PM Trudeau says, federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been successful in northern communities

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been successful in northern communities thanks to the collaboration between Ottawa and the country's Inuit leadership.

Speaking at the fourth annual Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, Trudeau says more work is needed to close gaps in food security, housing and health care.

He says the pandemic has highlighted existing economic and social inequalities the Inuit have faced for a long time.

But Trudeau also says the pandemic didn't hit northern populations as hard as the rest of the country, nor were its effects as devastating.

President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Natan Obed says there is a need for building back stronger to address the vulnerabilities that Inuit residents face, including lagging infrastructure, health care and educational systems.