NDP plans to rebuild from ‘grief,’ Idlout says
Nunavut MP ‘will not make a rash decision’ about crossing the floor, citing ‘broken’ Liberal promises
Then-NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, left, speaks in Iqaluit with Nunavut MP Lori Idlout in March. Singh resigned as party leader on April 28, election night. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
A week after narrowly winning re-election as Nunavut’s MP, Lori Idlout says the New Democratic Party plans to rebuild from its election losses.
Idlout was one of seven New Democrats to secure a seat in the April 28 federal election, earning a second term in the House of Commons with a 77-vote lead over Liberal challenger Kilikvak Kabloona.
But party leader Jagmeet Singh failed to win his own seat in the Burnaby Central riding. He announced his resignation on election night.
Before the election, there were 24 NDP MPs.
“Our first conversations have been that of grief with the loss of our friends who were not re-elected, and discussions about how we’re going to rebuild as a party because we still have a great sense of hope for the NDP,” Idlout said Tuesday in an interview.
One the party’s first steps since last week was the appointment of Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies as the party’s interim leader until a new one is chosen.
Davies, first elected in 2008, is the NDP’s longest-serving current MP. Idlout did not have much to say about him, other than that she does not know him well.
Idlout is not sure if she’ll take on committee roles again. In her first term, she was a member of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee, and participated in other committees like status of women, government operations and procedure and house affairs.
Her main priority, she said, will to be a “consistent” and “respected” voice for Nunavut in the House.
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout watches TV in Iqaluit as former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, accompanied by his wife Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu, resigns as party leader on election night. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Not high on her list of priorities: crossing the floor to join the Liberals.
With Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal party just three seats shy of forming a majority government, there have been reports the Liberals are courting MPs from other parties to join them, bringing their seat count to the 172 needed to form a majority government.
Idlout pointed to “many promises that were broken” by the previous Liberal government, including what she described as “drastic” changes to the Inuit Child First Initiative.
The program, which included the rollout last year of community-wide food vouchers for Inuit families, switched in February to a model in which funding requests are only granted based on individual needs.
“It’s really hard for me to consider crossing the floor knowing what the realities and what failures Liberals have done for Nunavummiut, so it’ll be something that I will not make a rash decision about,” Idlout said.
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, who congratulated Idlout on her re-election last week, said he has spoken to Idlout about maintaining an “open-door policy” when it comes to working together on issues.
He expressed a hopeful tone about Idlout’s role in Ottawa when asked Sunday about his thoughts on the NDP’s loss of official party status.
“That one seat is so important for us to be the eyes and the ears, and really the one advocating for us,” Akeeagok said.
“I very much respect who Nunavummiut elected through this process and look forward to seeing what we could do.”
Next for Idlout is preparing for the upcoming House of Commons sitting, which will begin after King Charles reads the speech from the throne, scheduled for May 27, during his visit to Ottawa.
Idlout said she would rather it be Gov. Gen. Mary Simon reading the throne speech. Idlout was in the Senate building in 2021 when Simon delivered part of the address in Inuktitut following drumming and the lighting of a qulliq.
“I don’t know how much of Inuit culture we’ll be able to highlight with King Charles,” she said.
“Given that Canada was established on First Nations, Inuit [and] Métis lands, it would have been nice to be able to showcase more of Indigenous cultures during important events like throne speeches.”
Cross the floor and demand a Cabinet position! Nunavut has no representation in an MP whose party doesn’t have official status. Get the power our territory needs by supporting a Liberal majority and positive progressive policy change for Inuit and the North.
Finally realizing you were used and spit out by the lieberals?
A bit too late. When you make a deal with the devil, expect devilish things to happen.
Told you, 4 more years, 4 more years Lori
Since the NPD is no longer an official party, Lori is a independent. The Liberals are only a few seats away from a majority, so it may benefit her to stay independent as the liberals will negotiate to secure her vote.
The NDP is still a party, it’s just there isn’t enough members in Parliament to have official party status there, which means they’re simply without a few of the perks they might otherwise have, like more opportunities to ask questions during Question Period. As an example of it happening to others, the Progressive Conservatives went down to 2 seats in 1993, losing official party status, then went up to 20 in 1997, regaining it. In 1993, the NDP also lost official party status, going down to 9 seats, then in 1997 went back to 21, regaining it as well.
Please consider crossing the floor to Liberals, we need more seats with Liberal government.
“I don’t know how much of Inuit culture we’ll be able to highlight with King Charles”
Hey Lori, Canada is a multi-cultural state. Do you know what that means?
It means its not always just about you.
Expecting King Charles to know about Inuit?!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
How about Inuit try to keep up with proper, real Education to integrate?
It’s 2025. Not 1925.
Inuit brag about adaptability.😳
Demanding drum dancing during Question Period.😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’m confused by her comment. There were no such thing as Metis until the Europeans and First Nations had extensive offspring.
So, where were these Metis lands? Aren’t they synonymous with First Nations’ lands, or are their distinct Metis’ lands that are now former First Nations’ land?
… Well would open up a whole can of worms, wouldn’t it?
ASK YOUR SELF, WHAT HAS NDP DONE FOR NUNAVUT? please list them . USELESS and cant believe how many voted for NDP
Nunavut gets the representation it deserves, which is exactly as you say… nothing. Make your bed and lie in it. I hope Lori.sticks with the NDP.