Inuk MP Yvonne Jones hangs on to Labrador riding in Atlantic Canada
Yvonne Jones, the Liberal Party MP in the Labrador riding of the Atlantic Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, held on to her riding in the federal election on Monday.
Jones, of Inuit descent, will be starting her third term representing the riding. She was first elected in 2013 in a federal byelection. She was re-elected in 2015.
“I want to thank the people of Labrador tonight,” said Jones from the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, in a victory speech posted on Facebook.
“I want to thank them for putting their faith in me. For having confidence in me to continue to do the job as their Member of Parliament.”
WINNER: Yvonne Jones, Liberal Party – 42.3%
Larry Flemming, Conservative Party – 31.2 %
Michelene Gray, New Democratic Party – 24.6 %
Tyler Colbourne, Green Party – 2.0 %
Source: Elections Canada
The riding of Labrador has a population of approximately 27,000 people of which around 43 per cent is Indigenous. In the 2016 federal census, 4,765 respondents identified as Inuit.
The riding also contains Nunatsiavut, the Inuit self-governing region of the province.
Jones ran on a number of issues during this campaign including better housing for Indigenous communities, further improvements to Nutrition North, a government program that seeks to reduce the cost of healthy food to consumers in the North, and the promotion of a fixed transportation link, like an undersea rail tunnel, between the Labrador region, which is on mainland Canada, and Newfoundland, an island to the east which has the majority of province’s infrastructure and economic development.
Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canadian FedElxn 2019: “The silence is deafening” on Arctic, says Canadian Inuit leader, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Sámi Parliament of Finland torn on local rights, urban influence, Yle News
Norway: Political earthquake shakes up Northern Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Career diplomat to represent Murmansk region in Russian senate, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden’s FM calls for more EU involvement in Arctic as country hosts EU Arctic Forum, Radio Sweden
United States: Finnish and US Presidents agree on Arctic security policies, Eye on the Arctic
