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Adam Arreak Lightstone
Welcome to lightstone4mla.ca.
I have created this website to share details on my current and previous platforms.
It has been eight years since I was elected to represent Iqaluit Manirajak. I would like to thank you for the confidence you have shown in me. It has truly been an honour to work on your behalf. If I am re-elected I will continue to work just as hard.
The role of an MLA comes with significant responsibilities and comes with a lengthy learning curve. Reviewing legislation, debating budgets and policy and raising issues on behalf of constituents, no two days are the same. When I returned for my second term I was a veteran member, and all my hard work in the first term gave me recognition and respect from the new members. I am asking for your support so I may apply all the knowledge gained to continue to guide the Next Assembly and Government of Nunavut.
Over my eight years I have raised a tremendous amount of issues, many of which the government has acted on (increase housing allowance, GN salary review, improve NDAP, enhance FANS...), but the remainder of the issues can be categorized under these these three areas:
• Increasing the Standard of Living
• Investing in Youth Initiatives
Exercise your right, and come out and vote on...
Advanced Vote: October 13-23
Election Day: October 27, 2025
Accomplishments
MLA's can hold significant influence on the government. As an MLA I have advocated forchange in a number of areas.Below are some examples where the GN has acted on my calls for change.
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GN salary review and wage increase to compete with other territories
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Increase to the household allowance to be more equitable with staff housing
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Improvements to NHC home ownership programs to encourage more homeownership
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Create funding for food banks
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Getting the GN to reinstate funding for NS
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Begin the rollout of full day kindergarten
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Enhancing supports for FANSYear round student employmentCreate domestic violence leave
Anchor 1
Over the years I have placed much emphasis on the need to enhance public safety in Iqaluit and Nunavut.
Increase RCMP in Iqaluit to meet the demand
The Government of Nunavut and the RCMP have a significant responsibility, and challenge, to provide public safety across our territory. In Iqaluit, public intoxication, crime, violence, and vandalism has steadily increased in severity year over year. The RCMP in Iqaluit are stretched thin. On busy shifts they “only have 4-5 members responding to calls” Iqaluit RCMP ‘specifically targeting’ suspects in drug, firearm crimes. While attending emergency calls, they are far too busy to stop their vehicles to address public intoxication. They are struggling to meet the demand, and our public safety is suffering the consequences. The GN must allocate additional resources so the the Iqaluit detatchment has enough officers to provide adequate public safety.
Enhanced Supports and Supervision of those on Parole
With how often we read news about individuals who reoffend are convicted of violent crime while on probation, I am very concerned that there is insufficient support and supervision of Nunavummiut who are on parole, probation, or court orders. The purpose of probation is to provide offenders with an alternative to incarceration, and allow individuals to serve their sentence in the community under supervision with conditions.
Mental Health
a small population contribution the majority of the crime. the RCMP has over 2,700 detainees in the holding cells.
Amendments to the Liquor Act
Amendments to the Liquor Act are necessary to reduce alcohol related harm. In 2024 the Iqaluit RCMP responded to over 5,000 alcohol-related calls for service, and had over 2,700 stays in the holding cells (drunk tank). As a large amount of crime that’s committed by a very small percentage of the population, it is safe to assume that there are many individuals who regularly interact with the RCMP.
There are some people who cannot drink responsibly and should not have access to alcohol. Yet there is no mechanism in place to prevent these few individuals from purchasing alcohol at the Beer and wine store. An individual can receive a court order to abstain from the consumption of alcohol, and make a purchase at the Beer and Wine store the very next day.
Some communities have an alcohol education committee to determine who can order alcohol. Iqaluit needs a committee to designate who cannot purchase alcohol, upon the recommendation from a government official.
Introducing a Clare’s Law for Nunavut
The rates of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse in Nunavut are at crisis levels. Claire’s Law, is legislation that gives the authorities ability to warn potential victims of known high-risk offenders.
Clare's Law gives the authorities the ability to warn people at risk of domestic violence if their intimate partner has an abusive history.
Almost half of the individuals on the registered sexual offenders list have been charged with offences against children, including a few who have been convicted so many times that they are listed as high-risk offenders. Our Clare’s Law should be the first in Canada to go beyond domestic violence and also include the ability to warn parents if their children are at risk.
Anchor 1
Diversion of income support clients
I have demonstrated my commitment to equality, I believe that the biggest inequality in Nunavut is the disparity of the haves and have nots. With roughly 30% of Nunavummiut dependent on income support this has led to staggering rates of poverty. I have begun to place more emphasis on increasing Nunavut’s standard of living and overall quality of life.
The problem and the solution to these is simple: A significant proportion of adult working aged Nunavummiut are not participating in the workforce. Of importance to note is that the largest demographic income support clients are in the 18 to 35 age category, which is unfortunately the backbone of our labour force.
Roughly 30% of the population receives income assistance which is the highest rate in Canada.
Roughly 40% of the population who turn 18, age into income support.
In our largest communities every employer across every sector, including the Government of Nunavut, is facing chronic staff is shortages which is crippling our services. However, in those same communities, there are hundreds of income support clients that are likely capable of working and filling jobs that do not require specific qualifications.
This trend must be addressed or our rates of poverty will continue to climb.
Offer financial incentives
The solution to bringing Nunavummiut out of poverty, increasing our standard of living and overall quality of life is by getting capable bodied income support clients to join the workforce. I do not believe our youth (18-35) are choosing to live in poverty. I believe that they just need a little assistance and some guidance to nudge them in the right direction.
I would like to see the GN offer financial incentives to income support clients who join the work force. The Government of Nunavut does have generous recruitment and retention bonuses for hard-to-fill positions.
On average, income support earners receive about $10,000. Putting some of that towards a recruitment and retention bonus to encourage income support recipients to join the work force would have a much stronger economic impact than income support would have.
Incentives for employers to hire income support clients
recruitment and retention of income support clients into the work force is the most direct avenue of uplifting our people out of poverty while enhancing the standard of living and quality of life in Nunavut. The solution will require a double-edged sword. We require incentives to income support clients to get out of the income support trap or the welfare wall. We also need incentives available to our employers targeted directly at employing income support clients.
I strongly believe that the GN must create a new funding program to offer one year of wage subsidies to employers that hire income support clients. A program that is more accessible, streamlined, and easier to access for our entrepreneurs, but still meets the minimum reporting requirements for expenditure of public funds.
Nunavut Child Tax Benefit
The Nunavut Child Tax Benefit is a monthly payment offered to low-income families.
we have the highest cost of living in Canada and looking at comparison of our own child tax benefit to all the others, we rank eighth. For example our $300 a year pales in comparison to Quebec’s $2,300 a year.
The median income threshold to receive this child tax benefit in Nunavut is a household income of $20,900. Meanwhile, the median income in the territory is $28,000. That means that over 50 percent of Nunavummiut are ineligible for this child tax benefit.
We need to help Nunavut’s kids living in poverty by increasing the total child tax benefit and increasing the income threshold.
Build Housing Using Modular and Prefab to Reduce Costs
Homeownership is becoming increasingly unaffordable and Iqalummiut have been priced out of the housing market. The Government of Canada intends to increase homeownership by boosting the housing supply through the Building Canada Homes program. I would like to see the Government of Nunavut work with Canada to make it easier to enter homeownership.
Alternative construction methods such as modular should be encouraged to reduce skyrocketing cost of construction. Prefabricated and modular construction methods have advanced significantly. I believe that is the key to addressing our housing shortage in a manner that is quicker and cheaper, while still producing quality homes that are more efficient and do not mold.
I would also like to see the Government of Nunavut offer low interest mortgages to help Iqalummiut get out of staff housing and public housing.
Invest in more Youth Initiatives
We all agree that our youth are our future. Unfortunately our youth face numerous barriers to succeed academically and transition to post-secondary education and employment. Barriers such as food insecurity, overcrowding, abuse and lack of mental health services. The dropout rate in our territory is out of control, and our government needs to refocus on the roots of our education system to address it.
Full Day Kindergarten
FDK offers many benefits and I have began advocating for the GN to implement it since my first term. The GN began a pilot program in August 2023, and now includes 14 schools.
When children enter the school system in kindergarten, those who were lucky enough to attend daycare often have more skills than those who did not have the opportunity. Children who have not attended preschool are often unable to catch up with only half a day of school.
By expanding Kindergarten to full day in Iqaluit, I believe it would have an immediate effect to alleviate the shortage of daycare spaces, and make sure that social promotion does not start at grade 1.
School Food Programs
Continue to enhance school meal programs through designated GN budget. Every child deserves a healthy meal, and so the GN should be providing universal food programs. All schools in Nunavut offer a breakfast program to all children who wish to come early. Some schools also offer snacks and lunch to a limited number of children who need it. Some schools have taken the initiative of offering a food bank for children to take food home. All of these programs are run by school staff volunteering their time to apply for funding, and administer the programs.
Another area that is necessary to assist our children to learn is to make sure they are not going to be hungry during class. Over the last eight years I have brought up the need to provide government-funded universal food programs in schools. all schools should have standard program run by designated education staff to reduce the burden on our teachers, and ensure that no child will be hungry in class.
Create a tutoring program in high school
We are seeing so many students who are finishing high school that are not achieving the curriculum results that they need to be accepted or even succeed in post-secondary high school.
providing such individuals supports as tutoring, which is absolutely necessary in developing study habits that lead to the retention of information and critical thinking. This would also provide an excellent opportunity for students to earn money, while assisting other students with studying.
Create a trades program in high school
Nunavut is the only province/territory in Canada that does not have a Secondary School Apprenticeship Training program. Teenagers across Canada have the option to begin an apprenticeship or explore a career in the skilled trades.
students spend half the day in class working to complete the academic requirements to enroll in an apprenticeship, while spending the other half of the day working on a worksite, gaining hours towards the apprenticeship as well as getting paid for their work.
Incorporating a formal youth trades program in Nunavut would offer significant benefits, particularly in addressing the territory's unique challenges related to employment, economic development, and high school completion. By providing integrated, hands-on learning, such a program could empower local youth and strengthen communities across the territory.
Cohorts
The GN cannot continue to rely on NAC to train Inuit to meet a representative public service. The GN is obligated under Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement to increase Inuit participation in government employment in the Nunavut Settlement Area to a representative level. The GN’s Inuit employment levels have remained stagnant for years. I understand that the GN workforce has grown significantly, but we have barely been able to keep the current ratio. Something different must be done, or this will only continue.
For the last few years I have been encouraging departments to coordinate with southern post-secondary institutions in gateway cities to secure enough seats to send a cohort of youth interested in studying.
Aligning internships with Graduates
With our housing crisis we are losing many young professionals to the south. in order achieve a representative public service and reverse the brain drain the GN should be coordinating internships for as many graduates as possible.
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