Nunavut Liberal touts platform commitments to housing, health care
NDP and Conservatives say governing party has failed to make good on past promises
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stands with the Liberals’ Nunavut candidate, Pat Angnakak, in Iqaluit. The Liberals released their platform Wednesday.
The Liberals’ candidate for Nunavut, Pat Angnakak, says her party’s platform includes measures that will improve housing and health care delivery in the territory.
That includes a promise, mentioned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his visit to Iqaluit this week, to put $360 million towards housing in Inuit Nunangat. It’s part of a larger $2 billion commitment toward Indigenous housing.
The Liberal platform, released Wednesday, also includes funding for mental health, substance abuse and elderly care, which Angnakak said would also benefit Nunavummiut.
That includes $400 million toward improving virtual care across Canada. While only some of that funding will go to Nunavut, Angnakak said it will help address the nursing and doctor shortage in the territory.
“That’s something that will be very beneficial for us,” Angnakak said in an interview after her party’s platform was released, adding virtual care helps alleviate the challenges of healthcare to isolated communities.
The Liberals are also committing to pressure major internet providers to improve internet in rural and northern communities. The platform says they will apply a “use it or lose it approach” to telecom companies that have bought the rights to wireless broadband spectrum, and that those rights will be given up unless companies speed up the roll-out of wireless and high-speed internet in rural and northern Canada between now and 2025.
The platform includes a section with Inuit-specific commitments, including a promise to ensure Inuit communities directly benefit from nearby major resource projects.
It also includes commitments to improve Nutrition North and implement the Indigenous Languages Act.
“I think there’s a lot of great starts here and I really hope I’m a part of that,” Angnakak said of the Liberal platform.
Candidates running in the Sept. 20 federal election to represent Nunavut are (from left to right): Liberal Pat Angnakak, the NDP’s Lori Idlout and Conservative Laura MacKenzie. (Photos courtesy of the candidates)
The NDP’s candidate for Nunavut, Lori Idlout, said the Liberals’ platform includes the same promises they have made in the past.
“If the Liberals had been following through on their platform we wouldn’t still be fighting for the same [initiatives],” Idlout said.
Nearly two weeks ago the NDP released its platform, which includes northern commitments involving housing, broadband internet, healthcare and climate change initiatives.
Idlout said her party’s housing plan will build more homes and better address poor living conditions in the territory, such as mold.
The Conservatives’ candidate for Nunavut, Laura MacKenzie, also accused the Liberals of failing to make good on past commitments.
“The Liberals continue to make a lot of promises, but are lacking on action,” MacKenzie said in a statement.
MacKenzie added that initiatives she intends to address in Nunavut include local training for mental health workers.
The Conservatives’ platform, released nearly two weeks ago, includes northern commitments to housing, broadband internet and healthcare, as well as supporting infrastructure initiatives like the Grays Bay Port and Road Project.
Angnakak said that no platform will make everybody happy.
“But I think we are doing the best plan going forward,” Angnakak said.
The federal election is on Sept. 20.
Oh look, another election with more Liberal promises that they will not keep. But their leader has nice hair and sounds so sincere!
I’ve found websites and facebook pages for the NDP and Conservative candidates, but can’t find a link for the Liberal candidate. Does anyone have the link to her site?
Perhaps there are some commentaries which may not be helpful for the liberal candidate so there is no link. Thank you to the other two candidates for being more open with nothing to hide.
In Facebook you can find Pat’s page if you type in Pat Angnakak and underneath her name you’ll see Politician
It is a shame that a fine person like Pat Angnakak would associate herself with the likes of Justin Trudeau.
Yes, I wish I could vote for Pat to represent Nunavut in Ottawa without also having to potentially end up with Trudeau as PM again. Too bad the Liberals didn’t follow through with Electoral Reform like they were supposed to the first time Trudeau got elected.
360 mil sounds like lot of $$$ but lets not forget this $$$ will span from Labrador, Nunavik, Nunavut and NWT, include Yukon for the sake of it been in the north. Once you start building from Arctic bay northward, per unit becomes almost million dollars for simple three BR unit. Using third grade (?) material grade at that too, so the only ones with smiling faces (laughing all the way to the bank?) will be the contractors. Will we vote Liberal for the sake of puny 360M for all the for the four inuit nunagat? damn if I do and damn if I don’t. I like Nunavut Lib candidate but she is going to have a looney for a boss if he gets back and if she elected, NDP, very good person and fair candidate but Cons/ will that a story for a horror movie.
I like Pat, but I can’t vote Liberal ad long as Trudeau us leader.
I like Lori AND I like Jagmeet. Voting for Lori is the easiest vote I’ve ever cast.
BINGO Crazy Eskimo, bingo is nothing to snuff at in Nunavut, iii Lori is logical choice but so is Pat. Both good ppl persons. When it comes right down to it, sweating blood, nailing biting, holding a pencil; I would probably mark a X on NDP. It is a hard choice to make between the two and Liberal who? I saw her on Iqalaaq last week and she keeps saying “kusiniqpaaq” “iliniasimajunga”, what? what a farce.
How many times has the Liberal government promised the same thing? While they talk about it they never walk the talk, the financial commitment being offered if elected will do nothing to scratch the surface of the needs in Nunavut alone never mind for Inuit and Indigenous people throughout Canada. Great to hear the commitment to Housing and Mental Health but very discouraging that not once did he or the local candidate talk about support for the Murdered and Missing or the unmarked graves. All these issues will be ignored if Nunavut doesn’t have a MP that matches the color of the Government in Ottawa. I am done with Liberal promises that never go through as offered, always excuses.
With all of the unrest in the rest of the world there is nothing about Arctic Sovereignty anymore. Maybe if the ships were being built in Quebec it would make a difference.
Make your vote count but don’t settle for more of the same.
I support the Tiny House Warriors. Stop TMX! Water is life.
Stop invading unceded territory.
Pretty sure TMX has been completely re-routed around Nunavut…
MAKE NUNAVUT GREAT AGAIN !!!!!
Who are you? Justin Trump? Nunavut has always been great, no need to remind people about that, it peaceful out there in the tundra, water is clean and drinkable in most of the area, land scape is beautiful, air is clean, snow is clean and we eat animals that are not puff up with steroids’, and you can eat relatively clean fish out of the water. But there’s a big problem; alcoholism rampant, poverty is everywhere, mental health is a disease GN ignores, jails are full capacity with crooks, child molesters, rapist, shysters’ and the like, is the newly elected going to do something about it? ask the 6%,
More fake promises again. Job security isn’t even in their agenda. Guess, they like having power over income support recipients.
mental health is a priority issue here, governments are trying to fix the huge social problem with a bandage and with a bit of Vaseline rub to it
Internet. How about investing some money in fiber instead of continuing to blow smoke up Northwestel and Telesat’s asses?