Let’s talk about that ‘social fabric’
A lot of people, organizations — including media — need to be part of conversation aimed at reducing violence
Kativik Regional Government chairperson Maggie Emudluk, seen at a KRG council meeting in 2024, says Nunavimmiut need to talk about their “social fabric” after a police-involved shooting in Inukjuak on Dec. 20 sent a man and his young daughter to a Montreal hospital for treatment. (File photo by Cedric Gallant)
The head of Nunavik’s regional government is right about the need for a discussion about ways to reduce violence.
“As Nunavimmiut, we need to start talking about our social fabric,” said Maggie Emudluk, the Kativik Regional Government chairperson, in a statement on Dec. 23.
KRG was responding to an exchange of gunfire — the weekend before Christmas — that resulted in a man and his young daughter being medevaced to Montreal for treatment of their injuries. Quebec’s police watchdog reported Tuesday that one of them had died.
It was the second time in six months that Nunavik Police Service officers were involved in a shooting in Inukjuak, a village with about 1,800 people. In July, James Kavik died during contact with police. His shooting is still under investigation by Quebec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes.
In Nunavik, there have been four shootings involving police since November 2024. Four people have died; two others have been injured.
There’s a lot still to learn about what happened in Inukjuak on Dec. 20 at 3 a.m. Quebec’s police watchdog is looking into the Nunavik Police Service officers’ response to the call. And the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force, is examining the gunman’s motives.
Regardless of what comes of those investigations, Emudluk is right: Nunavik needs to reduce violence. There has to be a way for a woman to call police when she feels her family is in danger without it leading to gunfire and people getting shot.
Nunavik’s current social fabric is shaped by a variety of factors. Tension between Inuit and the police. Racism. Alcohol and drugs. Poverty. The prevalence of firearms.
A lot of people and institutions need to be involved in the conversation Emudluk is calling for — KRG, the Nunavik Police Service, Makivvik Corp., northern village leaders, the provincial and federal governments.
The news media also have a role to play in that discussion.
Nunatsiaq News wants to be part of it. Nunatsiaq News wants to help.
This paper covers news stories when tragedies happen because people need to know about them. The first step in fixing a problem is admitting there is one.
But this paper also welcomes letters to the editor from readers and opinion (op-ed) articles from organizations about social problems and, especially, about solutions.
Emudluk’s idea about talking about the social fabric shouldn’t be limited to Nunavik. It could similarly apply to Nunavut where crime, violence and despair are also all too common.
There’s an old expression that the role of journalism is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.
In Canada’s North, there are too many people who are afflicted by violence, poverty, illness, a lack of education and other social and economic issues. There are also too many people and organizations that are too comfortable in their roles.
It was pure coincidence that the KRG statement came out at the end of the year; that’s just when the shooting happened.
But since a new year is traditionally a time for new beginnings, the arrival of 2026 is an appropriate time to resolve to begin the discussion Emudluk says is needed.
You can’t talk about the social fabric when doing so non-anonymously will get you harassed on Facebook or fired from your job.
Ainhai taimaimmat, You even get ditched by your own friends and families when you talk about it, like we’ve heard before; only once this society becomes fully assimilated, or another term as we can say “fully adapted”, everything will get better, aaqqilaarattai another term to end this!
Social fabric of Nunavik?
You mean where 5-10 people are murdered (Inuit on Inuit) every year? Reaching homicide rates similar to the most violent places on Earth?
You mean where 20-30 young people a year commit suicide, largely due to neglect, drug/ alcohol abuse and sexual violence?
You mean where 10-15 infants die a year from ‘SIDs’ in a population group that should see 0-1 a year at maximum die from SIDs?
You mean where there is about 7000 males TOTAL (including children) and upward of 500 are registered sex offenders?
You mean where 10% of all assaults on police in the entire Province of Quebec occur, while the region accounts for under 0.155% of the population?
You mean the region with the village of Puvirnituq, where over 10 convicted murderers, reside, after ‘serving’ life sentences? (I’m sure it’s just as bad elsewhere)
The social fabric of Nunavik is simple. No accountability. No self-control. No justice. No control of violence in the household or from violence directed at children/women and a justice system completely incapable of protecting the vast majority of Inuit who are good people subjected by force to the worst conditions Canada has to offer. The more vulnerable an Inuit is; the more left behind they are.
It is a society with so much potential being held back by the absolute worst humanity has to offer, enabled by a social and justice system that tells everyone trying to function properly, that these worst are ‘victims’, and that jail and separation is not applicable.
Labelling it self-induced misery isn’t fair, because it is white knights and social justice warriors, mostly Social Workers, Judges, Crowns and the worst, the Defense lawyer racquet allowing this to exist in perpetuity.
Well said.
Thank you, SF. Please add other antisocial socialist institutions (including education and healthcare), media (including CBC, NN, Globe and MAIL…), the oligarchy, and the politicians (especially Liberals and NDP) for fostering a society that promotes the continued decline in the social fabric in Nunavik and all of Canada
is that you, Nunavik Police?
In the interest of dialogue, with you choosing anonymity of comment, are you an officer with the NPS?
If not, without request of identity, I’d just like to know what line of work you are in, and if it is based in Nunavik.
Thanks
There’s nothing you need to know about the identity of the writer that serves ‘dialogue’.
I am an academic in an institution, that similar to police officers, would punish me socially and professionally for stating facts and what I believe.
You, with your public name seem to not realize the consequences a differing view currently has on public and private life in and outside Nunavik. We live in radically politically correct times; to the detriment of actual victims. I praise Nunatsiaq News for their privacy standards.
All the statistics I posted is public data. Outright ignored by social and Justice systems.
You ask for dialogue, in an atmosphere dialogue is socially outlawed for perspectives that state reality or counter the current narratives.
I did research you after this, I think you are doing wonderful things. The likes of people like you are the correct path for the future of Nunavik. But i would caution against asking people to out their career and name when consequences are not even playing fields; it is hostile behaviour. We live in an open free society, we are not forced to spread views with a name behind a belief.
i do really believe if they don’t have access to handgun there will be less death.. if they don’t trust our canadian citizens to carry handgun why should we trust NPS to carry one? we have too many story’s about police not following their own laws
The governments of the north have failed and continue to fail.
Though elected, the “leaders” do not lead and do not represent the people of the north.
But the beauracracy in the north tries to control, and prohibit, almost everything.
The traditional, family systems, were less than ideal, but they enabled people to live where you could not do so without “family”.
Southern invaders destroyed the families, replacing them with non-functional “governments”.
It’s not possible to go back to the families, because they largely don’t exist and to the extent that they do, they no longer have the authority and power they used to have.
NN role is to present facts of each case independently. To group these all together with innuendo that the police are at fault in all of these shooting just adds to the distrust.
The fact is anywhere in the world when you shoot at police they shoot back. Yes you can pull out all the excuses of why the shooter is not to blame Colonialism, generational trauma, but in the end the police have a tough job and have to react in the interest of public safety.
The officer(s) that responded to this now have to carry the trauma of killing a 6 yr old. No officer is going to hunt Inuit which is offen the rhetoric you hear.
So as tempting as it is go get views for financial gain NN must be cautious on the way these stories are reported and not just fanning the flames.
Hey there….
You stated that the police fire back if you shoot at them, and if that is the case in this instance, and you are certain of that , please state your source….
All that has been reported thus far are conflicting accounts of what played out and the BEI has stated that there was “an exchange of gunfire.”
That non-specific wording allows for the scenario that the police fired first, or the wording would have been that the police “returned fire.”
That’s a pretty big distinction.
I think the public deserves to hear a recording of the 911 call if there is one, and certainly the best detail available on what the officer(s) were aware of before they arrived on site…..
It’s obviously important to know how long after the arrival of police the first shot was fired, no matter who the source , and then obviously, who shot first….and under what cirumstance,
I don’t think the public needs to see footage of the event, knowing what happened to little Alacie, but certainly the bodycam footage can clear up a lot of questions the public deserves answers to sooner rather than later….so in the very least the KRG Regional Council, Makivvik Reps and Federal and Provincial reps should be given access to the footage.
The BEI should be much more transparent right now , and I know there are a lot of officers who would agree with that statement….and I’m quite certain the Interim Chief can release the bodycam footage on his own authority as well.
The public deserves access to the best evidence that is reasonable to share….and if the BEI moves to slowly, the media should push harder for answers as well.
The truth matters on how to move forward,,,,and anyone who doesnt think so is in the way.
When an individual points a firearm at police officers, there is no other option for them but to neutralize the threat. Their lives are at stake.
If they are so fortunate to be behind cover (cover means a bullet can not get through and hit them, such as a building, concrete, etc, VS concealment, think of a vehicle door, wall, snow bank, etc, ), verbal communication can be initiated to de-escalate the situation. If the individual is not receptive, poses no risk to anyone else and is contained, at best you end up with a barricaded person situation.
Otherwise, in a face to face situation, shooting first is unfortunately the only available option. Unless the officers want to gamble with their life. And that is not an option.
Of course everyone wants to find out what happened as soon as possible but unfortunately, these types of investigations do take time and the information can not be released until all the facts have been gathered and analyzed.
As I see it Corey is more easily moved by ‘feels’ and ‘vibes’ than is probably healthy for an editor of a widely read publication. Surrogates for facts like this creep in easily as journalists in the north are almost always thousands of miles from the ‘story’.
Over weighted reporting on the emotional resonance of a given incident might also sustain the illusion that one is “comforting the afflicted” … which is to say, showing up for the people.
Misrepresenting reality in service of contrived ‘affinities’ is not noble, it creates dangerous distortions.
That said, I’m not convinced NN is consciously pursuing an economic agenda in this. Granted, there is likely a subconscious drive toward engagement that connects to economic incentives at some level.
I mean it is not as obvious as another story on the airlines but the manner and way this story has been presented… long with 4 different stories published does raise the question.
Imagine the Trumps administration paying attention towards the resources more due to the lack of policing in the northern Quebec… the leaders have to start thinking about other country having interest on resources rather than social needs… media is not asking to solve the issues but spread the idea of failing…. good luck with fabrication of life….
I came to the north for work in 2007, worked for KI until my retirement. There were some social problems back then as there are everywhere, they seemed to worsen over the years with murders, shootings, domestic violence, substance abuse and use, ect. The financial and human resources that are allocated for the north appears to me not the issue as money-people alone from the south will not resolve the social problems, it starts with the local people.