Unnusakkut, Madam Chair, committee members, guests and staff.
My name is Rosemary Cooper. I am from Iqaluit, Nunavut, and I am the executive director of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada.
Pauktuutit is a national voice for Inuit women, girls and gender-diverse Inuit wherever they live in Canada. We just celebrated our 40th anniversary gala in Ottawa with Her Excellency Mary Simon and members of Parliament. For the past 40 years, we have advocated for Inuit women, helping them escape the harsh cycle of poverty by increasing their economic independence.
Inuit values are the foundation of any economic development and what we advocate for. Our role is to ensure that the needs of Inuit women are met, from remote, fly-in communities to urban centres. We work to identify and address barriers to economic empowerment.
Today, I would like to highlight three of these barriers. They are access to employment, safe and affordable housing, and sustainable resource extraction.
In Canada, we consistently experience lower levels of economic participation in comparison to non-Inuit. In recent years, the national average unemployment rate was approximately 7.3%. For Inuit, the average unemployment rate was more than double, at 16%. Due to the lack of access to employment, Inuit women often need to create their own entrepreneurial opportunities. To address this, we have several initiatives to support Inuit women. One way we do this is with our Pauktuutit Inuit women in business network. This is a national initiative that provides workshops and resources to support Inuit women's economic empowerment.
Another barrier is access to safe and affordable housing. This is key to the health and well-being of Inuit women and our families. Recent statistics indicate that Inuit face the most overcrowded living conditions in Canada. This has a direct negative impact on several health concerns, such as tuberculosis, family violence and the wellness of our communities. As the committee heard from previous witnesses, access to safe and adequate housing is key to addressing gender-based violence, a major barrier to economic empowerment. If we want better economic equity for all women in Canada, access to safe and affordable housing for Inuit women cannot be forgotten.
Pauktuutit continues to advocate for increased and safe participation of Inuit women in the resource extraction industry. As further investments and jobs are created in our communities, they must be rooted in our Inuit values and principles. Otherwise, we risk unsustainable practices in resource extraction and employment. This industry must be developed in a way that ensures equitable access and safe employment. This is done through research, community consultations and valuing lived experience. We underscore the need for consultations to be done in a meaningful way, which is why our appearance before this committee is deeply appreciated.
In closing, I wish to thank the committee for the invitation. We value our partnership with the Government of Canada and appreciate being engaged in your study.
Nakurmiik.