The MHA for Torngat Mountains says recent revelations regarding sexual assault in Labrador is a symptom of larger inequality issues faced by Labradorians.

The Canadian Press says the number of reported sexual assaults in Labrador is more than four times the national average.

Lela Evans, who serves as the Opposition critic for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, says social inequality is real. Food insecurity, a lack of adequate housing, and poverty have all contributed to the “intergenerational trauma that originated with past governmental wrongs.”

She believes that the higher rates of sexual assault, incarceration, suicide and children in care are all symptoms of the continued failure of government to address inequality.

Evans says “we can rename every lake in the province, but if ingrained, intergenerational inequalities are not addressed, the lives of Labradorians and Indigenous populations will continue to suffer.”