Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada called on Prime Minister Trudeau to immediately implement at least one of the 46 Inuit-specific recommendations contained in last year’s Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) – namely, funding for five new Inuit shelters in Inuit Nunangat and in Ottawa. his urgent plea to reconsider funding for shelters comes after Friday’s announcement of almost $100 million in federal funding for the construction and operation of 12 new shelters for Indigenous women and girls.  However, the new funding does not include any Inuit-specific shelters for women and children fleeing violence – despite collaborative and productive discussions between Pauktuutit and key cabinet ministers and federal officials in recent months and weeks regarding this urgently needed investment.

Specifically, Pauktuutit is calling for an immediate investment of $20 million for five new shelters for Inuit women and children.  This funding would build five desperately needed multi-purpose shelters and transitional housing units in Nunavut and in the Inuvialuit, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut regions, as well as in Ottawa, which has the highest urban Inuit population in Canada.

Indigenous Services Canada – Commit to fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat as well as in urban centres. Funding for the new shelters will be part of the $724.1 million for a comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy as announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. The government will continue to work with Pauktuutit and other Inuit partners to determine the locations and define the details of the projects to best meet the needs of women and families seeking shelter.