Nunavut MP Lori Idlout spends summer recess in Kivalliq
Parliament scheduled to resume sitting Sept. 16
Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout in Rankin Inlet at the end of her Kivalliq tour on Aug. 7. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout spent her summer away from Parliament, touring seven Kivalliq communities to meet, greet and lend an ear.
Her tour took her to Baker Lake, Naujaat, Coral Harbour, Whale Cove, Arviat, Chesterfield Inlet and Rankin Inlet from July 29 to Aug. 7.
Nunatsiaq News met up with Idlout in Rankin Inlet on the final day of her tour, to talk about how it went and her plans before the start of the legislative season.
She said it was a work trip that was also very personal.
“I wanted my tour to be a little bit different this time,” Idlout said.
She said she’s noticed that her job as the territory’s only member of Parliament often requires being a friendly ear for people to tell their pains and worries to. Those personal stories “contribute to the bigger picture” of the life of Inuit in Nunavut.
Many of the stories she hears sound familiar, she said.
Idlout’s mother’s side of the family is from the Kivalliq.
When Idlout was young, her father died by suicide. Then she, her late sister and her two brothers entered the foster care system. They were taken to different families in Resolute Bay, Igloolik, Pond Inlet, Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet.
“All those families that helped me and my siblings, they help us, and I want to help them,” she said.
On her recent tour, the MP also hosted traditional meetings with hamlet staff and local hunters and trappers organizations, but she mostly met with community members and elders during public events and barbecues in the hamlets.
Idlout said people’s concerns haven’t changed much since she was elected in 2021. Top of the list is still housing and cost of living.
People talked about how those issues that “seem federal in nature” impact their daily lives, she said.
Some elders told Idlout about the ways poor and overcrowded housing affects their lives.
“It’s harder for them to help other people when they’re under constant stress themselves,” she said.
Mental health issues are also putting a lot of pressure on Nunavut communities.
“People are struggling and there’s no place for them to go to get help,” Idlout said, adding she always reminds people to take care of each other.
“If we only wait for mental health professional services, then our mental health will keep deteriorating,” Idlout said.
“We have to remember that we survived for thousands of years by helping each other.”
With help from some locals, she was able to also enjoy her time in the hamlets.
Idlout said she always listens to the people in the communities and their stories now that she is “in a position of trust.”
“There’s been too many decades where there’s been a lack of investments in Nunavut,” she said.
“And we need, I need, to use these stories to help explain to parliamentarians why we need to invest more.”
After visiting the communities, Idlout flew to Yellowknife to reunite with her husband, Allan Mullin, with whom she planned to drive to Ottawa.
Parliament is scheduled to resume Sept. 16.
Such a hard worker and dedicated MP. She deserves a longer break than this!
I trust you are being sarcastic. If not, I disagree.
Damn if she reaches out to the constituents damn if she doesn’t. She doing her best and if you know there are no roads in Nunavut for her to travel. ( I am being sarcastic about the roads) if you think you can do better than run against her I am pretty sure you will win by land slide with your arm chair critic experience
so in what capacity have you worked with her that she not a hard worker?
She will get a long break, after the election.
Name one accomplishment while she’s been in office…
Recess is over , go back and get us some more free de niro.
So elected officials shouldn’t get paid to do their jobs? They should volunteer?
Something needs to be said about how our leaders see mental health problems in Nunavut. It seems like there is an idea echoed by our MP that if people receive counselling services, this alone is the solution. It is not.
Sure, for people with acute clinical illness, counselling would seem absolutely necessary. Counselling is the responsibility of the GN, not the Feds so our MP should probably leave the issue of counselling delivery alone.
For a Nunavut MP, the more important question should be, what are the predeterminants of mental health, and what can be done to put things in place to ward off mental illness in the first place, relieving whatever pressure there is on treatment?
The predeterminants of mental health are well studied, known and universal. These included meaningful employment (purpose), low incomes (inability to provide for oneself), discrimination, family structure and support, and neighborhood and personal safety.
So my question to our MP, and to our other elected leaders is, what are you doing to create more jobs, improve prosperity, reduce racism, model a good home life, and push for crime reduction?
It is time for our leaders to stop seeing this issue on a black and white TV, when we live in a world with QLED color. If they ignore these predeterminants, they are not doing their job.
I’m concerned over NDP partnering up with Liberals to keep power…Nunavut is in need of a new MP..
“… people’s concerns haven’t changed much since she was elected in 2021. Top of the list is still housing and cost of living.”
Says the MP who votes over and over for more and more carbon tax. To slam us down with non stop higher prices on food, fuel, freight, building housing. Well, just about, if not everything.
She could stand up. Stand on guard for the love of Canada by voting against the Liberals to help trigger an election. But no.
Makes for scary times as the totalitarianism and communism theme in the book 1984 becomes a wake-up call reality across Canada.
“Makes for scary times as the totalitarianism and communism theme in the book 1984 becomes a wake-up call reality across Canada.”
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How people can type this sort of thing without a hint of irony always surprises me… trying to equate Lori Idlout and a NDP/Liberal power supply and confidence agreement as totalitarianism invalidates any potentially accurate criticism you might stumble upon.
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Just… let go of some of the dramatics sometime.
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Or would you rather keep up with your “two minutes of hate” by writing like the sky is falling constantly? It’s kind of ironic.
And now… the NDP is leaving the coalition deal with the Liberals. Joy Joy Joy the supply-and-confidence deal is over.
Alright more tax cuts for corporations and wealthy, less workers rights, and a jenius that hangs out with Diagolon a white supremacy group. Now since your happy NDP is leaving, then vote for NDP as they are making happen and keep Poilievre as opposition leader forever. Anyone that wants to be PM so bad is not in for the people but for the power!
Lets go Conservatives!
You want to be a friendly ear? Please tell your boss to pull from Liberal support ASAP.
Wow that makes so much cents!
Canada is a free market society, it’s the multi national grocery corporation that are increasing prices of food, also housing prices are dictated by market demand again they are making profits and housing is provincial and territorial issue not federal government. If you want to direct your anger direct it all private companies as they are making record profits while paying bare minimum legally required. There is no Department of Setting up prices, yes call for an early election and vote in socialist government since you want government to dedicate cost. I am all for a socialist government too.
Lori, can you tell your boss to stop teaming with PM? both of them are running the country into the ground, recovery for the nation will take a long time to get back to it’s feet. Lori; you’re in a wrong party and as Nunavummiut, I am am ready too vote you out simply because of two mad MPs you’re associating with, do you see the trend that Canadian jobs are been taken over by illegals who bully Canadians at will?
Then work at Tim Horton’s and other food service jobs that pay minimum wage and don’t stand up to the corporation. If you’re really worried about jobs, what evidence do you have that they are illegals? Maybe they are temporary foreign workers that your brilliant leaders will definitely expand on.