October 22, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario – The re-election of a minority Liberal Government augers well for international Arctic issues going forward according to Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada. The election of Liberal candidates in two out of four of the Arctic ridings is also a positive result. The election of NDP youth candidate Mumilaaq Qaqqaq in the Nunavut riding is warmly welcomed, and reflects the high youth population across Inuit Nunangat. In Nunavik Bloc Québécois candidate Sylvie Bérubé was elected, and we will work with Ms. Bérubé as there are synergies with issues such as climate change and language protection.
“We view the election results positively for the issues that we speak out on at the international level for Inuit across Canada,” said Monica Ell-Kanayuk, President of ICC Canada. “Just before the election was called the government of Canada released a long-awaited policy on the Arctic. We now look forward to its implementation, carefully and with care, as we played an important role in its creation. We also intend to ensure that on the issue of climate change that we work towards meeting, if not exceeding the commitments made towards the Paris climate Accord.”
Here are the results for the four Arctic ridings from East to West:
- In Labrador, Liberal Yvonne Jones retained her seat receiving 4,821 votes, representing 42.3% of the vote. Turnout was 56.9%.
- The northern Quebec riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou was captured by Bloc Québécois candidate Sylvie Bérubé with 37.7% of the vote. 178 of 197 polls have reported in this riding.
- In Nunavut NDP candidate Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is the new MP. She won with 3,717 votes and 41.2% of the vote. 55 of 59 polls have reported.
- The Northwest Territories riding went to Liberal Michael McLeod with 6,638 votes representing 40% of the votes. Turnout was 54.86%.
Ell-Kanayuk concluded, “We work with Canadian government officials in the key international forums where we bring the Inuit voice, such as the Arctic Council, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and, in early December, the Climate Change COP25 conference in Santiago, Chile.”
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Contact:
Natasha Latreille
ICC (Canada)
613-563-2642
NLatreille@inuitcircumpolar.com
The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization (IPO), founded in 1977 to promote and celebrate the unity of 160,000 Inuit from Alaska (USA), Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka (Russia). ICC works to promote Inuit rights, safeguard the Arctic environment, and protect and promote the Inuit way of life. In regard to climate change, we believe that it is crucial for world leaders and governments to recognize, respect and fully implement the human rights of Inuit and all other Indigenous peoples across the globe.