Kuujjuaq rally calls for increased living standards

Inuit in Nunavik need better housing, culturally relevant services and relief from the high cost of living, said organizers of a rally in Kuujjuaq on Friday.

The union representing health-care professionals at the Ungava Tulattavik Health Center organized the rally to mark International Workers’ Day. The union is affiliated with Quebec’s Confederation of National Trade Unions, which is holding rallies across the province.

“The purpose of a union isn’t only to represent workers’ demands but also all kinds of social demands,” said Gabrielle Gauthier, president of the Ungava Tulattavik health centre workers union, in a French interview.

At noon, a small group walked from Nunavik’s health board building to the hospital, chanting, “We need housing for our youth” and “We need to stand together.”

Andrea Makiuk Roy, an audiologist and the union’s Inuit representative, led the rally.

She said lack of resources and language barriers make it difficult for Inuit to access culturally relevant services.

The health system in Nunavik relies on non-Inuit staff from the south who speak French and English.

“The people that are hired have to adapt to our culture because, as Inuit, we’re adapting every single day,” Roy said. “We welcome everyone, all races, to our communities but we do need to be respected.”

Roy also serves as an interpreter for patients and health care professionals.

Gauthier, who works in youth mental health, said housing needs have to be addressed before anything else.

“I have young teenagers who would love to have a fulfilling life but they don’t have access to housing, and are put on a waiting list which takes years,” she said in French. “In the meantime, some of them live in quite precarious circumstances.”

In 2021, Nunavik was short 836 housing units, according to a study commissioned by the Nunavik Housing Bureau. In 2024, the shortage rose to 1,039.