For the first time in it’s 20 year history, the odds almost guarantee that Nunavut will have an Inuk woman representing them in Ottawa for the next four years.
The Nunavit riding is massive.
It has 25 communities, three time zones, covers two-million square kilometres (making it Canada’s largest riding), and with 38,000 people, has one of the smallest populations in any federal riding.
For the first time, Nunavut voters have a choice they’ve never had before – three Inuit women running for the three largest federal parties.
One of the women running is a familiar face both in Nunavut, and federal politics.
Conservative candidate Leona Aglukkaq.
Aglukkaq was a two term cabinet minister under Stephen Harper’s administration.
She is citing the Conservative record of building infrastructure in the north as one reason to put a check mark beside her name on Oct. 21.
And she couldn’t resist taking a shot at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who sent seven cabinet ministers to Nunavut in the months ahead of the election.
“Nunavuut issues matter every single day, and not a month before an election is made,” Aglukkaq said. “
“Announcements are made on old money and announcements are being made on money that’s going to be spent in 2024.
That’s not fair to Nunavummiut.”
But Aglukkaq announced her own share of old money while she was in cabinet.
More than 95 per cent of Nunavut’s money comes from the federal government.
For the Liberals, Megan Pizzo-Lyall from the western part of Nunavut is running.
Trudeau showed up in Nunavut twice during the campaign to support her – when she announced and not long ago during the campaign.
The Liberal record and platform are the main parts of her message.
“I am asking you to vote for me based on my experience, my vision, but most importantly because we have a real plan to implement the things we promise,” she said.
For the NDP, 25-year old Mumilaaq Qaqqaq is hoping to get the youth vote.
The 25-year old is originally from Baker Lake but calls Iqaluit home.
Nunavut has never elected an NDP member federally.
“We often hear that these issues are not simple, but I can confidently say the solutions are very simple,” she said. So there is no reason why these issues cannot be taken care of.”
Douglas Roy is running for the Green Party. The People’s Party of Canada did not field a candidate.
Polling doesn’t really work in Nunavut because each community is different and each has its own issues.
On average, 54 per cent of eligible voters turn out at the polls.
