Nunavik riding goes bleu

The massive northern and northwestern Quebec riding of Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou went blue in the federal election on Oct. 21—pale, Bloc Québécois blue.

Sylvie Bérubé won the seat with 37.7 per cent of the vote. Following behind her was Liberal candidate Isabelle Bergeron with 28.1 per cent, and Conservative Martin Ferron with 16.6 per cent.

Previous MP Romeo Saganash’s NDP successor, Jacline Rouleau, came in third with 11.8 per cent of the vote and the Green Party candidate, originally from Kuujjuaq, Kiara Cabana-Whiteley, was in fourth place with 3.5 per cent.

In a Facebook post, written in French, Bérubé thanked her supporters and called it a historic moment.

On arriving at her electoral office to celebrate the win, Bérubé congratulated her party on its strong performance. The Bloc gained 22 seats in this election, for a total of 32.

Sylvie promised to be present in her riding, according to Radio-Canada, saying she would visit all areas, starting with those she didn’t manage to visit during her campaign. This would presumably include Nunavik.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council–Canada put out a response to the election saying that, in Nunavik, the ICC will work with Bérubé, “as there are synergies with issues such as climate change and language protection.”

Prior to Saganash’s win in the northern Quebec riding in 2011, the Bloc held the seat.

Yvon Lévesque was elected in 2004, when the riding consisted only of Nunavik-Eyou and through its consolidation in 2006 to become Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou. Lévesque was re-elected in 2008.

In Parliament, Lévesque was a critic of the controversial Nutrition North Program and of Stephen Harper Conservative government’s inaction on issues facing northern communities.

He also spoke in the House about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the Bloc supports enacting, and the need for housing in Indigenous communities.

“Mr. Speaker, by signing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Government of Canada recognizes that housing is a fundamental right,” he told the House in November 2010.

“Many social problems result from overcrowded housing conditions. In Nunavik alone, there is a need for 1,000 housing units. Will the signature of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples result in concrete action, namely, the construction of housing?”

To date, 931 housing units are still needed across the territory.

The last time the Abitibi-James Bay-Nunavik-Eeyou riding was held by the governing party was under Liberal MP Guy St-Julien, during the Jean Chrétien government of 1997 to 2004.