Representing on Parliament Hill
"We are asking for basic human rights," Baker Lake youth says
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, March 20, 2017
OTTAWA
"Where are our non-indigenous allies?" asked 23-year-old Trina Qaqqaq, standing at her seat in the House of Commons. "Where is the support from leaders with power and ability to make change?"
Trina Qaqqaq, 23, of Baker Lake spoke out about the mental health crisis faced by Nunavummiut while representing Nunavut at the Daughters of the Vote mock parliament hosted by the organization Equal Voice on International Women's Day, March 8. - photo courtesy of Trina Qaqqaq |
The Baker Lake resident represented Nunavut in a mock parliament event called Daughters of the Vote, hosted by the organization Equal Voice to mark International Women's Day, March 8.
The seats in the House were filled that day by 338 female representatives between the ages of 18 and 23, one from each federal electoral district.
"We need support and allies to assist us, work with us and most importantly to listen to us," she said.
Qaqqaq told News/North the experience was both phenomenal and life-changing.
"Being able to stand up in the House of Commons and have my voice heard and being able to advocate for people in Nunavut, that was overwhelming," she said.
Nunavut, like all three territories, has only one federal riding, so Qaqqaq stood for the whole territory.
Her message focused on mental health and poverty.
"In 2015, we had 35 suicides. That's at least a suicide for every community."
Barring Iqaluit, the population in Nunavut communities all sit below 3,000, with some as low as a few hundred. She said this means the crisis is felt by all.
"It's not just the community. We all know each other. We're all connected somehow."
She said mental health problems are linked to a rampant lack of access to health care, housing and transportation, as well as high living costs.
"Canada is advertised as a first-world country, and there are many people in Nunavut living in third-world conditions."
She said she felt a sense of unity and support among the other delegates, but also of isolation.
"Nunavut is so far behind in so many ways from the rest of Canada. Some of (the delegates) had very specific issues ... we want basic human rights," she said. "It's hard to relate to other people when you are advocating for basic things in this country that everyone else seems to have."
Qaqqaq is looking to help close the knowledge gap that she said exists in Canada on the situation of Inuit.
"Nunavummiut feel left on the back burner, forgotten, ignored. Things are so isolated, it's kind of out of sight, out of mind."
She believes this can be changed in part through the sharing of personal stories - by putting faces on problems. She has created a Facebook page called Tuhaanga or Hear Me Nunavut, for these stories to be shared on a public platform.
"I'm hoping to have people from Nunavut send in their personal stories, whatever it may be. It could be living costs, food expenses, suicide or housing conditions."
While in Ottawa, Qaqqaq visited the Inuit women's organization Pauktuutit, plus Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and attended question period on the invitation of Hunter Tootoo's office.
She said she was surprised by the change in tone she experienced during the real question period, compared to the Daughters of the Vote event.
"It was like watching kids fight on the playground over the swings. When the 338 delegates sat in the House, we clapped and cheered in support. When the actual MPs sat in the House of Commons (clapping) was to support heckling - it was like bullying," said Qaqqaq.
"The people making decisions for us can't even support one another."
She said this conduct concerned her because support was the primary request of her own presentation in Parliament.
"I spoke from the heart," she said. "I wanted to get information out there, with the most important message being, where is our support? Where are the government leaders with the power and ability to make change? Where are they, because we're not getting the support we need."
Qaqqaq is currently studying business administration at Fleming College in Peterborough, Ont.
