Meet Iqaluit's Franco Buscemi

Franco Buscemi wears a lot of hats — by day the husband and father of four is the general manager of a local fuel plant. By night, he's takes the stage as a stand-up comedian. And in the hours in between he shares whatever food and water he hunts and gathers with his neighbours, an important component living in Inuit communities.

The Iqaluit-native actually grew up in Ottawa and moved back with his wife to fulfil his big ambitions for his remote northern community. Franco finds himself feeling the pull of tradition while also watching the ways in which modernity has left his people behind and wants to bridge that gap. "Any way I can serve this community, I find a lot of meaning in it," he says.

For example, in the video above, Franco says that going back to the community's tradition of hunting can help mitigate the high cost of food in the North.

"Hunting used to be something that every man could do," he says. But due to a combination of loss of skills and resources, hunting has fallen off. "Men need to reclaim that provider role." 

He plans to run for office in the next territorial election in the hope of ushering in some much-needed change for his people.

Want to catch more of Franco's life in Canada's North? Watch True North Calling Fridays 8:30 on CBC