that legislation, such as the Investment Canada Act, can have a positive impact on them.
Does the member agree that ensuring free, prior and informed consent should also be included in acts such as these?
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- Oct/24/23 2:51:58 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, one bottle of orange juice is $24 and one can of chicken soup is $10. Nutrition north is subsidizing corporate greed. It is not lowering grocery prices.
Last weekend, the NDP leader and I heard from Nunavummiut. They said they can barely make ends meet. Meanwhile, the North West Company continues to report sky-high profits.
When will the Liberals introduce an excess profits tax and reform nutrition north so it can help people, not CEOs?
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- Sep/18/23 2:56:36 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, too many northern communities saw little to no housing projects or repairs this summer. Too many Nunavummiut are being denied their right to a home. When I visited Baker Lake this summer, I saw housing conditions well below acceptable standards. Last year, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated submitted a joint budget request to build more homes. They are still waiting.
When will the government invest properly in housing that will make a difference in people's lives?
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Uqaqtittiji, it is an important question. While off topic, it is still quite important.
The biggest change that needs to happen in the nutrition north program is that the government needs to do better in monitoring what is going on with the program. Currently, the way it is operated is that the government allows the for-profit corporations to monitor their own program. There is no external review of what is going on. The for-profit corporations are allowed to continue to profit off of these subsidies.
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Uqaqtittiji, indeed, the bulk of our conversations at INAN on this work was very much about representation and making sure that we do ensure indigenous women are better represented in the board, given that a lot of the issues indigenous peoples experience should centre around solutions and the need for reconciliation to better meet the needs of indigenous peoples.
I was absolutely happy to support the motion to make sure that northern territories are represented on this board as well. Given our fewer populations in the north, we do need to ensure that our northern territories' voices are amplified.
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- Sep/27/22 3:12:07 p.m.
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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 grocery stores making record profits and help Nunavummiut access the nutritious and affordable food they deserve?
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- Jun/17/22 11:49:32 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, food insecurity in Nunavut is a major issue. The cost-of-living crisis is making a bad situation even worse. In budget 2022, the Liberals did not mention food insecurity in the north once. My constituents are being left behind by the government. Food has expired by the time it reaches shelves in Nunavut. This is not how people in Canada should live.
Why has the government not taken steps to make sure all people in the north can access fresh, affordable food?
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- Mar/3/22 12:59:26 p.m.
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Qujannamiik, Uqaqtittiji.
Firstly, I am finding it fascinating how the Conservative agenda is touting the protection of global interests to a transition to non-emitting sources of energy in its motion. While I agree that we all need to address the climate crisis, this is not one of the ways to do it.
Secondly, I agree to some extent with the Conservatives that Ukraine is not the only nation facing aggression. Indeed, a charter plane carrying two Russian nationals was grounded in Yellowknife. They were on their way to Resolute, which is a community in my riding.
I realize this case is on the fringe of this important issue of Russian aggression. Will the Liberals commit to both a just transition and defending all Canadians, including those in the north who are so often left behind?
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- Feb/3/22 11:19:47 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-8
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 is already a lot of food insecurity across Canada.
These people need help, not more cuts for the working people who are losing their income and paying more for their bills. Why do you want to make their lives even harder?
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- Jan/31/22 1:27:35 p.m.
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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 human rights, including food, water, housing, health and mental health. We have felt these challenges for far too long, despite government programs and subsidies aimed at providing relief.
Does the member agree that the government's current response is insufficient for northern communities and that they deserve more equitable cost-of-living supports? Will the member push for the 44th Parliament to achieve this equitable outcome for northern communities and indigenous communities?
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- Jan/31/22 12:15:06 p.m.
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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 Igloolik.
The overcrowded housing situation in Igloolik is deplorable. I was recently informed that Buffy lives in a unit with nine people and three families. Dorcas lives with 11 people and three families. Elisapi lives with nine people in a three-bedroom unit. Shannon lives with eight people in a two-bedroom unit. Paniapik lives with 17 people in a four-bedroom unit with four families. Brenda lives in a three-bedroom unit with two families and five people in one bedroom. Joyce lives with 14 people in a three-bedroom unit.
Will the member support the need to increase housing commitments toward northern and indigenous communities?
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