Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank very much the member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation for sharing his time with me. I hope that this is the first of many collaborations to come.

First, I thank Nunavummiut for electing me to represent and amplify their voices in this place. I thank my volunteers, contributors and staff for energizing my campaign. I thank my family, and a very special thanks to my husband Allan for supporting my work.

I acknowledge that we are on unceded Algonquin Anishinabe territory.

The throne speech was quite similar to the last one I heard. Again, there were major gaps. We heard nothing on health care, non-profit and indigenous housing, the TRC calls to action and the MMIWG calls for justice. There was nothing on addressing the high cost of groceries and nutrition north, and nothing on making the rich pay what they owe.

First, with respect to health care, Nunavummiut do not have proper access to basic health care. The non-insured health benefits program relies heavily on medical travel. All 25 hamlets in Nunavut are fly-in communities. When a constituent needs medical attention, they are flown to Iqaluit, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Yellowknife or Edmonton because of the lack of access to doctors.

I represent the largest electoral district in the world. Nunavut is more than two million square kilometres. It is eight times larger than the United Kingdom, and there is only one hospital. As a result, Nunavummiut must travel to southern locations for medical attention. Instead of building capacity for health care within Nunavut, the federal government has decided to subsidize the airlines, which are making huge profits from medical travel.

Elders are unable to age at home. As we age, we often require more medical attention. Too many times, elderly Nunavummiut are exiled to institutions in the south. They are taken from their familiar surroundings and diet, and forced to live without culturally appropriate care. This is a horrible way to live out the last years of their lives, especially for elders who have already experienced genocidal policies like residential schools, dog slaughters and forced relocations. We must do more to support elders to remain in Nunavut communities by investing in each hamlet to build an elders' qammaq and to have access to transportation and medical care.

The federal government is responsible for funding the non-insured health benefits program, but the Liberal government continues to fail to transfer the funds in a timely manner. The Government of Nunavut is forced to use its own meagre funds to ensure that medical care continues. It cannot prioritize building schools, long-term care facilities or more homes, because it is subsidizing the federal government. The Nunavut Minister of Health is frustrated by the shortfall in federal funding and by the federal government's refusal to negotiate in good faith. Without a proper negotiated agreement, the territorial government cannot prioritize its own agenda. Chronic underfunding of investments in Nunavut and Inuit was the reality before Nunavut was created in 1999 and remains as such today.

The throne speech said that transfers to territories would be maintained. This is completely unacceptable. Maintaining transfers to the territorial government means no increases, even when the cost of everything is on the rise.

The cost of living is exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure for airports and marine ports. A recent example is how much longer it took for my validation. My validation was delayed by two weeks because flights were cancelled or delayed. Often, flights are cancelled due to weather, rather than being delayed to a later part of the day when the weather improves.

The Cambridge Bay Airport runway is not paved. This causes mechanical challenges for airplanes and impacts the flight schedules. How can the government talk about Arctic security and defence when it will not even invest in paving airport runways?

The lack of transportation infrastructure impacts the cost of living. Grocery prices are so high in Nunavut that my constituents regularly tell me they go hungry. For example, in Pangnirtung, a package of four corn on the cob is $15. Not only are groceries super expensive, but the produce is often spoiled and rotten before it reaches the store shelves in Nunavut. I was in Grise Fiord in March of this year, and the potatoes for sale had already begun to sprout and the lettuce was brown.

There are solutions to these problems. The Arctic Research Foundation built a greenhouse from a sea can in Gjoa Haven. They now have access to fresh lettuce and fresh produce. This one project has done so much for food security in Gjoa Haven. Similar projects in every community can help. From community freezers to food processing plants and greenhouses, the federal government must invest in similar projects led by Inuit if it is serious about Arctic security.

Nunavut has the highest rate of child poverty in Canada at 42%, compared to the national rate of 18.1%. Nunavut has the highest rate of food insecurity of any province or territory. These statistics do not seem to matter to the federal government, as it cancelled the Inuit child first initiative's hamlet food voucher program. No reason was given. Over 15,000 Inuit children were served by this program. Finally, children were going to school having had breakfast. Without it, Inuit children and families are experiencing starvation every day. This is unacceptable.

The Liberals cancelled the successful food voucher program but kept the failing nutrition north program. Every Nunavummiut knows the nutrition north program does not work. Instead of revamping it, the Liberals appointed an Inuk to review the program. While I have a lot of respect for Aluki Kotierk, I question whether this review was necessary, especially when it is so blatantly clear that nutrition north is allowing companies like the The North West Company to make record profits.

The government is ignoring Nunavummiut and the government is ignoring indigenous peoples. As the member of Parliament for Nunavut, I will continue to raise the voices of Inuit and Nunavummiut in this place to address the chronic underfunding of the territory, to protect Inuit children and families, and to build the infrastructure and housing that is so desperately needed in Nunavut.

At this time, I am moving a subamendment as follows: That the Conservative amendment be subamended by adding “as well as Indigenous peoples”. The seconder for the motion is the member for Winnipeg Centre.

Lori Idlout

$726,526.00