Ottawa should spend more to boost housing, Nunavut candidates agree
All 3 promise to bring more federal support to get more housing built in territory
Conservative candidate James T. Arreak, left, Liberal Kilikvak Kabloona and New Democrat Lori Idlout agree housing in Nunavut should be a priority for governments. (Photos by Arty Sarkisian)
The federal government needs to commit more funding to tackle Nunavut’s housing crisis, say Nunavut’s three candidates in Monday’s federal election.
“It’s the federal government that forced Inuit into settlements, and they made promises about housing that they’ve never kept,” NDP candidate Lori Idlout, the incumbent MP, said in an interview.
As of September, there were 3,802 Nunavummiut in need of housing, according to Nunavut Housing Corp.’s 2025-28 action plan that describes the territory’s current situation as a “chronic housing shortage.”
Nunavut’s social challenges, such as poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse and a high suicide rate, are often “exacerbated by poor living conditions,” the housing corporation plan said.
Also, 35 per cent of Nunavut homes don’t have enough bedrooms for their occupants, according to a 2020 report by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
Conservative candidate James T. Arreak agreed with Idlout in criticizing the federal government, saying it has “ignored the North.”
“I would want to bring change and to hit the refresh button and say, ‘Hey, we have deep needs here and our population growth has been very high, so we need to start investing in housing,'” Arreak said in an interview.
Liberal candidate Kilikvak Kabloona said she also expects the federal government to spend more on housing in Nunavut.
“I’m excited about Mark Carney’s plans to build 500,000 new homes in Canada every year,” she said of the Liberal party leader, who unveiled the plan during a campaign stop in Vaughan, Ont. on March 31.
Kabloona said she would push for Nunavut to get a share of that housing construction.
Possibly the most ambitious plan to tackle the housing crisis is the Nunavut government’s commitment to build 3,000 housing units by 2030. The $2.6-billion project was unveiled in 2022.
All three candidates said the federal government should contribute to the project.
Idlout said she wants the federal government to go beyond the Nunavut 3000 goal to provide more housing.
“From what I heard from the communities, even the Nunavut 3000 is not enough,” she said.
Idlout has worked to secure more funding for Nunavut housing, but said she believes the Liberal government aims to make its investments as small as possible.
Kabloona disagreed, saying the federal government’s work to address the housing crisis has already begun.
“These things take time, and I think the Liberal government has been a very strong partner to Nunavut in getting the work started,” she said.
For Arreak, governments’ approach to housing should go in line with the Inuit societal value of collaboration.
“I think that if people have the space in their homes, that will help tremendously,” he said, adding he wants the federal government to work with the GN and local Inuit associations.
“That could really change people’s perspectives from just surviving to something that can be very beneficial for longer-term growth.”
Talk, talk, and… more talk. And no change, no matter who gets elected. First of all, there’s no profit in government housing. Yes, contracts are awarded with margins built in, but do you ever notice how often government projects go way past due and cost way more then originally planned? Short answer, delays and not meeting your target. Second issue. Its hard to build stuff up in the North. We’re applying Southern expectaions on a completely different environment in terms of getting labour and materials. We’re talking very little production capacity, so if we think we can solve the first issue by hiring more contractors, theres still these limits. I am of the opinion that our politicians are being disingenuous. What I dont know is if they actually believe in the impossible, or they know that they cannot fufill their promises.
I think electoral politics necessitates a combination of willful (and genuine) ignorance and magical (short term) thinking (passed off as ‘hope’). Most politicians see little choice but to tell people what (they think) they want to hear. Very often the result is half-baked, simplistic and impossible.
Seriously?!? In the past 10 years the Feds have dumped over $500 million into Nunavut for housing with much of that funding horribly mismanaged by both the GN and NTI (Kilikvaq Kabloona). Name one other jurisdiction in Canada with a population of 35,000 that has received similar funding and failed as spectacularly as Nunavut has in producing any measurable gains in constructing houses? As a Canadian taxpayer, enough is enough prove that you can effectively use the the money that was given to you before any new money is provided.
Ottawa needs to BUILD, not just spend.
Get the CMHC building low end housing again. Stop pretending that the private sector is going to take a hit so our kids can afford a home.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
Catch a tiger by the toe
If he hollers let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe
My mother told me
To pick the very best one
And you are [not] it.
Nunavut needs an Independent MP that can work with any party and not just toe the party line like former Liberal MP Lindell, former, Conservative MP Aglukkaq, and current NDP Idlout.
When we elected an MP for Nunavut tied to a party our voice gets silenced for the benefit for the political party they are affiliated too.
Gimme Gimme Gimme!! open all natural resources and start making money for the territory.
Lets be realistic.
500,000 houses a year is about 1370 houses completed each and every day is an insane figure. Lets use real numbers. Canada’s entire work force sits at about 22 million people
To build a house it will take about 20-30 qualified and certified professionals to build a house.
Each house takes 6-9 months to build from the ground up so lets say in a perfect world, and there are no delays these 20-30 qualified professionals can build 3 houses a year on average working 365 days a year.
Canada would need 170,000 crews of 20-30 qualified professionals or 3.4 Million to 5.1 million qualified home builders to reach the promise of 500,000 homes so between 8-12% of Canada’s entire population would have to be building houses to achieve this insane number. 15-25% of Canada’s entire workforce would have to be building houses to achieve 500,000 homes a year.
Realistically, Canada’s labor market Canada can only build about 50% or 250,000 homes a year at maximum capacity.
What is his plan import buildings from China? Import 1.5 million qualified skilled professionals to build these home? Where would you house 1.5 people? Any they going to build tiny homes? The new Canadian dream live in a tiny home lol.
Does anyone really believe Carney when he says he will get 500,000 houses a year built? Are you all really falling for this false/fake promise?
Officials from the Northern Affairs department, who first administered our tiny settlements, did make promises to Inuit about housing. That is indeed a fact.
At the time these officials had direct control over housing, generally speaking, these promises were kept. These promises did not convey well to territorial officials that came to be responsible for housing for rapidly growing communities.
If those first federal housing promises are to carry any weight in the 21st century- for the tens of thousands of Inuit that are alive today- they would and should have been included in the Nunavut Agreement. For many reasons, some of which we are left to guess at, housing commitments for Inuit are not included in the NA. And, the NA is a done deal.
So, what is the use of a federal candidate bringing up these promises now?
MP Idlout does not specifically represent Inuit. She represents the Nunavut public. As a parliamentarian, she has been a part of the Government of Canada (legislative branch) for several years now. She does not act the part.
If anyone in Nunavut need shoulder the blame for unkept federal housing promises to Inuit, or, a failure to reopen the NA to commit to housing as part of our deal to enter Confederation, it is, most recently, Idlout herself (no, there is no blame, it is a moot point).
So, all we have here is a misplaced appeal to white guilt. Guilt and Penitence are not a solid basis for public governance.
66.5% of all Canadians are homeowners. Inuit and all Nunavummuit should demand no less proportionate prosperity from which we can put our own roofs over our own heads. Calling for more publicly funded housing for Inuit is a complete and utter economic development cop-out not only by Idlout, but by all 3 candidates.
Once upon a time when someone wanted a home but could not afford to have a contractor build it turn key they got together with some skill friends or family, got dirty and perspired a bit, worked more than 37 hours a week and got it done. Then in turn, with some of their new found skills did it with others for someone else. However today most are exhausted from sitting at a desk, then going home watching a hockey game or golf on tv, staying up half the night playin g video games all the while complaining they can’t afford a home. We have been spoiled by hands outs, expecting someone else to do everything for us. Look at the volunteers. Many organizations are struggling or been abandoned because their are not enough people willing to step up. Too busy, too tired when in fact the problem is too lazy. This not not pointing to any culture, race or persuasion. We have become more uncaring to help friends or family, afraid or sweat unless we are at a gym or in a hot tub. There is no one to blame but ourselves. Now to the facts of the North. You have not been able to deliver even half of the building you have been given funding for and you are asking for more. Do you blame others for getting a little disenchanted with the outpouring of money and seeing no progress. Think about it, or not, and just say, this guy has no idea what a struggle is. Well you would be horribly wrong on that.