Nunavut senator hopes to ‘level the playing field’ by voicing northern priorities
Nancy Karetak-Lindell working behind the scenes while waiting for Senate to resume
Nunavut Sen. Nancy Karetak-Lindell discusses her new role with a Nunatsiaq News reporter in an interview in Ottawa on Feb. 26. (Photo by Corey Larocque)
Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Nunavut’s newly appointed senator, says she is determined to be a voice for Nunavummiut in Ottawa by bringing Inuktitut into the Senate chamber.
“I can easily say if my mother spoke English, she could have been a senator,” Karetak-Lindell said Feb. 26 in an interview at Ottawa’s Victoria Building, which houses her Senate office.
“So, I’m going to speak in Inuktitut for my parents and all the others of their generation who lost control of how they manage their lives.”
Translating policy issues into Inuktitut can be a challenge, she noted, adding there are often no matching words for terms like “tariffs.”
Karetak-Lindell, who is from Arviat, was appointed to the Senate on Dec. 19. She succeeded former senator Dennis Patterson, who retired in December 2023. She previously made history in 1997 as a Liberal MP — the first female MP for the Eastern Arctic, and the first representative for the new Nunavut riding.
She was re-elected three times after that and led the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada as its president from 2016 to 2018.
Less than a month after Karetak-Lindell was appointed to the Senate, Parliament was prorogued until March 24 at the request of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had announced his intention to resign.
That halted all legislative activities and there’s still no swearing-in date scheduled. Still, Karetak-Lindell said she is preparing for the work ahead.
“It is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week job,” said Karetak-Lindell, who has completed her orientation and attended sessions led by other senators on topics such as tariffs.
She sees her new role as bridging the disconnect between the North and south.
“How to make people understand that we’re not just wanting handouts and we’re not just a welfare part of the country is always a part of my mind,” Karetak-Lindell said.
“We’re asking for what rightfully was given to other Canadians to also extend to us, but in a different time frame.”
Karetak-Lindell said, “I was born and raised in a time when someone sat in one of these offices and made policies and laws without ever having seen my people, my communities, and decided what was best for us.”
She wants to ensure young Inuit are educated on how local and federal governments work, so they’ll be ready to lead.
“If you know the system, then you know where to intervene.”
She said she is trying to “stay in the loop” by meeting with other political leaders and representatives of companies that do business in the North such as Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. and Baffinland Iron Mines Corp.
Arctic security, northern infrastructure, health care, and resource development are her other key priorities.
The broader conversation around the North’s role in Canada’s military security — especially after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s pledge to build a permanent military base in Iqaluit if elected — often centres on infrastructure, she said. But that often ignores the people who will be most affected.
“I have to be one of those voices [to speak up] as there are people to protect and a land-claims agreement that needs to be respected,” said Karetak-Lindell.
“We need to be part of the discussions to determine what will be done in the North. I like to think we’re in a time when there’s consideration for the people, the environment, and for what’s put on our lands.”
She also sees her Senate role as an opportunity to challenge assumptions of equality between the provinces and territories.
“Our job through the federal government is to make that a level playing field,” she said. “Some people think that every Canadian has the same opportunities wherever they live. I know that’s not true.
“People down south expect the ambulance to come within 30 minutes and for their loved ones to be in a hospital in that short time. But that’s not what we can hope for,” she said, recounting an instance where it took two days to medevac her mother out of Arviat to Winnipeg for surgery.
Karetak-Lindell said her immediate priority is to get her office fully operational before the Senate resumes for the first planned sitting day of April 1. She’s in the process of hiring staff for her Ottawa office.
At 67, she is set to serve until she reaches the Senate’s mandatory retirement age of 75. Representing the largest geographical riding in Canada is not a job she takes “lightly,” she said, as she works to share the responsibility with Nunavut MP Lori Idlout.
“There’s always so much more that I can do using this position,” she said.
“And sometimes that gets overwhelming, the sense of responsibility that I hold in whatever I do, because I feel like I have to be the voice for so many who don’t have that chance.”
“We’re asking for what rightfully was given to other Canadians to also extend to us, but in a different time frame.”
Now imagine Canadians being replaced with Inuit. Can we be fair when it comes to free post secondary education, grocery top up for all Canadians who live in Nunavut and the many more bloated benefits enjoyed by all Inuit?
I do wish you the best but it is not fair to compare ambulance service in 30 mins in modern southern cities to northern communities of 2000 people with no road access. The services should probably be compared to other southern communities with very limited or no road access. Inuit need to “produce” their own professionals for all culturally appropriate care/services. And this starts with education, etc.
Canada established in 1867. Nunavut established in 1999. Canada needs to do better job in guiding growth in Nunavut. Look at Greenland
You cannot compare Nunavut and Greenland. Apples and oranges. It is Canada’s fault that Nunavut is not growing, too many handouts! Nunavut need to start waking up. Very very hard to change this when a big number of the population are not working and on welfare.
“How to make people understand that we’re not just wanting handouts and we’re not just a welfare part of the country is always a part of my mind,” Karetak-Lindell said.
In Nunavut we badly need Shelter its very Hard we your kick out by law there is no Shelter in Arviat it too dangerous during winter time when you don’t now where to go its cold like -35 can you manage that cold
The prevailing attitude amongst many Inuit that what others have was simply given to them is a gross simplification that does not help them achieve the equality they wish for, in fact it does the opposite.
If she wants to see young Inuit getting a proper education, please take a good long look at what they are being taught ( rumours of very low grades and being given a pass) are they being taught about Ethics and Moral values ? every community in Nunavut has local community councillors and elected MLA’s maybe they can start giving more encouragement and info sessions with all students even if it means going classroom to classroom, give them examples of other locals that have made accomplishments in there careers through education and post secondary education, don’t say what can we do? instead say come on we can make a difference for our childrens future, steer them away from drugs, alcohol, and even gambling, and also remember the cell phone is affecting everybody in all walks of life, at home, school, and at work.
I must commend the new Senator for her ability to never sleep in her “24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week job”.
“She wants to ensure young Inuit are educated on how local and federal governments work, so they’ll be ready to lead.”
Seriously, someone (a senator) thinks a lesson or two in how government works makes for leadership. It doesn’t, and wouldn’t be in the top 50 of criteria for leadership. How about integrity, work ethic, patience, conscientiousness, learning, tolerance, education, knowledge, generosity,,,,,,
I really admire females and women in leadership. Thank you for prioritizing Inuktitut and advocating about the struggles you face as well. I really do hope the names of the commenters appear, demeaning way to speak about Inuit, more specifically Inuit children.
Look at arviat and they say second largest in Nunavut and jobless and stores restaurants and even no community justice. Look at health workers how they treated people of community and income support workers. So many struggling to get some help how those government workers are treating them. And arviat is one of the community that mostly speak inuktitut and they are taking advantage on them with not much understanding. And look at the topic leveling the voice of inuit and that means they are taking advantage on them.
A concern for the unelected senator is arctic security. Does the senator realize Ottawas can be captured within a couple of hours by any number of countries?
Since 2022, Canada has shipped Canadian military equipment to Ukraine to be blown up or sold on the black market. Leaving Canada little to defend itself with. And while the government prorogued, it continued to ban more guns from citizens.
As of October 2024, the government sent $19.5 billion to Ukraine and another $5 billion promised a few weeks ago to fight for its border. We’re told the Canadian border is fine with $1.6 billion funding over the next six years.
Though over the last ten years, $11.2 billion given to various overseas women’s gender programs, billions more than for the border and Canadian port security.
China’s tariffs on Canada may destroy western Canada agriculture, pork and fisheries but Canada remains in silence as if nothing is happening while farmers fret if they’ll spring plant or not.
We’re talking $43 billion just in the canola industry alone and staggering number of jobs lost.
Is it any surprise no elected politicians in Canada are legally bound to keep their promises working for the people?