Health Canada strips $730,000 from Inuit women’s group

Pauktuutit, the Inuit women’s association of Canada, said April 16 that Inuit women will suffer “a direct and negative impact” because of a Health Canada decision this year to eliminate all its contributions to the organization.

This means all Pauktuutit programs related to HIV education, sexual health, fetal alcohol syndrome, injury prevention and hepatitis C will die this year.

“Health and wellness is more than operating nursing stations and health centres in our communities. The loss of these resources will severely limit our ability to work on these issues,” Pauktuutit president Elisapee Sheutiapik said in a news release.

Between 2007 and 2011, the First Nations and Inuit health branch of Health Canada has given Pauktuutit about $800,000 a year.

The organization spent this money on projects related to sexual health, fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, tobacco cessation, maternal health and other Inuit women’s health issues.

In 2012-13, the organization planned health promotion work related to maternal newborn care, HIV prevention, FASD, and midwifery.

“New, there is no funding to move these plans forward… We all have a responsibility to address these issues, including the federal government,” Sheutiapik said.

Health Canada stripped all health funding also from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, which represents the interests of First Nations and Métis women.

In an interview with CBC Radio, Leona Aglukkaq, the national health minister, said the federal government did not cut any programs related to front-line health care.