Key takeaways:
- Governor-General Mary Simon cold-called Baker Lake attorney and advocate to thank her for her work.
- Rebecca Kudloo, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, got a shock call Thursday from Governor-General Mary Simon, who thanked her for her work in Baker Lake.
Governor-General calls Rebecca Kudloo:
The phone rang in Rebecca Kudloo’s house in Baker Lake on Thursday. She saw herself talking to Canada’s Governor-General, Mary Simon, when she replied.
“I just like to thank you for all your work in supporting for mental health in your community, as well as in different parts of the Arctic, and for the rights of Inuit women,” Simon advised her, first in Inuktitut, then in English. Source – cbc.ca
Simon put up the surprise call because of the 35 years Kudloo has spent driving the Mianiqsijit counseling service in Baker Lake and her work with Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, a federal non-profit aiming to get attention to the requirements of Inuit females.
As an advocate and president of Pauktuutit, Kudloo stated she had toured widely to other Arctic regions — Alaska, Greenland, Finland, and more — and spoke at the United Nations regarding Indigenous matters.
“That’s how you bring individuals working together across the world, particularly Aboriginal people,” she stated. Source – cbc.ca
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One of her most outstanding accomplishments with Pauktuutit was ultimately securing a budget for five shelters after 35 years of asking.
“It’s not ever easy … but nothing useful is easy,” she stated of the work Pauktuutit does. Source – cbc.ca
As for Mianiqsijit, Kudloo stated the service works in all regions of household violence, including with criminals.
“This demonstrates that this kind of counseling works in small communities, and it’s been a model for other communities, too,” she stated. Source – cbc.ca
“We glance at things holistically — we can’t just work in one region; we have to look at the entire family.” Source – cbc.ca
