John Amagoalik seeks funding to stay in Nunavut while case winds through court
Retired politician seeks judicial review of Health Department refusal to pay for medical care and housing in Iqaluit
John Amagoalik, seen here in this file photo from Ottawa, wants to spend the rest of his days in Nunavut surrounded by his friends and family. His family wants the Government of Nunavut to fund his medical care and housing. (File photo)
Lawyers for John Amagoalik are scheduled to appear in court Friday in the hope of securing emergency funding that would allow him to stay in his home while his lawsuit against the Nunavut government proceeds.
Last month, the retired politician filed an application for a judicial review in response to the Department of Health’s refusal to fund his medical care and housing in Iqaluit.
Amagoalik is revered by many as the “Father of Nunavut.” He dedicated decades of his life to advancing Inuit rights.
He had been living at the Embassy West long-term care home in Ottawa before returning to Iqaluit this summer. While his goal is to live his final days in the territory he helped create, his family says they can’t afford to make that happen without funding from Nunavut’s Health Department.
The department has stated this type of funding does not fall under its authority.
Nunavut Chief Justice Susan Cooper is scheduled to preside over Friday’s hearing, said Andrew Morrison, among the lawyers that represent Amagoalik. She’s set to decide whether to grant funding that would allow Amagoalik to remain in Nunavut during the judicial review process.
The hearing for a judicial review of the Health Department’s decision not to fund Amagoalik’s care will happen at a later date, Morrison said.
“The government was willing to pay for his care in Ottawa,” he said in an interview Monday. “We don’t think that Inuit elders should have to have to chose between going south for their health and their homeland.”
Nunavut’s Health Department did not immediately respond when reached for comment.
Spokesperson Charmaine Deogracias has previously stated that the Health Department does not have the legislative authority to fund independently arranged private care and can not make exceptions in individual cases.
When I was a kid studying history we learned that democracy is ‘government by the people of the people for the people’. What a crying shame that the government of the territory Amagoalik led to its founding is not a democracy but an obstructacy.
At some point GN health should ask some other questions: why do we pay to administer a federal program to fly people
Places for healthcare? Do you think anyone government pays for travel from rural locations to city hospitals in the south? The hotels? Per diems? You’re on your own for the most part. If this is all the federal governments job, because of their jurisdiction over aboriginal people, maybe they should pay for this.
Next why does the GN view social housing as a responsibility it has without limits? Anywhere else in Canada it is exceptional to have free housing on the government. Nunavut has the majority of housing being social housing. Even people in care have their pension cheques and bank accounts docked for long term care in public facilities in the south.
It is all gut check for the GN to ask itself “do we need to do this?”. Politically may be a different answer than legally.
In my experience:
Yes southern jurisdictions do fund and Canada does give tax breaks based on the costs of rural Canadians travelling for medical care. In some cases they are more generous than those offered in Nunavut. I remember this from when my child was on an extended stay in a southern hospital.
Yes southern jurisdictions do provide very significant financial support for all senior citizens in long term care. The payment required to support my mother is subsidized, fixed and not dependent on her income.
John is fighting on behalf of all elders.
The Dept of Health has had more than 25 years to figure out how to support elders in their homes in the territory, or to stay in the territory by other means.
I hope the courts force them to figure it out ASAP.
Correction, he’s fighting for other people to pay for him.
Just when you think things cannot get any more dysfunctional in Nunavut, the politicians prove otherwise. How much coverage has this story received in the news and social media. How many voices have spoken up and out about the need for CHANGE. Didn’t the government just recently complete its Fall sitting of the Legislative Assembly? Why yes, they did. Do you know how much time they dedicated to talking about the subject of Elder care? About implementing new policies? Restructuring current ones? They spent nearly NO time on it at all. 10 days of sittings and one of the most important and highlighted subjects of the last few months in Nunavut and they had NO TIME for it. In fact, the articles in this newspaper alone and the subsequent comments spent 100 times the amount of time the elected officials did working on this highly sensitive and important subject.
I am so tired and I imagine a large number of Nunavummiut are also, with hearing things like quote, “The department has stated this type of funding does not fall under its authority”. Or, “the Health Department does not have the legislative authority to fund independently arranged private care and cannot make exceptions in individual cases”. We get it! The bureaucrats and managers do not have the power or ability to simply do whatever they want. Fair enough. They are just doing their jobs. That is understandable. But you know who does have the power to FIX it? Yup, the same people who just spent 10 days talking about weddings, and birthdays and tournaments, etc.. but couldn’t seem to muster the time for the Elders and their care.
The worst of all of all of this, the longer it goes on. Is you get the feeling, given the Politicians refusal to deal with it; that there are seemingly, supposed to be “other” people responsible to fix this issue. To deal with it. To manage it and to align it with what the citizens of Nunavut are saying they want. Apparently the Politicians Nunavummiut elected to serve them, are waiting for the true leaders of Nunavut to fix it for them. You know, the little green people from Mars. The ridiculousness of that statement pales in comparison to the conduct of the politicians in regard to this matter.
Hey politicians here is a reminder. This is a definition in the dictionary (one of many) that describes what you are supposed to do. “Government: a small group of persons holding simultaneously the principal political executive offices of a nation or other political unit and being responsible for the direction and supervision of public affairs”. YOU are responsible to FIX things. To ensure that policies, rules, regulations and procedures are in place that are representative of Nunavummiut values.
One of those values, is being able to age with dignity and respect. To receive the care they need in the place they were born. In the place they made their lives, contributed to the territory’s growth. Surrounded by the people they love and who love them. Enough with the inaction and incompetency. Nunavummiut Elders, ALL of them. Deserve better.
Little green people are not coming to fix this It’s YOUR responsibility!
PSC
What bothers me is why isn’t NTI or QIA stepping in to help? They’ve been taking a lot of royalties from Baffinland under Inuit Impact and Benefits Agreement (IIBA) “for the benefit” of Baffin Islanders but not spending it on communities. Inuit Organizations should be stepping in to use IIBA funds to help elders.
NTI & RIA NEED TO STEP UP
Because they are too busy paying 80k writing contest prizes and bribing people to vote