Mr. Speaker, last fall I committed to visiting every community in Nunavut over the coming year. Today I am proud to say that I have visited 23 of the 25 Nunavut communities, with Arctic Bay and Grise Fiord scheduled for early next month. I have travelled from Kugluktuk in the west to Qikiqtarjuaq in the east, Sanikiluaq in the south, to Resolute Bay in the north.
Although each of Nunavut's communities are unique, the thoughts and concerns raised by my constituents in every community were similar. Concerns about Nunavut's suicide rate, a lack of mental health facilities and services, the high cost of living, and the broken nutrition north program were voiced territory-wide. These issues are not new. They are serious and have been significantly affecting the quality of life for Nunavummiut for far too long. We expect and deserve meaningful action on these issues as soon as possible.