Arctic needs more federal ridings, informed candidates: ITK

The creation of more federal ridings in the Arctic could help the government to better tackle issues facing Inuit communities, says Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

Inuit are often left out of federal election campaign process because of the vastness of Canada’s four Arctic ridings, Simon said in an April 8 blog post.

“I believe given the geography that must be covered across Inuit Nunangat…we need more federal ridings in the Arctic, that would result in greater representation for Inuit and the Arctic in Parliament,” she wrote.

“The next time electoral reform takes place, Inuit will be repeating requests to alter Arctic ridings to make them more representative of our population.”

Simon points to Nunavik as an example of a region that should have its own seat in the House of Commons, based on its population and geography.

The region currently makes up part of Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou. But during this election campaign, the incumbent MP has said he won’t travel to Nunavik due to the high cost of flying there and the risk of being stuck in bad weather.

A single community campaign visit can cost thousands of dollars in air travel, creating significant logistical difficulties for federal candidates, Simon said.

“Unlike the majority of other Canadians, it is a rare event for many Inuit to have the opportunity to see the federal candidates for their riding, other than on TV,” she said.

That’s why Simon and ITK have posed some specific questions to federal candidates across the Arctic’s four federal ridings.

Each of the federal parties have been asked to provide answers to the following questions before April 20, so ITK can post the responses on their website for Inuit to consider before they vote on May 2:

Housing, Health and Hunger

• In Canada, Inuit are the most likely to live in crowded homes. What, in specific terms, would your party do to address the housing crisis in Inuit communities?

• Tuberculosis remains a real and present threat for Canadian Inuit. What measures does your party propose to eliminate TB in Inuit communities?

• How much money would a government formed by your party commit for the construction and operation of mental health centres to promote wellness in Inuit regions?

• In Nunavut, seven per cent of Inuit preschoolers live in food insecure homes. What does your party propose to do to overcome child hunger in Inuit communities?

Education

• Building on the 2008 apology to survivors of the residential school experience in Canada, how would your government work with Inuit to close the education gap for Inuit students?

• What is your party’s position on Inuit language rights in the Arctic? What, in concrete terms, is your party prepared to do to preserve and promote the Inuit language?

Environment and Wildlife

• How would your party address the need for adaptation strategies in the Canadian Arctic to help Inuit communities adjust to melting permafrost and a changing environment brought on by warming temperatures?

• How does your party intend to work in partnership with Inuit on issues of resource development and environmental protection in the Canadian Arctic?

• What is your party’s view on uranium mining in the Canadian Arctic?

• How would your party protect Inuit hunters and families from the effects of the EU and similar imposed wildlife restrictions? How would your party promote and sustain markets for Inuit wildlife products?

Partnership with Inuit

• How does your party propose to implement within Canada the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?