Nunavik MP Sylvie Bérubé talks climate change during 1st visit to Kuujjuaq

Climate change, Inuit governance and the size of the Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou constituency were hot topics for Bloc Québécois MP Sylvie Bérubé during a trip to Nunavik earlier this month.

The three-day visit was Bérubé’s first to Kuujjuaq since she was elected in 2019. Her first visit to Nunavik was a one-day trip to Aupaluk in October 2022.

She began her tour of the community on Jan. 9 with a visit to the Qarjuit Youth Council, where she met with president Janice Parsons.

She then met with Kativik Regional Government leaders, Makivvik leaders and representatives with the Nunavik Housing Bureau. A visit with Kuujjuaq Mayor Mary Johannes was also on the itinerary.

“I found it important to have multiple meetings to better understand the Inuit population’s pulse,” she said after the trip in French over the phone.

According to a statement from KRG chairperson Hilda Snowball, KRG members raised issues such as childcare, housing, infrastructure, climate change, and cost of living.

The issue that Bérubé said stood out to her was climate change.

“I noticed how little snow there was when I got there,” she said.

“The temperature was more interesting than the usual minus-40s.” 

Bérubé said she was surprised to learn the ice is getting thinner each year. She noted how that affects snowmobile routes that allow people to travel in winter.

She wrapped up her trip with a visit to the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Center, which she called an “impressive building” with a “really professional” team.

Bérubé’s Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou constituency is one of the largest in the country. It represents multiple Quebec communities, including Nunavik.

The topic of reconfiguring the constituency’s boundaries came up in her conversation with Makivvik president Pita Aatami, Bérubé said.

“What I said to him and all the other organizations who asked me this question is that I am always going to be there, no matter the differences,” she said, adding it’s not always easy to be in the know about what’s going on in Nunavik but she’s working on making solid contacts.

“I know that my constituency is huge, but I am there to support the people, create contact with them.”

She is currently doing an analysis on her trip to eventually create an action plan from it. She said overall, the meetings were fruitful.

“I am very happy to have been to Kuujjuaq,” she said. “I hope to eventually return, and visit other communities in Nunavik.”