Speaking in the House of Commons, Nunavut MP Lori Idlout said she couldn’t name the number of Indigenous women who had reached out to her trying to flee from violence.

“To those who are forced to live with their abusive partners, I say, ‘I hear you,’” said the Nunavut MP at the April 26 session.

She went on to talk about some of the contributing factors to those women’s strife, namely overcrowded housing, which limits opportunities for escape, and a seemingly unjust justice system.

The reason Nunavut doesn’t have enough housing is because there’s not enough money going into housing and a weak economic backbone. Demand far exceeds the ability to supply, but individuals in Nunavut have little buying power and fewer options.

The government is obsessed with changing that, for good reason, but it’s a job bigger than government. Building more so- cial housing is not the answer. It is a temporary bandaid that slows the bleeding but doesn’t address the issue.

Other than incentivizing housing projects, what the government can do is clear a path for economic investment in the territory.

Nunavut needs a strong economic base that puts money – power – in individuals’ pockets and optimism in their eyes.

The only way out is for Nunavummiut to become richer. Individual Nunavummiut need economic buying power, not just the government. Economic buying power is freedom in this world, like it or not, and those stuck jobless or floundering in Nunavut’s sleepy economy are at the mercy of the tides.

Even those with decent government jobs have limited opportunities, with almost no housing

Idlout calls for investments to help Indigenous women

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is banging the housing drum to help the circumstances of Indigenous women in the House of Commons. Screenshot from the House of Commons