Beauty and challenge of election in the cold north of Canada

Nunavut is the largest Federal District in Canada. The whole territory – all 1.8 million square km (695,000 square meters) and 40,000 people – will be represented by one person in parliament.

“Nunavut is at least three times higher than France. If it was its own country, it would be the 13th in the size of Greenland,” said BBC Katie Ketler, head of the local Liberal Candidate Candidate Kilicovuk Kabli.

Located in the Arctic, where the average temperature in the Ikaluite capital is freezing for eight months a year, it is so huge and inaccessible that the only way to travel between 25 communities is air.

“Yesterday, 24 hours, we drove 1700 km (1050 miles) through the air and campaigning in Pangnirtung, Iqaluit, Rankin inlet and Arviat,” said Ms Ketler.

“There are not many people who understand the reality of the North,” said Ms. Ketler, describing the problems of the company where it is so different from South Canada.

At the beginning of this month, she reminded that she knocked on the door when she agitated for her candidate at -24C (-11F).

She said that in the northern communities it is rare to knock before entering someone’s house. Instead, a dense culture allows visitors to simply “go and say hello” – almost incredibly in other parts of the country.

Like Inuk from the North Quebec, she said that she was “feeling strange” even in order for her to knock and waited for the answer.

In Nunavut, one of the three northern territories of Canada, the population of the majority-Inno-Inko, speaks about the negative.

Ms Ketler said one of the biggest expenses was translated by the company’s signs and hiring for the Kabloona candidate.

Elections and northerners are also unique.

“The national campaign is really focused on Arctic Security and Sovereignty, whereas our company focuses on food security and people who can survive,” said Ms Ketler.

Food can be very expensive and there are problems with infrastructure to access clean water for a number of indigenous and northern communities.

She said she drank water during the campaign in Arvy, and described that she could not rely on the voter call when she is holding because the phone is the first thing they donate to afford food.

Currently, the new Democratic Party (PDP) is occupied by the acting Laurie Idlut.

James Arrick is a Conservative candidate.

Jean-Claude Nguyen, an employee who returns to Nunavut, is responsible for holding elections in the county.

He told how difficult it is to provide ballots and voter lists that get into each community – including for workers at the mines.

“(Canada’s election) sent a team from our Ottawa -Kokvators through Edmantan and Yelouunif to the mine where they work, gave them enough time for voting, and then they returned the ballots,” he said.

Mr. Nguyen also told about security opinions.

After the polls are closed, the ballots are counted at the polling station, and then safely stored either with the Royal Canadian Police (RCMP) or with a local Hamlet – a small community that provides municipal services to its inhabitants.

Then the ballot boxes are flying into Ikaluite, and then to the Ottawa.

Mr. Nguyen reminded how in the 2019 elections in 2019, a voting box appeared with a large hole.

“When we asked the” Charter “company what happened, they said he had eaten a crow,” he said to laugh.

“This is part of the reality here, in the territories, you have wild animals that eat ballot boxes.”

The bird did not damage the ballots.

In addition to all the problems, Katie Ketler said she was most attracted to people.

“Generosity, love and care that people have for each other in each community shone,” she said.

“This is what makes me go, and this is what makes the agitation through Nunavut so significant.”