2021 Campaign
1 - Child Abuse
Sexual violations against children and youth is one of Nunavut’s most pressing concerns. Although child sexual abuse is rampant in Nunavut, it usually evokes little public discussion. While it is a difficult and sensitive topic we must be strong and come together as a community to face this issue head on, for the safety of our children. Far too often children in Nunavut are victimized. We hear about it in the media, and know it’s going on. It has been documented that Nunavut children experience rates of abuse 10 times higher than the national average. I believe that this is a silent epidemic, an open secret. Healing starts with naming it, calling it out and saying loud and clear that it is wrong.
There is a stigma surrounding sexual abuse, victims often feel ashamed and it is common to suffer in silence. We must speak about this reality if we wish to see it end. We must all speak out together and oppose child abuse. Nunavut must start openly discussing it and encourage victims to come forward and seek assistance. I encourage our community to talk about the issues that must no longer go unspoken.
The Government of Nunavut must do more to fulfill its obligation to ensure the safety of all children through prevention, intervention, and post-vention, this can be done by,
-
declaring the rate of child sex abuse a crisis and devote necessary resources;
-
provide long-term counselling services for victims as well as perpetrators;
-
create public awareness initiative to end the shame so victims feel comfortable coming forward;
-
provide parents and children with the knowledge they need to protect themselves;
-
implement effective data tracking to identify current occurrences;
-
conduct voluntary survey to determine true extent of past violations;
Child sexual abuse is an issue that I have raised repeatedly since 2018, when I discovered there were nearly 500 registered sex offenders in Nunavut, half of whom committed offences against children.
2 - Domestic Violence
Violence against women and children is a real issue in Nunavut. It is a continuing problem that leads to psychological trauma or preventable loss of life. There have been many articles on the rate of domestic violence in the territory, stating how Nunavut’s rate is 13 times the national average.
Each of us has been or knows someone who has been affected by family violence. All forms of violence are unacceptable and must end. We must all speak out to oppose abusive relationships. I commit to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, I commit to stand up for all vulnerable Nunavummiut.
Unfortunately, there is a stigma around domestic violence, and it is common for victims to suffer in silence. It is time to face the issue, and start openly discussing it and encourage victims to seek assistance. I encourage our community to talk about the issues that must no longer go unspoken. It takes an entire community to work together to make changes. We must stand together to break the silence on family violence and abuse in Nunavut. On a number of occasions, I have made statements reminding the Assembly to recognize that many women and children in Nunavut are facing domestic violence issues, and many women live in fear for the safety of their children daily.
There is a strong correlation between poverty and domestic violence and without appropriate housing options or additional financial support - these victims may feel trapped and unable to move on with their lives. In some cases, intimate partners will return to the abusive relationship, as they see no other way out.
the GN must:
-
strengthen our emergency shelters, set up transitional housing for women, and improve emergency services for women and children;
-
create public awareness campaigns directed at potential victims, about the safe separation from an abusive partner;
-
create a policy to assist employees who wish to flee from an abusive relationship; and
-
create a similar piece of l to Clare's Law to provide the police the authority to warn potential victims of known high risk offenders.
I want to see that our government does all it can to ensure the safety of Nunavummiut
3 - Environment
In 2017 Environment was my first priority, (show 2017 campaign sign and zoom in on priorities) this is because I am deeply concerned of the effects climate change will have on our world. Across the planet we see the impacts of climate change through extreme weather events such as increased drought, wild fires, floods and the death and extinction of plants and animal species.
Nowhere else is the rate of climate change more rapid than the arctic, we see the changes in Nunavut more and more every year.. melting glaciers, thinning sea-ice, thawing permafrost, and introduction of invasive species.
Climate change is threatening Nunavut’s fragile environment and we have a responsibility to the land through environmental stewardship. If we do not act now to mitigate the impacts of climate change, then it will be our children and grandchildren who will suffer the consequences. It is negative impacts that we humans have on the planet that make me feel ashamed, and strive to make change. I care about the environment, and consider myself to be environmentally conscience. I do my part to conserve energy, and try to reduce the amount of waste that makes its way into the landfill.
I remain a strong advocate for renewable resources, especially alternative energy. It is imperative that the world continues to set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I know that Nunavut's contributions are miniscule on the world scale, but we must still do our part by reducing our near total reliance on fossil fuels for power generation in Nunavut.
Nunavut has the highest electricity rates in Canada, and even the with the energy efficient designs of new GN buildings it will still cost $500,000 a year for electricity. It still blows my mind that all major projects the GN builds do not incorporate solar, wind and energy storage systems to offset the cost, as a minor investment will pay itself off several times over.
As always the Government of Nunavut can not and should not be expected to accomplish everything on its own. it is important that the GN does its part to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, and that should be supplemented by the private sector and Nunavummiut. I believe that the GN should do more to encourage and assist Nunavummiut in reducing their emissions as well.
Our government must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, as we are many years behind other northern jurisdictions
4 - Education
Education is the fundamental building block to a prosperous Nunavut of tomorrow. In today’s economy, education is the key to success. Whether you work with your hands or in an office, an education is required. 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.
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. Meaning kids are starting school behind their classmates. The Government of Nunavut needs to place an emphasis on expanding early childhood education by increasing support for the creation and operation of child care facilities. by expanding Kindergarten to full day, 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.
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 four years I have brought up the need to provide government-funded food programs in schools. The Minister of Education has indicated that providing food programs in schools is not part of the mandate, and therefore has not met the repeated cries or requests from MLAs. Food programs at school will be costly, but we cannot let Nunavut’s children go hungry. Yukon receives $4M in federal funding a year for food programs in schools, and Nunavut should too.
As our children become youth they find themselves with limited employment opportunities other than Northern or Co-op in most communities. Many high school students do not know if they prefer working in an office environment, or working with their hands. I would like to see the Summer student program expanded to give high school students an opportunity to gain experience before making life changing decisions such as what to do after graduation.
I have repeatedly pointed out that FANS is intended to ensure that financial resources do not pose a barrier to post-secondary education, meanwhile FANS only offers assistance intended to offset the costs. Given that the majority of the population is on income assistance, most families may not be able to cover the remaining costs of tuition and textbooks. If the government of Nunavut truly wishes to achieve 85% Inuit employment, we must fully cover the costs required to obtain the qualifications and encourage more Nunavummiut to continue their education.
if reelcted I will place a special emphasis on increasing support for our youth.
5 - Housing
Housing in Nunavut has been in a critical state since the territory was created, and the housing shortage has now reached crisis levels. In Iqaluit this has led to an extremely competitive housing market, and near zero vacancy rate. Many Iqalummiut are facing homelessness and overcrowding which contribute to the high prevalence of family violence and other social issues. Access to adequate, affordable and suitable housing is linked with all aspects of an individual's well-being.
It is time for the GN to take drastic action to address the situation.
-
Alternative construction methods to reduce skyrocketing cost
-
Creation of an affordable housing fund
-
Promote and increase support for homeownership
Alternative construction
The NHC continues to construct public housing at an increasing rate. In 2019-20 NHC completed 85 new units, as well as continued construction of 80 additional units, in total these units represent nearly $130M in construction costs for the year. This is a significant investment that should not be undermined. However, NHC construction cost continue to rise and most recently, the average cost per unit reached an astonishing $900,000. Cost of constructing public housing has doubled over the life of the 5th assembly. Traditional stick build method of construction is costly, inefficient, lengthy, wasteful and prone to mold.
Prefabricated and modular construction methods have advanced significantly. I believe that structurally insulated panels (a form of modular) 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. It is time for the Government and Nunavut Housing Corporation innovate and think outside of the box, and commit to research and invest in alternative construction methods.
Creation of an affordable housing fund
NHC construction represents a majority of the investment in Nunavut’s housing industry. The private sector is able to conduct business in a more efficient manner, and I believe that remains true with housing construction costs. NHC cannot continue to build 90% of the residential construction. In any other jurisdiction the government’s investment represents a small fraction of the housing industry. Of course, Nunavut’s circumstances are unique, but I believe the GN and NHC must play an active role in developing the industry through such a program as an affordable housing fund.
Yukon created an Affordable Housing Fund in 2017. Over the last three years the fund has made contributions to 33 affordable housing projects which has created over 350 new residential units.
I believe a similar program would greatly assist in addressing Nunavut’s housing shortage. In addition, an affordable housing fund in Nunavut could be targeted to create transitional/second stage housing for youth or victims fleeing from domestic violence, an alternative stream can be created to assist in the creation of retirement and assisted living homes, or a stream can be designed specifically for collaboration with Inuit organizations.
Promote and increase support for homeownership
CMHC has identified that homeownership in Nunavut has declined over the last 10 years. That makes sense given the subsidies that the GN offers through staff housing and public housing, which pales in comparison to the assistance that the GN offers through homeownership programs. Subsidized housing has become the preferred option, and the GN must do something promote homeownership to reverse that trend.
Increase the household allowance to be equitable with the staff housing subsidy.
Increase income eligibility threshold for the homeownership programs.
Increase Nunavut Downpayment Assistance Program to 20% to match the CMHC requirement for mortgage loan insurance, which adds to the cost of a home.
Homeownership in Nunavut is extremely costly, and generally requires a double income. unfortunately a double income household would exceed the NHC’s unrealistic income eligibility threshold for the homeownership programs. all GN/NHC housing programs must amend the income eligibility and assist homeowners.
Allow me to continue my work to encourage the GN to action to address the situation, by exploring alternative construction methods to reduce skyrocketing cost, creating an affordable housing fund to bolster the housing industry and increase support for homeownership.
No Collections Here
Sort your projects into collections. Click on "Manage Collections" to get started