Thread by @globeandmail

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq would give herself pep talks in the elevators at work. After the doors to the parliamentary elevators closed, away from her fellow MPs, she said she’d often repeat three words to herself: I belong here. I belong here.

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There were times when others tried to tell her she didn’t belong. She would be stopped in the hallways by security. People asked if she was someone’s assistant. @MumilaaqQaqqaq acknowledges she’s never really felt comfortable in the House of Commons.

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“It’s a very uneasy place,” she said. “It’s a place where they make laws that result in Indigenous death and result in turmoil for a lot of our communities. I feel that.”

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On Tuesday, Qaqqaq gave a farewell speech in Parliament where she spoke directly about how alienating her experience in the House has been. She spoke about how she didn’t feel safe there, and that she had to go into “survival mode” at work. 

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“I walked into a building on fire,” she said in an interview with The Globe. “I ran into it with a big smile on my face, and I really had no clue what I was in for.”

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Qaqqaq announced in May that she would not be seeking re-election. At 27, she’s one of the younger members of Parliament, representing all of Nunavut. She said her identity as an Indigenous woman made being in the House of Commons more difficult for her.

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“The systems are built to work for certain people. It’s middle-aged white men,” she said. “It’s a weird thing to realize your lack of privileges, even though you’re in a position so full of privileges.”

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