Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada is urging the Federal Government to immediately commit $20 million to construct 5 shelters and transitional housing buildings for Inuit Women and Children fleeing violence, including four Inuit Nunangat and one in Ottawa.
In light of the alarming fact that Inuit women experience sexual and physical violence at a rate of 14 times the rest of Canada, Inuit women and their allies have been pleading with federal government for these safe spaces for over two decades.
To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic has made life more difficult for those Inuit women and children already living in highly vulnerable circumstances. Their dire living conditions are well known to the government and include overcrowded housing, food insecurity, lack of spaces like shelters and transitional housing, the prevalence of drug and alcohol addictions, and the pervasiveness of violence of Inuit women and girls. All this in against a backdrop of generations of trauma rooted in colonialism.
“We are truly grateful for the positive engagement of many federal ministers regarding this ask”, said Rebecca Kudloo, President of Pauktuutit. “ In recent months, we have had constructive discussions with the offices of Minister Vandal, McKenna, Monsef, Hussen and Miller”.
However, Pauktuutit believes the time for tangible action to improve the lives and outcomes of women in Inuit Nunangat and in urban areas is long overdue. “Pauktuutit’s shelter ask has been longstanding and the need remains urgent – even the June 2019 Missing and Murdered Inuit Women and Girls (MMIWG) report call for this specific action” said Kudloo.” This situation is of immense concern to us and completely unacceptable, since we know maintaining the status quo will continue to cost lives.
Moreover, a May 2020 funding announcement by the Prime Minister to provide more than $85.6 million to build and operate 12 new shelters for Indigenous women and girls made no firm commitment that any of this money would go to shelters specifically for Inuit women. In fact with the exception of two shelters assigned to cover the incredibly vast region compassing all three territories, the funding is mostly destined for areas that fall out of Inuit communities.
“Indigenous women cannot be lumped into one category,” said Kudloo. “While we are supportive of policies and funding that enhance our Indigenous sisters’ well being, we Inuit can no longer afford to be left behind, which has all too been the case. For multiple of reasons- including our troubled history with the federal government, the location of our communities, and our unique culture- our needs tend to differ.”
In its recent pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on finance (now paused due to the postponement of Parliament), Pauktuutit in reiterated its shelter ask as an urgent priority, along with two recommendations:
That the federal government financially support the implementation of Pauktuutit’s 15 policing recommendations aimed at improving the safety and security of Inuit women (as per the January 2020 report).
That the federal government financially support the creation and delivery of programming aimed at improving the well-being and safety of Inuit women and children living in urban centres throughout Canada, including increasing access to affordable housing and skills training opportunities.
Many organizations recognized as experts in the needs of Inuit families that work to prevent violence against women have expressed their strong support of the urgent need for new investments in shelters and transitional housing. These groups include Inuit Tapiriit Kanadami (ITK), Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (Land Claims Coalition) and Women’s Shelter Canada.