Liberal Mandy Gull-Masty says she’s ready to push for what Nunavimmiut need

Nunatsiaq News is profiling candidates in the April 28 federal election. In Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou, incumbent Bloc Québécois MP Sylvie Bérubé is running against the NDP’s Thai Dillon Higashihara, Conservative Steve Corriveau and Liberal Mandy Gull-Masty.

Former Cree Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty says her experience leading Cree Nation has primed her to represent the Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou riding in Parliament.

“I have watched this region be represented for the past eight years strictly through the lens of the Bloc Québecois, and I have not seen responses to the Indigenous issues in this territory,” she said in an interview.

Gull-Masty was elected in 2021 as the first female grand chief of Cree Nation. She resigned from the role in late March to run in the federal election as the Liberal candidate.

She said as grand chief she has worked on multiple files with Nunavik through permanent forums such as the hunting, fishing, trapping co-ordinating committee, and described her belief that if you are elected in this riding, your mandate is to represent all people in the riding.

“I have not felt that that was done appropriately, and it is my objective to ensure that if elected,” Gull-Masty said.

“I am a leader who is engaged, who understands the reality, who is present, who can be contacted, and who is going to push files for the Inuit.”

Gull-Masty draws on her experience living in Kuujjuaraapik with her husband. One of her biggest takeaways, she said, was the cost of living in Nunavik.

“We had very small children, and I know that every time we returned home, I could see the stark difference,” she said.

She pointed to increasing accessibility to country food as another priority.

Gull-Masty said she has started an engagement process by reaching out to all elected officials in the region to better understand the population’s needs.

“Doing work that people need — as opposed to doing work that you think could get you re-elected — you have to do the rough stuff if you want to be a public official,” she said.

The environment is another priority. She pointed to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement recently of $100 million to protect Canadian freshwater by advancing data research.

“I believe that this is something that contributes to the landscape and the beauty of where we live,” she said of the work, adding it’s important to raise awareness in Indigenous communities about the importance of their waters.

Gull-Masty said her goal is to unite her riding by creating “high-level tables” for leadership discussions. That way, she can take community-level concerns to Parliament. Through this approach, she said, more funding could be secured for each group.

“I believe I am the candidate to approach that dialogue and to ensure that is it carried out in a way that is respectful to all the parties,” she said.