Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on March 1st, 2022

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Thank you.

First, I'd like to thank all of you for making your presentations today.

I have a question for Marie-Christine Tremblay.

You mentioned that you order supplies through the post office. It is a barrier in Nunavut especially. If I could, I would like to have the option, number one, that the federal government support cargo or the ordering of items from outside. Nunavut-wide, that's the only way we get things.

For Métis and Inuit who live in faraway communities, it's very different from living in your average Canadian city in terms of the cost of living and the distance. When you compare ordering through Amazon, how are you able to balance the high cost of cargo? What are your recommendations?

[Marie-Christine Tremblay]

I'm not familiar with this situation, because the nations that we work with don't receive many cargo deliveries.

However, I've heard that delivery fees are quite high in Quebec as well. This hinders economic development in the same manner as shipping costs. Cargo delivery fees should also be reviewed. That said, I'm not very familiar with this area since the commission does very little work with the Inuit nation.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

Perhaps I will clarify.

[Marie-Christine Tremblay]

I hope that this answers your question. Thank you.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]

I really appreciated your focus on shipping costs as a barrier. The federal government should be able to help with orders that have to come from outside their communities. In Nunavut, the high cost of cargo and shipping is a barrier. Many businesses in Nunavut rely on shipping to get their product, but Nunavut is a remote part of Canada. The cost of cargo is very expensive.

What if the federal government were to pursue and support different ways of shipping items to the communities? Inuit, Métis and first nations also have businesses, which is to suggest that the federal government requires shipping to be taken into account. How would you balance the difference between Inuit, first nations and Métis and specifically remote shipping businesses as compared to corporations like Amazon?

[The Chair, Liberal, Marc Garneau]

Was your question for Ms. Tremblay, Ms. Idlout?

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Yes. I was clarifying my question for her.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marc Garneau]

Ms. Tremblay, did you hear the question?

[Marie-Christine Tremblay]

Yes, I heard it.

If the Government of Canada were to take steps to make shipping costs more affordable for businesses, it would certainly help promote local trade and avoid the need to rely on outside suppliers. It would also provide a great opportunity for businesses to ship their goods. They not only want to ship their products, but they also want the necessary materials to reach the communities.

For example, construction companies in remote areas must bring in materials at an exorbitant cost. If the federal government were to help by ensuring that shipping costs are lower, it would be a tremendous boost for these companies, which often struggle to cover all the costs involved in purchasing materials and equipment.

We strongly recommend that something be done about this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marc Garneau]

Thank you, Ms. Idlout. That concludes your six minutes.

I want to finish by thanking Jean Paul Gladu, Chief Desjarlais and Marie-Christine Tremblay for their presentations and for answering our questions on this very important subject. This is the last of out meetings concerning economic barriers. Your input is very important. We appreciate it very much. Thank you very much for appearing today. I wish you all the best.

For committee members, we're going in camera. For those of you who are there virtually, we're going to stop for five minutes so that you can connect to the other link, and we'll resume in five minutes.

Thank you.

[Proceedings continue in camera]