(Nain) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to a small village on the north coast of Labrador is a moment of “capital” importance, according to the president of the organization representing the Inuit in Canada.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami President Natan Obed said Trudeau’s visit to Nain, Newfoundland, was the first visit by a sitting prime minister to Nunatsiavut, the Inuit region of Labrador.
“It was a long period of preparation,” Mr. Obed admitted as he sat next to Mr. Trudeau on Friday at the Illusuak Cultural Center, which overlooked a landscape of frozen sea and mountains.
Mr. Trudeau was visiting for a regular meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, of which Mr. Obed is co-chair. The meeting was closed to the public and the media, but Mr. Obed said there were 14 items on the agenda.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the difficult housing situation faced by many people in Inuit Nunangat were notably on the menu.
Canada’s federal housing advocate, Marie-Josée Houle, warned late last year that housing shortages in the region amounted to human rights abuses.
In 2021, more than half of Inuit in Inuit Nunangat lived in overcrowded homes, and more than a quarter lived in homes in need of major repairs, according to Statistics Canada.
In a scrum, Trudeau told reporters he knew the needs were great.
“We have worked very closely with communities like here in Nain, but also with leaders across Inuit Nunangat, to address needs in a responsible and realistic way,” he said.
The last federal budget promised $4 billion over seven years for an Indigenous housing strategy, starting next year. Trudeau did not respond directly when asked if he felt the delay would meet the area’s housing needs quickly enough.
The Prime Minister also attended a community feast at a local school, which featured song and dance.