Idlout, ITK dismayed budget doesn’t extend ICFI funding
Program that supports Inuit children and youth will not be funded beyond 2025-26
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout says “Nunavut is clearly not a priority” for the federal government after it failed to extend Inuit Child First Initiative funding in its budget Tuesday. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout says she’s deeply concerned about what she calls the “sunsetting” of the Inuit Child First Initiative funding in Tuesday’s federal budget.
“Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is clearly not a priority. Nunavut is clearly not a priority,” Idlout said in an interview Wednesday, a day after federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne presented the Liberal government’s spending plan for 2025-26.
The initiative is used to fund social, health and educational programs and support for Inuit children and youth.
The future of Inuit Child First Initiative’s funding was uncertain until March, when the government announced a $122-million one-year extension until March 31, 2026.
Tuesday’s budget contains no funding for the initiative beyond the end of this fiscal year.
“It’s a huge concern, knowing that poverty is such a major issue in Nunavut,” Idlout said about its absence from the first under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The federal government is “sunsetting” the initiative while committing to provide more support to mining companies to “exploit our lands,” Idlout said.
Funding for the initiative’s sister program Jordan’s Principle has also not been extended beyond 2026. Both programs were funded by Indigenous Services Canada.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national Inuit organization, said in a statement it is “deeply concerned that the government has chosen not to allocate additional funding in this budget for the Inuit Child First Initiative.”
If the initiative remains unfunded, it said, “the most vulnerable members of our society would be deprived of their ability to live with dignity and access the critical services when they need them.”
The budget wasn’t all bad news for Nunavut and Inuit.
It includes $1 billion over four years for an Arctic Infrastructure Fund to invest in dual-use transportation projects like airports, seaports and all-season roads. Dual-use infrastructure can be used for both military and civilian purposes.
Another $2.8 billion is allocated for urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing. The budget did not state over how many years the money is to be used for.
The government also said it would support the creation of Inuit Nunangat University. However, it did not say in what capacity it would provide that support or provide a timeline.
Inuit Nunangat University is being planned under ITK’s direction to provide post-secondary education to Inuit from across the country.
In its statement, ITK said, “While today’s budget reflects some progress, success will depend on the scale, design and transparency of its implementation as well as commitment to Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee priorities.”
Idlout, however, was less satisfied, saying the budget was “plagued with ambiguities.”
“Even though the university is mentioned, there are no details on it,” she said. “It is a symbolic gesture is what it is, and symbolic gestures are not what we need.”
She stressed she supports the university but wants to see specific commitments from the federal government.
“There is a lot of ambiguity, there is a lot that I’m not certain of.”
Idlout said she wanted more time for further consultation before she could make any real decisions on a vote.
With the Liberal government two seats short of a majority in the House of Commons, it faces the possibility that its budget could be voted down, leading to an election.
On Tuesday, though, Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor from the Conservatives and joined the Liberals soon after the budget was introduced. That left the government still needing two votes to ensure the budget passes.
National media have reported some New Democrats might abstain from voting on the budget. If just two were to sit out, that would be enough for the government to pass its budget and avoid a non-confidence vote triggering a snap election.
On Wednesday, Idlout did not answer a direct question about whether she might abstain.
“We need to hear from the people we represent,” she said.
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty’s office declined an interview on Wednesday.
This is exactly the kind of program that the multi-billion dollar land claims settlement should be paying for.
Colin, I agree but the RIAs are investing all their land claims funds and Royalty’s into Potato joint ventures, from the southern company’s to make southern company’s ultra rich, and Inuit children and elders going hungry, sort of what’s going on the USA right now.
It’s clear by your comment you have no idea how joint-ventures work. Who do you think is taking on all of the risk? (hint: Not the RIAs, which means, not Inuit)
Face paint , did I strike a nerve, I know all about jvs selling yourself out for a quick dollar and yes 98 percent of profit goes south, no wealth stays in Nunavut, oh yes a dividend and a plane ticket and hotel and a football ticket , and a meal, business people give me a break.
1 million seconds = 11 days
1 billion seconds = 31 years
How much is in the Trust again? You know where the IOLs are right? Tell me again how there’s no wealth in Nunavut…
You can’t be disappointed and then ABSTAIN on voting for or against the Liberals budget!!!!
Guess her pension is more important than the well-being of Nunavummuit!
damn no more free 500 bucks a month for smokes 🙁
Can t live on hand outs , forever !!!
This woman is nothing but bad news, she’s always disappointed with no fight
Mrs. Idlout could possibly be the most irrelevant politician perhaps ever! How many members of her party are left? Maybe stop complaining and playing victim and start fighting. Fight like mad, make tons of noise, advocate, lobby, work with the GN on solutions. Do your JOB! Stop just whining.
No one wants to say this out loud but beyond all the politics at both the Federal and Territorial level; there is some serious reflection required in regard to how the Inuit Organization (emphasis on Inuit) are NOT stepping up with their Hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. Hunger and food insecurity cannot be, “everyone else’s” issue. Prioritization need to become a keyword. Sure, everyone wants to build shiny new stuff i.e. Universities, and Cultural Centers, and Arenas, etc, etc… but these things are useless if your population cannot feed itself. When an expert says quote, “We are in the worst food-security crisis I have seen”. It is perhaps time to take it seriously.
I know allot of people want to talk about handouts and “do it yourself, etc. It is clear that a completely revised thinking and strategy is required in Nunavut regarding government dependency and expectations. That is the responsibility of the Nunavut Government to lead that charge regarding reform and change. So far we can all agree they have failed miserably! What we don’t need anymore are studies or reports. Action is needed. All that however does not remove the fact that hungry children and the most vulnerable should not be caught in the crossfire of incompetency and inaction.
This new Government starts the process this week of heading towards the 7th sitting of the Legislative Assembly and picking a new Premier and Cabinet. Once that is done it needs to get to work right away on this issue and needs to sit down with the IO’s, Fed’s, Hamlets and anyone else they want to invite and figure this out. This is a Nunavut problem (ALL OF US). It requires everyone to figure out how to fix it.
Waiting on Mrs. Idlout to do anything of value is not going to get it done.
Perhaps this may be a karma moment for supporting just not ready and the lieberals and inflicting a lot of pain on Canadians.
Our national debt currently sits somewhere north of $1.2 trillion Canadian.
It has grown from only $720 billion 5 short years ago. Most of that increase comes in the form of money paid out to Canadians. Like, for example, CERB money people got that they were not even eligible for.
Every Canadian, including Inuit children, owe around $2K as part if this debt, ignoring Provincial debt, which is higher.
The government expects to pay $55 Billion just to service this debt in 2025.
To put this into perspective, the Federal government would have to double the GST if it wanted just to pay for this interest. Or scrap the Canada Health Transfer, which provides Nunavut for almost every cent used to run our Hospital and Health Centers, to save enough money to pay this interest. Just to keep the national debt at current levels.
As it stands, the Government will do neither of these things.
Instead, they will pay for this interest from funds they already get, make us do without a few things, and continue spending more than they take. This, in an attempt to grow the economy, and gaining more tax revenue in the future. Kicking the can down the road with a plan that just might work.
The last time our Federal government tried to manage our national debt (1996 to 2007), it took 10 years of sacrifice by everyone to get this debt down to a manageable level.
That means for our children, this $1.2 trillion and $55 billion a year represents a looming liability that will be ever worse when they will have to deal with it when they are adults.
Maybe Idlout and ITK need to look at this another way. Is Ottawa doing Inuk kids any great favor by racking up money spent on them today and yesterday, that they will be expected to pay back in higher taxes (or do without something even more important) along with crushing interest, when they are adults?
Canada has one of the lowest deficit-to-GDP ratios in the world.
If chess pieces are parliamentarian, she would be a new pieces called The Bureaucrat. Doesn’t do anything, can’t take over other pieces, just gets in the way of the game.
And zero mention of the funding now on the table for the major projects her territory is gunning for
I wonder if food prices will be lowered at Northmart now that the Inuit First funding is done? My family did not qualify for the food vouchers but we paid higher prices for food as gouging respected no ethnic boundaries. We struggle to make ends meet in a two-wage family with kids. And we don’t smoke, drink, eat out, travel, or have expensive toys. Just basics and rent.
Nunavut deserves so much better than this MP.
While she’s critical of the budget, our Premier welcomes it. Huge investments for Nunavut which, as you pointed out, she doesn’t mention. She’s just focused on 1 thing. Is the budget perfect? Of course not, none are, but this one is a win for Nunavut.
Lori is completely unable to imagine prosperity and well being coming from anywhere but government handouts. Her antagonism to mining, undoubtedly the best opportunity many Inuit have at gainful employment, shows how regressive her thinking is.
I can’t believe she was re-elected.
Lori had an opportunity ot have a say in this budget if she walked across the isle. She is the one to blame for not doing the best thing for Nunavutmiut,
She should have walked across the isle. I hope she votes against this budget and a new election is called.
What about Mandy Gull-Masty, the MP for the Nunavik/Cree area in Quebec?
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She is a part of the Liberal Party, and was initially a cabinet minister in the Carney Government. She refused to comment when NN reached out to her, so it looks like everyone is forgetting she exists.
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Mandy Gull-Masty had a say with the Liberals, and still the Liberals slashed funding that goes towards thousands of Cree and Inuit in her riding, and hundreds of thousands of indigenous people across Canada. How can Lori be the only shouldering the blame for the Liberals’ decision to take money out of the pockets and food out of the mouths of Inuit across Canada, when someone like Mandy Gull-Masty was a part of the process that led to this budget and clearly nothing good came out of her being a Liberal?
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I swear, some people on this site would blame Lori for Eve eating the apple with the way she gets blamed for everything that other people decide to do… why is every comment on here critical of Lori Idlout, from a party with 7 people, and no one is getting upset at the Nunavik MP from the party in power who decided to say nothing at all?
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Clearly we can’t just blame Lori for not becoming a Liberal as the reason social programs designed to help Inuit/Indigenous people in Canada, as Nunavik has a Liberal CABINET MINISTER and these cuts still come about?
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Why are we blaming the person with no power for speaking out, rather than the Cabinet minister from Nunavik/Cree territory for letting this happen without even giving a statement to the public? At least Lori is voicing her concerns, what is Mandy Gull-Masty doing for the same programs that affect her riding and everyone else?
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Let’s focus on the mountain, not the molehill!
Lori helped sell the soul of the NDP to the Liberals causing Jack to roll over in his grave with the back room deal Jagmeet and Justin had.
She could have and should have said no back them, Remember she helped prop up Justin Trudeau’s Liberals for 4 years now, their party is decimated, they are trying to rebuild, rebrand, find a leader. become an official party again.
Now the NDP have just become the Jr. Liberal Party of Canada, A vote for them is a vote to keep the Liberals in power. If the Goernment let us Canadian keep more of our taxes, we would not need school food programs, we would not need as much food bank use.
Lori prefers having no power. That way all she has to do is complain and criticize.
If she did have power, she would be expected to use it and actually do something.
However, the power she does have right now is whatever she can negotiate with the Liberals for crossing the floor and joining their ranks. They are currently two seats shy of a majority. As soon as those seats are filled, Lori will be back to having no power at all.
Of course, it’s also possible the Liberals don’t want her or prefer not to be associated with her at the moment.
Lori needs to cross the floor! Just do it lady
Wouldnt trust a socialist.. what a world . people should look at some real Socialist countries and open your eyes . As for Inuit , we are already in lower totem poll .. Inuit need to rise up and be Capitalist . open stores , open businesses …and rely less on Government. GOC doesnt care . clearly…
we have been asking for alot of stuff for along time … like clean drinking water. and nothing , but if you come from another country and arrive here, you get 80k in funding.
also feds closed doors on this due to incompetency… like approving money for hockey gear etc… when the funding was for and designed to help family with special needs.
so instead of being a socialist , be a Capitalist and work and make your dreams come true.. the funding is there, you just need a dream and hard work.