Economic reconciliation requires nation-building investment in the Arctic

Housing is not normally a good news story in Nunavut, Canada’s youngest and largest territory. Make no mistake: a great many Inuit are in crisis. Overcrowding leads to a broad range of other issues among our people that affect Canada’s ability to ensure national security and sovereignty. If we can close the North’s housing gap, we will see stronger, more resilient communities at our continental boarder. Our government has an ambitious—but we believe achievable—goal of building 3,000 homes by 2030. We call this project Igluliuqatigiingniq: Building Houses Together—also referred to as Nunavut 3000. This may sound like a small number, but the challenges we face to build are substantial. We can’t do it alone, and the inflationary environment is a growing barrier. And yet, we are projecting our government can cut the cost of building these 3,000 units by up to half. Our secret weapon? Partnerships. Under Nunavut 3000 we are working with an Inuit birthright firm, NCC Development Ltd. Our mandate looks to see 1,000 homes built in the life of this government. Our Nunavut 3000 housing strategy will count any unit built within Nunavut towards our goal, including by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. through its strategy called Angirratsaliulauqta – the Nunavut Inuit Housing Action Plan. This summer, sealift ships will deliver materials that will result in the construction of three times as many homes as the government has previously built in an average year. Eight communities will see a total of 150 new units, at half the cost as previous years. An added bonus, the contractor is wholly owned by Nunavut Inuit, so profits will stay in the territory. The project will build skills and local capacity. We will reduce overcrowding and provide the quality of life that our residents deserve. More housing will see increased health outcomes, educational success for our students, and safety for families and elders. This is what economic reconciliation can look like in the North. It’s just a start. Nunavut’s needs for basic services, infrastructure, and sovereignty are deep and widespread. My cabinet recently travelled to the nation’s capital to further strengthen partnerships on basic service provision and critical infrastructure, and to ensure the daily realities of Nunavummiut are heard about in Parliament. Over a two-day meeting series we called “Nunavut on the Hill,” my cabinet sat down with ministers of more than 15 federal departments, including health, justice, housing, infrastructure, and national defence. In our meetings, the prime minister and his cabinet acknowledged how a lack of immediate investment means Nunavummiut continue to face daily challenges with adequate housing, health and wellness, access to education, poor supports for the aging and limits to local economies. P.J. Akeeagok has been the premier of Nunavut since November 2021. Photograph courtesy of the premier’s office Nunavut is the largest jurisdiction in Canada, with 20 per cent of Canada’s land mass and 40 per cent of its coastline. And yet, when I visit our communities, people say they feel forgotten. Global powers are looking north, but in Canada, the majority of nation-building spans from east to west. Our government’s Katujjiluta mandate champions partnerships as the path to transformational change for the North. It’s founded on the Inuit societal value of Piliriqatigiinniq, meaning “working together for a common cause.” We see these values mirrored in efforts by the Kivalliq Inuit Association to lobby for a hydro and fibre line to bring green energy and connectivity to central Nunavut, and the Kitikmeot Inuit Association’s work with partners to realize a road and port project for western Nunavut. Here in Iqaluit, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association is studying hydro electricity in hopes the project could reduce 30 per cent of the territory’s reliance on diesel, which is the main source of home heat and power. We need to capitalize on partnerships like these in other areas of our government, with Inuit and with Canada. Nunavut’s geographical challenges and austere environment aside, collaboration is crucial as our central issues like sovereignty and security, climate change and critical minerals garner national attention. As a territory born from an Inuit land claim with a consensus-style public government, we know partnership strengthens policy development, enhances co-operation with corporate players, and brings results for Canadians. Through partnership we can pivot to meet global economic changes and still provide Nunavut with the standard of infrastructure that Canadians expect. We are making investments now through our largest-ever capital budget and we hope to see Canada join in building up the Arctic part of our Arctic nation. P.J. Akeeagok has been the premier of Nunavut since November 2021. The Hill Times

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Economic reconciliation requires nation-building investment in the Arctic

Inflation is affecting all Canadian families, but Nunavut’s ambitious housing plan shows that partnership is the key to solutions for the North.

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