The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) congratulates Nunavut’s newly elected New Democratic Party Member of Parliament, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq on her win in yesterday’s federal election as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for securing a second mandate from Canadians.

QIA would also like to acknowledge the hard work of Liberal candidate, Megan Pizzo Lyall and Conservative candidate, Leona Aglukkaq on their respective campaigns. It is inspiring to see a group of strong, articulate Inuit women representing Nunavut on the federal stage. 

Despite the expansive geographic area that Nunavut occupies, we only have a single Member of Parliament representing our vast territory. Campaigning across a region that occupies 21 per cent of Canada’s land mass, and includes 25 communities that can only be reached by air, is a monumental task. QIA commends all three candidates for their efforts to reach Inuit across Nunavut and engage them in the federal election.

QIA thanks all the people who worked to ensure that Inuit were able to vote in this election. In Resolute Bay, election workers, endured blizzard conditions to allow Inuit to vote.

QIA also commends all Inuit who took the time to learn about the issues, take part in all-candidates forums, and vote. 

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq ran a spirited campaign. Her passion for social issues that impact Nunavummiut resonated with Inuit across the territory. QIA looks forward to working with Qaqqaq in the near future to advance the interests of Qikiqtani Inuit.

QIA also looks forward to continuing our ongoing dialogue with Prime Minister Trudeau regarding important initiatives such as the Qikiqtani Truth Commission and the Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq investments.

While we have secured significant investments in the Qikiqtani Region in the past year, the infrastructure gap between Inuit and other Canadians is still significant.

QIA would like to continue to advance a whole-of-government approach utilizes in the Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq agreements to advance other important projects such as the deep-sea port in Qikiqtarjuaq, desperately needed to grow sustainable industries like Nunavut fisheries.