Nunavut MP breaks silence in video statement
Mumilaaq Qaqqaq says she took leave due to “extreme burnout, depression and anxiety”
Nunavut’s MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq addressed her constituents for the first time in months in a video, after taking a leave of absence to get help with her mental health. (Screenshot from Mumilaaq Qaqqaq’s video release)
Nunavut MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq addressed her constituents in a video on Monday, her first day back at work after a 10-week leave of absence, breaking her silence to talk about her mental health and what’s to come.
“Over the last two months I have been off work due to extreme burnout, depression and anxiety,” she said in the video released through social media.
This was the first time Qaqqaq confirmed her leave was related to her mental health.
She said the NDP has been working with her to make sure she has the support she needs, and a wellness plan has been created so burnout does not happen again.
“My mental health is my responsibility and I found help when I needed it.”
The MP said her office will focus on staffing and constituent engagement over the coming weeks.
“So if you haven’t heard from us, that’s going to be at the top of the list.”
Qaqqaq was originally on leave for eight weeks, beginning Oct. 23.
It was then extended into the new year.
In the video she spoke about the three-week housing tour she did before going on leave.
“I couldn’t begin to fathom how many Inuit were so obviously struggling and it seemed the rest of the country was relatively OK with this, including the prime minister.”
On Oct. 2, in the House of Commons, Qaqqaq said that she would present a report on the “inhumane” conditions she saw “in the coming weeks.”
It is not yet known whether she will bring up the report when the House resumes on Jan. 25.
She thanked Nunavummiut for their patience and support.
“I’m in this for you, I always will be,” she said. “I will always fight for you.”
“After the three week housing tour and seeing so much turmoil and lack of justice for Inuit I found my heart hurting and soul heavy…”
Full video vvvv https://t.co/gQGCcsDTZI pic.twitter.com/9xlPHeRo6i
— Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (@MumilaaqQaqqaq) January 5, 2021
Thank you for seeing our disparity with the housing situation, it is reality and causes much hardship to many of us Inuit. Like when we call it, qauyimaktuq or when a child wakes up to reality, tupaaktuq = awareness of self and surroundings. Continue to be our voice and get stronger mentally as there are also other critical issues that plague us Inuit. Thanks for being our voice, stay well and good wishes for you!
Unfortunately the work that Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is doing on Nunavut housing is completely unnecessary. She is wasting her time because everybody already knows how bad the situation is and all the information is already documented
The Senate aboriginal affairs committee, chaired by a Liberal Lillian Dyck and Conservative Dennis Patterson has already done an excellent report on our Arctic housing problem, including Nunavut. It has many excellent recommendations.
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/65674inuit_housing_shortage_is_a_public_health_emergency_senate_committee_s/
If Ms. Qaqqaq was an effective MP she would be lobbying to have this Senate report implemented instead of wasting time on her own crusade.
Uhh so you’re saying that democratic opposition is not necessary? No deal because that’s not the way a democracy works. The NDP will not be backing down for the Liberals! Lol! And, it t was a parade of corrupt Liberal and Conservative governments that created this housing shortage across Canada and the glaring third world conditions across the North. Lay down for the Libs? Not a chance!
I don’t think he is saying that at all.
In Canada’s Federal system a report from a Senate Committee holds infinitely more weight, than the opinion of a third party MP. There are “popular ” ways to do things, proper ways to do things, and ineffective ways to do things. Mumilaaq’s housing tour was popular and ineffective.
An MP should know the difference and be able to work hard AND smart at the same time.
Well you’ve just said that our multi-party democracy is ineffective and unnecessary. The Liberals have been promising to fix our rotten electoral system since 1923, too. No action on that, either. Liberal, Tory, it’s the same old story in Ottawa.
Southerner says:
“Well you’ve just said that our multi-party democracy is ineffective and unnecessary.”
Except no one has said anything even remotely like that.
I would suggest you stop telling people what they are saying. You’ve been wrong twice in one thread line.
Everyone needs to sit down for a shawarma at Yummy Shawarma.
Not so fast, have you ever live in a house 40 years old haven been shared by at least 8 families over the years? Mold infested run down rat hole. It is said housing has been looked at in the past. Yes by the priviledge but her tour, she actually smelled the molds breaken down rat holes some costing 25% of hard earn paychecks. I am glad to see someone who really was digusted. We dont ran across politicians who care anymore.
Not so fast, have you ever live in a house 40 years old haven been shared by at least 8 families over the years?
========
Yes my friend. Many/most Canadians have, as a 40 year old house is just middle aged. It “should” have lots of useful life left.
One of the issues here is, at the end of her tour of Inuit housing. Realistically the best she can hope for is ………….. government to form a committee to come up solutions. That has happened so it raises questions of why she felt it necessary.
This is an extremely complex problem that everyone in Canada knows exists. The fact Mumilaaq is still back at step 1 (pointing out the problem) makes me wonder if she is even up to speed on the issue herself. When I say that I mean at the Federal level where she works, not the local level. That could be a big problem.
spoken like a true Liberal….40 yrs up here is like a 100 yr old house down there. constant furnace burning 8 months a year, mold, substandard building materials, over-crowding. unlike southern Canada, we do not have choices or mobility to find better homes…whole of public housings (80%?) in Nunavut is like your ghetto housing. then again even in southern slums, you have choice to move around and find better units, the only thing I see in this minority governing body is that in the last four yrs, they have made this great country of ours is a drug addict nation.
The problem though Hermann, is Nunavut is not the only part of Canada with a harsh climate. So does the Yukon, NWT, northern Alberta, northern Sask, and northern Manitoba. Remember, the Polar Bear Capital of the World is Churchill Man…. winter is looong there too. Houses aren’t lasting in Nunavut because of the climate, that is not the problem.
Shoddy maintenance, mold and poor quality materials are all 100% the responsibility of the GN through the Housing Corporation. Nunavut has a building code, building inspectors, and maintenance workers. The fact they don’t do their job properly, is again, 100% the GN’s fault. Certainly not Ottawa.
I think you watch too much US tv Hermann. We don’t have ghetto’s or slums in Canada. There is social housing in the south and the waiting list is likely as long as Nunavut’s. Also, people in southern social housing are not moving around as you think, it’s take it or leave it. People with choice, are the ones paying market rates which is a LOT more than people in social housing are paying. The average 3 bedroom in Canada is $1700 plus heat and electricity.
Like I said, a very complex problem and only some of the blame is on Ottawa. The GN though, needs to start accepting their part and people need to recognize just how much the GN is at fault for this.
3 br average in Iqaluit $3500 plus utilities. Where is the comparison
Maybe she could use her experience of her need to get help for her mental health and see that not everyone in the Territory has the access to the same mental health services that she received. Just a thought.
EXACTLY sadly for the rest of Inuit we do not have that option to receive the professional help she did & SUICIDE seems the only solution to many! Hopefully she can shed light on the extremely vital issue, that we the Inuit of Canada have the highest rate of suicide per capital in the world!!!
I received mental health services from a mental health nurse for over 9+ months, until I was ready. So its there? Or is it not?
I don’t find this kind of rhetoric on liberal and conservative government policies killing Inuit to be helpful or accurate. We can all agree that there have been injustices in our past, but to imply that there is an ongoing attempt to perpetuate genocide and destruction and DEATH by purposefully depriving people of a living is over the top.
Wow that’s great that you are one of the privileged to be able to take time off for those reasons. Most Canadians are not able to take time off for mental health reasons, and most would lose their jobs or be ostracized for trying to do so, especially in the private sector.
But hey at least if your a politician making the big bucks off the taxpayer you are able to take as much time as you need, whereas those making ends meet in real society cannot.
And wait, how about the poor state of mental health resources in Nunavut, near nonexistent… So one can’t even get access to the resources needed anyways…
your not wrong she is privileged, but how is that her fault? Also the bigger question is why is she privileged because she has access to services for mental health… I think we all should… yes even you in the private sector. And you hit ir also right on the head Nunavut is WAY behind on this front.
thank you for pointing it out, though it is not a slight against Qaqqaq
I hope this young lady has a strong assistant! Someone to coach her and assist her in a positive. I am a military veteran who has worked with a lot of men over the years. The majority of my experiences were good but I do know that when you’re a lone female you won’t always get positive reinforcement from them. If it’s one they will agree with you and if there’s a group and just you it’s a totally different scenario. She’s new at this and she needs a support team, if not she won’t last and she won’t accomplish what she would like to. Exercise in futility and it’s not fair to her….at all!
Where and when did this become an issue about sexism?
when people like you feel it necessary to add your two cents to someone else comment with out any thing helpful to say. In so many areas men do tend to try take charge and are not as supportive (seen as weakness by some) to others. so ya i hope this young women does have the support she needs to give this her best shot. I also hope that anyone that is trying to do something positive has people around them to support them.
Good questions are necessary to good discourse; they are an additive, if you see them as a liability without value that is on you.
The idea that men are somehow the issue in all this is a bizarre one, I am open to hearing how this is the case. But if your only point is “men do tend to try take charge and are not as supportive” you haven’t, in my opinion, established any usefulness to your point.
She’s so embarrassing. She clearly cannot handle the job. Resign and let someone who’s actually capable take it.
What would you prefer? Leona, the federal minister of health who represented a riding with a single hospital, never gave a knowledgeable answer, and was the only Inuk in history to deny global warming? Now THAT was embarrassing. And why do you hide behind your anonymity? Afraid to stand behind your words?
While I appreciate your efforts here Sean, there are two fundamental problems with your comment. First, by framing this as a juxtaposition between Mumilaaq and Leona you have created a false dichotomy; or as some might say a false choice dilemma.
It’s also disappointing to see you try to shame someone for choosing to be anonymous. What you’re really doing, transparently, is de-legitimizing this individual by erecting an artificial hierarchy based on their mode of self-identification.
Nattering Nabob, there’s a much simpler way to refute that nonsensical statement from Sean French.
Sean French’s post is based on a false statement. It is completely untrue that Leona Aglukkaq is “the only Inuk in history to deny global warming.”
Leona Aglukkaq never denied global warming at any time. As our federal Environment Minister she acknowledged global warming and announced a greenhouse gas emissions target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
After the Liberals came to power in 2015, the Liberal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna stuck to exactly the same emissions target that Conservative Leona Aglukkaq first announced. Ms. Aglukkaq also announced commitments to reduce methane emissions and to regulate the energy sector.
The evidence for this has been public information for years.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-sets-carbon-emissions-reduction-target-of-30-by-2030-1.3075759
So Sean French’s argument, such as it is, is based on an obviously false premise. My speculation is that he probably made it up on the spot because he thought it might sound good. It’s a total falsehood and everything that flows from it is nonsense.
As for comparing the record of Ms. Aglukkaq to the record of Ms. Qaqqaq? That is not even a fair question.
Ms. Aglukkaq was a mature, experienced adult when she became our MP. She had already served as hamlet councillor, MLA and cabinet minister. Ms. Qaqqaq, unfortunately, has no prior experience in any elected position. As for her maturity or lack thereof, her words and actions speak for themselves.
so what your point Tyrion? wright brothers were only bicycle repairmen when they invented a flying machine. it takes all sorts to make the Canadian politics tick. who would have though Tommy Douglas would champion Medicare in Canada, a man from Canada’s bread basket an honky tonk grass root man, thank you Tommy. we need new bloods, don’t take this Nunavut political culture as role model, there has been so many has been old soldiers; like Leona, Jack and Jill washed-up pushing old outdated politics to modern day. No one is even talking party system up here and nwt.
I nominate u umilik to run against her on the next general election, ur up to it or just a big talk? but then again I think voodoo politics would be bad for Canada.
It is a puzzle how a person without a portfolio or any substantive position in Parliament might get “extreme burnout”? Maybe the pressure of the position is too overwhelming for her.
You can’t handle the truth!
P.s please resign
To those of you expressing negativity to a young woman being painfully honest about her mental health, shame on you! Nunavut already lost Kelly, you would think people would learn. Mumilaaq matters.
And to shame her for having access to higher quality mental health support through her employer, what is wrong with you? Would any of you, when faced with serious issues, turn down much-needed help because people that don’t work with them don’t get the same help? Of course not!
I’m thankful Mumilaaq sought help. Now let’s help her get the proper help for the rest of Nunavut.
I agree with you Sean French.
I’m very hopeful Nunavut MP will accomplish for Nunavut Inuit much needed Housing, before her year is up.
I’m hopeful & rooting for you (Nunavut MP)
Painfully honest? Am i the only one who did not feel an ounce of honesty/genuine speaking in the majority of what she said. It was not until near the end she actually showed real emotion. I get people need help for mental health issues, and hope they get the help they need. But don’t come back and act like you have been completely honest and transparent with that speech.
B I N G O! Just when I thought I was the ONLY one AWAKE who saw that, I see your comment phew!!
Yes some of the comments by our low-information voters is disgraceful. Sad.
her sick days. Going to make a wonderful GN employee after this debacle.
It is good to hear from our MP. I think that it is a good idea to show a bit of compassion even for our leaders, and especially if they are young and inexperienced, so that they can become stronger. We are the ones in Nunavut who voted for her; her youth and limited experience are as much assets as liabilities; we all should have known that during the last election. It is easier to kick people when they are perceived to be down, but it is also evidence of strength for someone in leadership to admit to a mental health issue as it helps to destigmatize the issue for everyone. Of course, our MP has access to services that many people do not have access to, in particular in Nunavut but elsewhere as well; and what that means is that we should continue to push for this to be available to all. Young Inuit women need to be supported and encouraged, not kicked; and we need a new generation of politicians. If anyone can identify one previous Nunavut MP who did more than Qaqqaq has done to date for housing or mental health, please provide details on what it was they did or achieved; my thinking is that if they did so much or had the power to do so much we would not be where we are with housing and mental health in Nunavut. Qaqqaq is an MP so her role is to represent the interests of her constituents, propose bills, etc. She is not going to change everything but she can raise awareness in Parliament of issues Nunavummiut face. I do not think the criticisms some people have made are fair, except to the extent that we obviously need our MP to represent us. I am willing to give her the benefit of trusting that she will continue to do what she can for Nunavummiut, if differently than previous MPs at least not worse. And in the next federal election people can vote accordingly.
Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, you are a strong young woman. You are a good example for alot of young Inuit that struggle to get by or be hired in their own region! So glad you got helped with your struggles.
Keep fighting and I know you have it!
Never mind these old goats that complain about Inuit Strong!
So a 3-week tour of a few Nunavut communities led to “extreme burnout, depression and anxiety”? So says our $180,000 a year MP.
Mumilaaq, do you want to know what real stress feels like?
Take to an MLA who has been minister of a tough GN department for three or four years, like Education or Health or Finance and works 18 hours a day.
Talk to a nurse who has just swabbed blood and semen from the bodily cavities of a ten year old who has just been raped.
Talk to a teacher who has been punched, kicked and spat on and dragged around by the hair by a student.
Talk to an RCMP officer whose staff house has been shot at by some crazy drunk.
Talk to a battered woman who still feeds her kids, gets them to school and then goes to work while her useless husband sits on the couch smoking weed and drinking Smirnoff.
Mumilaaq, you barely lasted one year of light duties before you had “extreme burnout, depression and anxiety.”
For your own sake, please resign. Go back to school, get some life experience, and wait at least ten years before trying to run for public office.
They have an excellent political science department at Carleton University. Why don’t you apply and spend the next 4 to 6 years studying? Please. Get some perspective and learn about the real world and learn about yourself. Please. You are clearly not ready for this job.
I agree.
It’s concerning to have an MP who is absent for 8 weeks, only to extend leave for an additional 2 weeks..from one 3-week tour?..
As a constituent, I contacted her office in her absence and never got a reply.
To her character, I was at the same isolation hub in Ottawa earlier this fall. Not once did she say to any Nunavummiut when outside for fresh air. I found that quite odd.
I’m also seeing on Twitter, many comments and quoted tweets, even retweets, and yes it’s hard to verify, but it appears there are hardly anyone from Nunavut contributing to liking, quoting or RT’ing.
To top it all off, as the article says, $180,000 job waiting for her, meanwhile businesses are closing, people are laid off and struggling financially in addition to dealing with the pandemic stress.
Sigh.
Well said, Sir!
Agree
We’re glad you’re feeling better. Welcome back!
It’s easy enough to throw insults but walk awhile an MP’s shoes and that would buffer the burn of the armchair quarterbacks. The 24/7 social media and news cycle hugely affects/pressures anyone in the spotlight. Ease up, treat others well and we’d all gain with more and better representation and representatives.
I suspect that social media is part of Mumilaaq’s problem. In a way I feel she’s become something of a slave to the admiration she gets from ‘activist Twitter.’ This is where angry rhetoric and grievance are amplified, encouraged and embraced. I see it in the video here. This approach doesn’t translate well into the real world though; a road to frustration, depression and ultimately burnout? I think so.
For all of those of you criticizing our MP, I wonder how many of you could do this job. As a university educated, city-raised, middle-aged adult who has had years of adulthood to lose faith in the world being as it should be, I would hate this job. What makes Mamilaaq Qaqqaq both vulnerable and amazing is that she really cares about making things better for Nunavummiut and believes that the world should be fair and past wrongs should be righted. I can’t imagine how frustrating, and frankly depressing, it must be to clearly see the disparities faced in the north and care, then realize also that so many politicians neither see nor care about these issues – or even about people at all.
Double it up with a pandemic which makes this job harder and more isolating that it would normally be, a constant social media feedback, and the fact that seasoned Nunavut politicians have struggled in this role, I would like to applaud Mamilaaq for fighting for her province with such fierceness of ideals rather than with the jaded patience of a seasoned politician. I also applaud her for taking time to take care of her mental health. We should all heed her lesson.
I can tell by your comment you are one of Mumilaaq’s admirers, probably part of her fawning twitter following from around the country. That’s fine, but as Nunavummiut and as constituents, many who voted for her including myself, know that many of us are not so moved by vapid prose about the “fierceness of ideals” and romantic notions that she, and only she, has truly ever cared… come on, don’t talk to us like we are children. We need an adult in the room. I hope the next election is soon.
Come on what did she do before running for the ndp? She is so over her head. That’s what you get nunavut for electing someone who cannot do the job. Plain and simple
– I sympathize with the MP but a lot of what she talks about in her video are simply recycled PowerPoint talking points.
– Attacking colonialism, residential schools, housing shortage, etc.
– We have all heard this stuff before.
– Doesn’t change from one govt in power to the next one.
– The north is a far better place now than it was years ago. I would know because I grew up in that time & experienced that shit first hand.
– So the question for the MP is can she handle continuing on in her role as MP or are the stressors too great?
– Nunavut needs a strong voice in Ottawa & not a person who is mentally & emotionally fragile.
– The MP needs to do what is best for her health & secondly do what is best for Nunavut.
– I wish the MP good health & happiness this year and in the future.
?❤
There are reasons why the TB rate in Nunavut is 295 times what it is for southern Canada, and why black mold is a “stubborn issue” making Nunavummiut sick and depressed. It’s a decades-long housing crisis and third world conditions in general. Overcrowded housing is the result of decades’ worth of federal Liberal and Conservative government neglect of this basic human rights issue in Nunavut and across the far north. After 35 years worth of austerity and cutbacks to core programs spending in Ottawa, the problems with lack of affordable housing still persist across Northern Canada and especially Nunavut. It is a national disgrace for a rich country like Canada. Mumilaaq is an important voice for the democratic opposition in Ottawa. She fights the good fight on behalf of all of us.
“Overcrowded housing is the result of decades’ worth of federal Liberal and Conservative government neglect of this basic human rights issue in Nunavut and across the far north.”
I don’t agree with your premise here at all. The issue is a complex one and boiling it down to the two political parties who happen to be your competition is transparently partisan and cheap. This year the government of Nunavut will receive 1.8 Billion from Ottawa; that breaks down to over 46 thousand per capita and is up about 28.5% since 2012-13. See for yourself:
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/programs/federal-transfers/major-federal-transfers.html#Nunavut
How this money is allocated is largely up to the Government of Nunavut. The housing issue is a difficult one that needs to be addressed with innovation. The NDP, unfortunately, has no real vision beyond a cycle of unlimited and unsustainable spending; intellectually supported by little more than and endless barrage of guilt and emotional manipulation. Which is partly the reason it will never enjoy any real power in this country. Thank goodness.
Our MP’s strategy is clearly built this way; bursts of rhetoric meant to shame the Prime Minister and the rest of the country. Keep in mind, most Canadians do not have a home built by the government, an overwhelming majority pay their own rent or buy their own home. Yet these people are expected to believe that for us in Nunavut a home provided by the government is justice!
The model is unsustainable and will only continue to multiply costs and incentivize more and more of the same; low educational attainment, poor family planning, more dependence and less self reliance.
We need innovations, we do need investments from government and other organizations as well. Ultimately we need a better model, and the NDP, as usual, offers us nothing more than it has always offered, pies in the sky.
Well, as a math teacher I can say for sure that $46k per capita won’t put a dent in the $400k-$500k cost per unit of housing in Nunavut. Most rich countries have national housing strategies. Not Canada. After 35 years of austerity in Ottawa, we still have a national housing shortage/crisis and one that is especially acute in Nunavut. That was in a senate committee report, too. The sum total of doing nothing about the severe housing crisis in Nunavut, is nothing. That is plainly evident from the anecdotal stories of actually existing Inuit themselves, CMHC and from a number of GN Housing Corp. reports. Liberal, Tory, it’s the same old story in Ottawa. Mumilaaq Qaqqaq *is the effective opposition on the Nunavut housing crisis.
You start by saying say “Most rich countries have national housing strategies. Not Canada.”
So I go to google, and find this: https://www.placetocallhome.ca/
You guessed it, Canada’s Housing Strategy. Isn’t that strange?
Housing in Nunavut is clearly an issue, I won’t argue that.
I do wonder what makes you say “Mumilaaq Qaqqaq *is the effective opposition on the Nunavut housing crisis”? Given that effective means “Something that… works well and produces the results that were intended” I’m a bit puzzled by your choice of words. To be charitable, maybe the word effective has a different use in this context than I am used to?
I am guessing most of the issues surrounding the housing crisis across Canada must puzzle you. You must wonder how a parade of corrupt Liberal and Conservative governments have governed over the second-largest country with unparalleled-in-the-world natural resource wealth, have managed to achieve so little over the last 40 years in power since adopting economic neoliberalism. Three decades, three recessions. Our two old line parties have created a $130 billion-dollar infrastructure deficit across Canada, and a $170 bn-dollar “new infrastructure gap.” There is only one answer to this, and that is that our two ideologically-driven major parties are in the pockets of Bay Street bankers and a few corporate executives operating out of the CN Tower or perhaps even the jockey club after hours in Toronto take your pick. I suspect you’ve never set foot in any of the “mould boxes” and drafty shacks you loosely refer to as the Liberals’ national housing strategy. Your comments are regretable and obviously biased toward the Liberals reduced to minority status government since the election a year ago.
Burnout!!! Seriously!?!? How long was she at thay job, maybe two years with extensive periods of inactivity between legislative sessions? This must be her first real job because clearly she has no idea what burnout really is. Time to resign and find something less stressful to do like macrame or paint.
Mumilaaq, if your housing tour caused you to feel such extreme burnout and depression that you were unable to continue in your work I would ask you to consider the real possibility that this work is just too much for you at this point in your life.
Surely the Liberals have heard it all before, and so why, then, is the the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Nunavut a staggering $2,648 according to CMHC? Why are so many Inuit reporting problems with black mold in their overcrowded homes? The problem is largely a federal one. Just 5% of the housing stock in Canada is affordable social housing. That is a national disgrace! Most rich countries have national housing strategies. A parade of Liberal and Conservative governments in Ottawa are directly responsible for having created a $130 billion-dollar infrastructure deficit across Canada, and a $170 billion-dollar “new infrastructure gap” according to taxpayers federation numbers. Our two old line parties in Ottawa have been following a rotten economic ideology referred to as neoliberalism, or Washington consensus since the 1980’s. It is now dead in the most elite schools for economics but lives on in the minds of yesterday’s politicians like Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper and Erin O’Toole. Their national housing strategy for the last 35 years has been to allow white collar criminals and fentanyl drug barons to launder money in Canada’s housing/real estate bubble. This “strategy” has failed Canadians! Some people here are calling for you to cease and desist providing democratic voice in the halls of power, but they don’t seem to understand that this is how our democracy works. Mumilaaq and the NDP will *not be backing down to or reducing themselves to little more than rubberstamps of approval for the Liberals who have neglected the housing crisis over decades worth of federal rule in Ottawa. A housing crisis of this proportion, and especially so in Nunavut, didn’t just happen over night. It took several government’s worth of neglect and dereliction of federal duties! Keep on holding their feet to the fire and fighting the good fight, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq!
responded to you above under Artie’s post by accident.
Is this an MP for NTI or the Feds. Doesn’t she represent all people residing in Nunavut? That would include people of all race, not just Inuit. I’m personally insulted as I voted for her. Who is our voice in Parliament? It’s time to move forward and not continue to focus on the past, it’s imparing the territories ability to move out of the dark ages. Represent all people ‘not just Inuit’, we matter too!
Seriously… even looking at it from a non-Inuk perspective, housing and mental health is an issue for ALL who live in Nunavut. With more housing for social housing it will allow more kids to have better opportunities to go to school rested. That will help them learn better, which means they are not disrupting the class which means your kids will also learn better. Same goes for mental health.
Do not think just because your are not Inuk that you are not impacted by policies that primarily negatively impact Inuit.
You live in Nunavut we are all in this together.
I didnt vote for Qaqqaq (I thought she was to young and inexperienced), however she was elected and is our MP so we need to support her and give her the best shot she has to represent us well. It is unfortunate that she has felt the mental health burden from her job and was on leave for 8+ weeks, however I am glad she sought help and then talked about it. Many need to talk about their mental health struggles.
Yes i agree with many that previous Lib and Con governments are at fault for the housing crisis, but do you really believe the NDP will save us if they get a majority? No because in southern Canada (where the voters live) there are still a lot of people who don’t even know Nunavut doesn’t have trees (I know there are a some in the SW of Nunavut but really no). and if this basic info isnt even known how can they honestly care about what life is like up here. So Qaqqaq is doing as well as any previous MP in the first part of here term. she is bringing awareness of how life is here to those in the south (she is making national news, and social media reaches a lot of people). and really at the Federal Gov level that is all they care about.
By contrast, I did vote for her, despite her lack of experience. But I do not believe this notion that we must all rally behind and support her ‘just because.’
You say she is making waves nationally and is a social media sensation, assuming that is true, what does it accomplish? Does her high profile on twitter translate into anything of substance?
In my opinion she is popular amongst progressives because she represents so many of their favourite archetypes; indigenous, youth, female, she even has the tattoos! She is unduly revered for accomplishing nothing beyond her own existence and the ideals she represents in their minds. In return she mimics their social justice rhetoric; a perfectly symbiotic and mutually gratifying relationship that achieves nothing outside its own silo.
That is the dumbest comment I’ve read all week. Thank you very little.
I don’t think so, Southerner. If you go check out her latest Twitter tirade against Nunatsiaq News, no less, you can see this for yourself and I hope other readers do this. That forum has become a well of unreserved admiration and positive feedback for Mumilaaq. And to her detriment, I would argue.
There is no criticism, no push back, only a chorus of hymns signing praises without any reflective thought or insight whatsoever on any of the issues she raises. Again, go see for yourself.
Of interest I see almost no one, that I can tell, from Nunavut there, though there may be the odd fawning Qallunaat like yourself.
For those interested in the phenomenon of group think and in group affirmation biases, and thought silos… It’s both a case study and a true spectacle.
Well it has been to long and out of touch with the people,her personal agenda took oer.now we need to do another election because she failed to do so to advocate and work for the people.We all know politics is not for the weak ,it is a daily issue with politics on uncomfortable moments and more.
We need a Leader whom is there for the people by the people and whom has been around politics local related and accessibility professional Developments.
A young and inexperienced MP should have been getting support from her party and its leader, in this case the NDP and Jagmeet Singh. They’ve been letting her down. Evidently. they couldn’t even help to find her an assistant capable of answering the mail. That’s where the blame lies for her sad situation..
At least we now have an MP who has a first hand knowledge of the destitution and despair people living in overcrowded houses and those that depend on social assistance face every day. All of our MPs to date have grown up in middle class environments. Probably never faced real hunger.
Now take that knowledge along with the issues you’ve just faced and become the real champion, Mumilaaq. You now possess knowledge that is first hand now bring it home to the rest of Canada.
Never mind your detractors as most just put you down based on hearsay.
I am shocked at the meanest of some of these comments and how Nunatsiaq News has allowed such comments to be printed in their paper! I hope Mumilaaq doesn’t take it to heart and realize that the comments are coming from mean angry cowards who cannot even use their name to back up their words. Shame on you, Nunatsiaq News for your contribution to racism towards Inuit and for supporting lateral violence! No reputable newspapers does this. Thank you Mumilaaq for being courageous with your honesty regarding your mental health- my very best wishes fora speedy recovery <3
Being allowed to remain anonymous allows one to speak the truth without fear. To say that they are ‘mean angry cowards’ is name-calling and shameful in itself. No one here has called Mumilaaq any names. Saying that someone is too inexperienced, too young, and perhaps too fragile to be in this position when Nunavut needs a stronger leader is not racist. Just FACTS. Calling our Nunatsiaq for allowing these comments to be printed is sad. Your position makes no sense.
Nunavummiut: What I have seen first-hand in Nunavut is a lot of Government jobs occupied by southerners, many who come from Liberal and Conservative strongholds in Eastern Canada where high unemployment rates have been the norm for a long time. They have had to seek employment in Nunavut and elsewhere in Canada because their home provinces aren’t growing economically which, many experts will say, is a sign of corruption in government. And they want to re-create those same political conditions in Nunavut, their adopted home. Take their jeers and criticisms of your elected opposition MP, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq with a large grain of salt as they say. Choose wisely.
All day you’ve bloviated naked partisanship and wimpy one liners on this board. Now you’ve plugged the spectacle into paranoid conspiracy theories, claiming other southerners are here to replicate the corruption of their jurisdictions in Nunavut (some of this is supported by experts, apparently… let’s see your sources?)
Being a self-proclaimed ‘southerner’ yourself I can’t help but wonder if you, by some magic, see yourself as an exception to this? I mean, you’re obviously not like them… you’re the good ‘southerner, right?
Too funny…
All this going on at only 28 years of age. Time to step down. I don’t think you are cut out for politics. Please step down and work on your own wellness. This constant public display is so unprofessional for an MP especially the stuff on social media. I’m just shaking my head.
Very sad to see, and hear that she can’t handle the job, I know I can, bring it on. One house at a time…..I say. It just seemed so fake, and rehearsed like a New York Broad way show. Her politics remind me of the movie Black Sheep. And that was a great movie by the way…..Last note, You all look like happy campers to me. Happy campers you are, happy campers you have been, and, as far as I am concerned, happy campers you will always be.
Anybody that knows her,knows she is a product of NS,she has no knowledge of Nunavut.or the people.lived a privileged sheltered life, and never had a real job, and it is known the NDP, could not find a candidate to run till the last minute,and picked her, with no background whatsoever in politics, this is what you get and get over it 3 more years, and I am asking would you work in her office,so this is what we get and deserve , look south of our border
Great name Mr. Tologanak, see you on the ballot soon happy camping.
How do we go about getting her statue put up on the four corners?