Press Release
Montreal,Quebec, March 20, 2013 – Makivvik wishes to acknowledge the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), a Québec umbrella group for housing rights, and supports the report from the Commission populaire itinérante sur le droit au logement («the Commission») it created.
In its report entitled «Urgence en la demeure», the Commission makes a clear recommendation with regard to the housing crisis prevailing in Nunavik. Recommendation No. 14 provides that the federal government shall support the efforts of the Québec government by substantially increasing its investments in the construction and the renovation of social housing in Nunavik in order to meet the urgent need for 1000 new units.
Makivvik fully supports this recommendation. Nunavik suffers from the highest level of overcrowding in all of Canada. It is all too common to have 2 or even 3 families living in the same house consisting of 12 to 15 people and 3 or 4 generations. Overcrowding has a direct impact on the health of Nunavik families, promotes the spread of contagious diseases and exposes an alarming number of children to violence and stress, affecting their development and education. The lack of adequate housing is the primary obstacle to the advancement of the Nunavik communities and its residents as a whole.
The Commission’s report comes at a time when the Québec Government agreed to a special catch-up program to construct new social housing units in Nunavik. To date, the federal Government has failed to address these serious needs. Makivvik President, Jobie Tukkiapik is calling upon governments to resolve this unacceptable situation and to ensure adequate housing for Nunavik residents.
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For additional information:
William Tagoona
Senior Communications officer
Makivvik
wtagoona@makivik.org