Indigenous Peoples are bearing the brunt of the North’s sky-high cost of living

Indigenous Peoples have lived and thrived in Inuit lands since time immemorial. Despite the area’s harsh conditions, Inuit have hunted, fished, and provided for our families. We built homes, boats, and dog sleds, just to name a few inventions. We raised children and passed on a culture filled with rich traditions through countless generations. We were guided by the stars, sun, and the moon, and taught the patterns of the environment so Inuit could govern themselves for generations. When settlers arrived on our lands, the territory now known as Canada, they began a multi-century process of genocide and forced assimilation. Through racist and colonial legislation like the Indian Act, Indigenous Peoples were marginalized, forced onto reserves, and sent to residential schools. Our language and culture were beaten out of us, and the intergenerational trauma continues to impact our communities to this day. Lori Idlout is the NDP MP for Nunavut. Photograph courtesy of Lori Idlout Colonialism did not end with the closing of the last residential school in 1996, and systemic racism persists in many ways. Nunavummiut suffer from a persistent lack of investment in housing. According to Statistics Canada, more than 50 per cent live in overcrowded housing, and almost a third of dwellings need major repair. The NDP has been fighting for more funding and secured a $4-billion (over seven years) for-Indigenous-by-Indigenous Urban, Rural, and Northern housing program in the 2023 budget. Even with this victory, so much more investment is needed. The Federal Housing Advocate’s (FHA) Nov. 27 report echoed the injustices. The National Housing Strategy Act, passed in 2019, affirmed that all Canadians have a fundamental right to housing. It is clear from the FHA report that the Inuit right to housing is being violated. The report highlights communities that are suffering from the highest rate of tuberculosis in the country due to mouldy, overcrowded homes. There is such a pervasive lack of resources that some Inuit have resorted to using duct tape to repair crumbling infrastructure. People have to sleep in rotation in crammed houses, and there is no space for children to do their homework. None of these findings are news to Nunavummiut, who have experienced chronic underfunding from successive Liberal and Conservative governments for decades. In 2022, the public housing waitlist in Nunavut sat at more than 3,000 names. In a territory of fewer than 40,000 people, this means one in every 13 people is on a public housing waitlist. Some have been waiting for decades. Construction needs to be ramped up quickly because people are quite literally dying as they wait for a home. I have spoken of a story I heard recently about a young pregnant Inuk woman in my riding who died by suicide. Facing the reality of years-long waiting lists for housing, she did not see a future for herself or her baby. Stories like these are part of a larger, more disturbing trend. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami estimates the suicide rate in Inuit Nunangat is five to 25 times higher than in the rest of the country. Nineteen Nunavummiut took their lives in the first half of 2023, most of them youth. Young people feel hopeless, with few economic opportunities and a lack of access to even basic mental health services. Housing and mental health are inextricably linked, and both must be addressed concurrently. The Kyak family from Tununiq on board the CGS C.D. Howe at Grise Fiord (Qikiqtaaluk), Nunavut, in 1958. Back row: Moses Kyak, left, Lazarus Kyak, Mary (née Panigusiq) Cousins, Letia carrying Elizabeth in the amauti, and Leah. Front row: David, left, Carmen, Timothy, and Lily. Canada’s colonial policies continue to marginalize Indigenous Peoples, such as the Inuit who were used in the name of sovereignty and forced to Grise Fiord, writes NDP MP Lori Idlout. Photograph courtesy of Library and Archives Canada These issues are exacerbated by the sky-high cost of living in the North. Inflation has hit Nunavut harder than anywhere else. The price of groceries in Nunavut are astronomical, despite millions spent on the Nutrition North program which is supposed to subsidize groceries, but instead is a subsidy going to for-profit corporations like the Northern stores. At North Mart in Iqaluit, a bottle of orange juice costs $24. A can of Chunky soup is $10. For years, Inuit have been ignored when they demand improvements to the subsidy. A study by University of Toronto Mississauga found that for every dollar given to grocery retailers by Nutrition North, only 67 cents are passed on to consumers. The government trusts these corporations to pass on the subsidies. While Nunavummiut struggle to put food on the table, grocers like North Mart, which are owned by southern companies, are getting richer. It is clear the system is broken, and that is why the NDP has been calling for a reform of Nutrition North. Subsidies must be going to the families that need them, not lining the pockets of rich CEOs. Canada’s colonial policies continue to marginalize Indigenous Peoples. Inuit were used in the name of sovereignty and forced to Grise Fiord and to Resolute. The High Arctic relocatees are still underserved. The lack of infrastructure stands in the way of better airline services. One airline does not have enough pilots who can land in Grise Fiord, and as such, flights are severely limited. Since health care is so limited, many Nunavummiut are sent south for medical appointments. Pregnant women are sent to Iqaluit for confinement, leaving their families for up to a month, and sometimes longer. Boarding homes in places like Iqaluit, Ottawa, and Winnipeg are always over capacity. Elders are sent to Ottawa for long-term care. Having already experienced great injustices like dog slaughters, TB treatment in southern facilities, and residential schools, elders are exiled to southern venues. The needs in the Arctic are great. This government must do better and invest more in housing and infrastructure like sharing costs to have health centres renovated or built. This government must reform the Nutrition North program so that it reaches its intended target of alleviating the poverty that is so pervasive in Nunavut. Lori Idlout is a Canadian politician who has served as an NDP MP for the riding of Nunavut in the House of Commons since 2021. Before her election, Idlout practiced law in Iqaluit with her own firm, Qusagaq Law Office. The Hill Times

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Indigenous Peoples are bearing the brunt of the North’s sky-high cost of living

Inflation has hit Nunavut harder than anywhere else, and the Liberal government must do better and invest more in housing and infrastructure.

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