'This isn't about me:' Rookie Nunavut MP wants focus on problems of the North

Few newly elected members of Parliament get to enjoy a parade intheir honour after an election victory.

But to Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, the freshly minted 25-year-old NDP MPfrom Nunavut, the line of trucks snaking through the dark Tuesdaynight in her hometown of Baker Lake was no big deal.

"We love parades here," she said. "We do it for weddings,after tournaments that's one of the things that we do. It was coolthat it was for me."

It seems characteristic. Qaqqaq, who had no previous politicalexperience before defeating rivals, including former Conservativecabinet minister Leona Aglukkaq in Monday's election, said in aninterview Wednesday that's she's more interested in community thanpersonal attention.

Two years ago, she participated in Daughters of the Vote, aprogram that brings young women to the House of Commons to speakabout their visions for their country and community. Qaqqaq'sspeech, in which she spoke about tragically high rates of Inuitsuicide, drew two standing ovations.

Watch the speech by Mumilaaq Qaqqaq(who goes by "Trina") in 2017:

The speech left her emotionally drained.

"I went to my hotel room. I cried. I took a nap. I woke up,turned my phone back on and my phone was blowing up."

Her speech was an internet sensation, with thousands of views.But she couldn't help feeling that people had gotten her wrong.

This is about everyone in my territory.- Mumilaaq Qaqqaq

"This wasn't my emotion. This was the hurt of so many people that I just expressed," Qaqqaq recalled.

"Everybody was talking about how courageous I am and how brave.But that's not the point.

"Thank you all for your kind words, but we need to take action. This isn't about me. This is about everybody in my territory. I'mtrying to relay a message: we've been asking for help for so longand where is it?"

Strong Arctic voice in Ottawa

Her election victory has brought her even more attention and along line of media requests.

So far, her bio is short. She grew up in Baker Lake but now livesin the territorial capital of Iqaluit. She has worked for the government of Nunavut as well as Inuit organizations and Nunavut's power utility, mostly in Inuit employment and wellness.

She doesn't consider her relative inexperience and youth to be adisadvantage.

"I'm passionate and I know what I'm talking about it. [Youth]doesn't mean I have less capability to do something. It's not something that is a factor to me."

What is a factor is her culture, which she says "is everythingto me." She speaks Inuktitut, although not as fluently as she would like, and plans to keep studying the language as an MP.

She also wears what she calls "traditionally inspired" facialtattoos. Qaqqaq said she's grateful to the women who preserved thetradition despite missionary suppression.

Her return to the House is likely to bring as much passion andeloquence as her first appearance. After one MP, Aglukkaq, wascriticized for not fighting hard enough for the North and another,Hunter Tootoo, was booted from the Liberal caucus, Qaqqaq said it'stime Ottawa heard a strong Arctic voice.

"The federal government has left us on the back burner too long," she said. "That's unacceptable for Canada.

"How loud do we need to speak in order for people to listen? How often do we need to ask before people help? For Nunavumiut, it'sgoing to be refreshing."