‘Humanitarian crisis’ if Inuit Child First Initiative expires, advocate warns
Arctic Children and Youth Foundation launches letter-writing campaign, demanding Ottawa extend program
Taya Tootoo, left, of the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation speaks alongside Nunavut MP Lori Idlout and Dr. Holden Sheffield at the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation office in Iqaluit. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
The end of the Inuit Child First Initiative on March 31 would have a severe, immediate impact on thousands of Nunavut children, one advocate says.
Taya Tootoo, who works for the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, joined Nunavut MP Lori Idlout and Qikiqtani General Hospital pediatrician Dr. Holden Sheffield on Friday to call on the federal government to extend the program’s funding beyond its scheduled March 31 expiry while a long-term solution is in the works.
Inuit Child First Initiative gives Inuit children access to health and education supports. It runs parallel to Jordan’s Principle, which is a federal commitment to provide the same type of support to First Nations children.
Jordan’s Principle was created in 2007 in response to a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal complaint that the federal government was not providing equitable funding for child and family services.
“Outside of it being a funding issue, this is a humanitarian crisis in the making,” Tootoo said of the pending lapse in Inuit Child First funding.
“The federal government has the power to extend ICFI for an interim period while Inuit organizations work with partners to figure out a long-term goal for this issue.”
Children across Nunavut have benefitted not only from the food vouchers the program offers, Tootoo said, hundreds of kids have also been able to access services in the territory which they used to have to travel south for, such as speech therapy.
With ICFI funding, Nunavut health-care workers saw a “night and day” change, Sheffield said.
He described seeing fewer cases of children coming into health centres for “nutrition-related” health issues.
“It’s allowed us to move beyond a constant flood of preventable health issues and instead focus on complex care that’s allowed us to elevate pediatric excellence in the North,” he said.
“We must protect the progress we’ve made so far and ensure that children in Nunavut get the support they deserve.”
Idlout said she continues to pressure the federal government to extend the Inuit Child First Initiative. Her calls have been joined by other northern leaders, including MLAs and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed.
Idlout said she’s not hearing from Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, whose department is responsible for the program.
“We need to keep demanding responses from her to at least let us know if she will indeed extend the program or if she will create a new program,” Idlout said.
“From my contacts with all the hamlets in Nunavut, we’ve learned, for example, that the program has helped over 15,000 Inuit children.”
Hajdu is working with Inuit partners on a long-term solution, said Jennifer Kozelj, the minister’s press secretary, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
However, more funding for the program needs to be approved by Parliament, which is set to reconvene March 24.
“We share the widespread concern that Inuit CFI and other essential initiatives could end due to the Conservatives’ and NDP’s blocking of the necessary funding through the House of Commons,” Kozelj said.
The Arctic Child and Youth Foundation has also stepped up its efforts to advocate for an extension through an online petition, calling on Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action. That petition is at truenorthleftbehind.ca.
“We can’t forget about the children in the North,” Tootoo said
“We need to be working with [policy] makers to ensure that programs that should be taken on by the GN and other entities are taken on so that ICFI isn’t the end-all, be-all subsidy for everything in the territory.”
Was there original budget set aside for the program. How much money has this program received. Was there an end date. Or was it for an indeterminate amount of time. Just simple questions.
“From my contacts with all the hamlets in Nunavut, we’ve learned, for example, that the program has helped over 15,000 Inuit children.”
How many of these children were actually hungry and truly needed this $$$…… nowhere near 15,000
I think you are barking up the wrong tree. ICFI is not meant to support the basic necessities of life like food for children. Other organizations and government departments should be doing this. This is why the program is failing and stopping. People using it incorrectly.
Please use this great energy and voice towards the correct direction. Not ISC. That is not, not should it be the answer.
Should probably make sure the url works before publishing a story.
Anyway. 15,000 kids, $500/month. That’s $90,000,000 per year. Extra $250 per month for kids up to 4. That’s around another $10,000,000 per year.
$100,000,000 per year in Inuit Child First funding in Nunavut.
$100,000,000 per year in Canada Child Benefit payments in Nunavut.
$286,000,000 per year for the Nunavut Housing Corporation O&M.
$110,000,000 per year for the Nunavut Housing Corporation Capital.
$63,000,000 per year in Income Assistance G&C through the GN.
$6,000,000 per year in GST tax credits.
That’s $665,000,000, and there’s more. Food Banks. Food hampers. NTI gift cards for voting. Inuit Association gas vouchers. Free food at “training” offered by “non-profits” who solely exist on government funding. Free taxi vouchers for food bank clients given by the Islamic Society (which was actually funded by the GN).
The list goes on. We all know a family whose caregivers don’t work, don’t try to work, have no plan to work… but have a $20,000 skidoo used to rip around town.
The system is not working properly.
more money does not always ‘fix’ the problem. more funds can or could mean more of the wrong thing too if not handled right or if there are addictions, trauma, etc.
Like bandaid solutions. Inuit survived well long before the extra funds were released but today things seem worse at times.
Taxpayers were already giving people money to feed their kids through income support and various other programs. This added program provided more money so that they could spend the income support money that was meant for their kids on other stuff.
Maybe we jut need to move away from providing money, and just give people food and clothes for their kids. More social programs just makes people more dependent. There is no incentive to work when the social programs have social programs.
This is one of the many reasons why our taxes have increased. For the working poor like myself, this is unfair. I am basically paying to feed people that would rather use the system then work. Whoa is me.
The high cost of food across the territory makes it impossible for families to access nutritious food. The stores aim to make a profit but if you see how much it costs on items. No wonder families are food insecure.
Breakfast and lunch programs are needed. I remember as a kid in the 70’s we got a vitamin biscuit and chicken broth or warm milk.
Back then it was cheaper to get a bag of chips than an apple. It is still the same today.
I am almost certain an apple is cheaper than a bag of chips.
If it was that much help, imagine what raising the welfare rates would for theses kids, I shame on the government territorially, they are not providing enough for their constituents, who then rely on handouts and begging for. Smarten up Nunavut family services, stop finding ways to say no. Start giving people more
Same could be said of the Inuit Orgs. Where is their money going?
Perhaps the GN and NTI can kick in and use some of their billions to help the kids?
It is also important that any funds are going directly to the kids benefit and not the parents. Unfortunately much of the benefit doesn’t make it that far
ITS NOT A HUMANITARIAN CRISES…SENSATIONALISM BY THESE 3 SHOWBOATS…ESPECIALLY LORI IDLOUT WHO NEVER PASSED A CAMERA SHE DIDNT LIKE…CRISES IS MISMANAGEMENT OF FUNDS WHICH ALL INUIT ASSOCIATIONS AND GN ARE VERY DEFT AT ..$$$$$.2.3 BILLION FOR what 50000 PEOPLE WASTED SQUANDERED.NUNAVUT NEEDS TO GET ITS FISICAL HOUSE IN ORDER ALL ADDICTED FUNDING INUIT ASSOCIATIONS ALONG WITH GN…STOP THE DRAMA PLEASE LORI…
It is hardly a humanitarian crisis, what is more a crisis is the gov funneling tens of millions of dollars into the welfare system effectively making people not want to work. JP was never about groceries, it was about healthcare. And the article kept mentioning “Nunavut” children. It is not for Nunavut children, it is specifically for Inuit children. I am sure there are non-inuit kids going hungry in Nunavut too, their tummies doesn’t matter?
Bravo to Nunavut. The territorial government and various private societies do so much for its people and children. It’s ridiculous to complain about this program. This is good for the communities and good for the children. Demand more help. Support these initiatives. People are struggling, help them.