Indigenous Services minister announces new federal funding to fight TB in Inuit communities
Nunavik reached a record-breaking number of tuberculosis cases in 2025
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty announces $27 million in federal funding to fight tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat during her visit to Kuujjuaq. on Thursday. (Photo by Dominique Gené)
The federal government will spend $27 million over five years to try to eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit communities, as Nunavik ended last year with a record number of active cases.
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty made the announcement Thursday afternoon during Kativik Regional Government’s quarterly meeting in Kuujjuaq.
“This disease disproportionately impacts Inuit communities in Nunavik and across Inuit Nunangat and this must change,” said Gull-Masty, who is also the member of Parliament for the sprawling Quebec riding that includes Nunavik.
Nunavik reported 117 cases in 2025, making that the highest number since the regional health board started keeping records.
As of Feb. 19, 15 active cases have been reported with outbreaks in eight communities.
The health board does not identify affected communities, citing privacy concerns.
Gull-Masty said the funding will go towards providing better tuberculosis prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. That work will be a partnership with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami — the national organization for Inuit in Canada— and Inuit treaty organizations.
Gull-Masty also said she wants to push for increased access to housing.
”A large part of fighting tuberculosis is ensuring that you are healthy, that you have access to nutrition but a huge component of it also has to do with housing,” she said.
Dr. Yassen Tcholakov, clinical lead on infectious diseases for the Nunavik health board, has previously said overcrowded housing is a contributing factor to the region’s TB crisis. The disease is airborne, so people who live in crowded settings are at an increased risk of contracting it or spreading it to others, he said.
In 2018, ITK and the federal government committed to eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit Nunagat by 2030.
Part of that commitment was to reduce active tuberculosis by 50 per cent by 2025 but that goal wasn’t met.
Gull-Masty said she is looking to work with ITK to stay on track of the 2030 target.
In Nunavut, why doesn’t this money go directly from the federal government to the Government of Nunavut which has a Health Department with capacity, as envisaged under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?. That agreement says that services are provided by the public government. ITK has no capacity to deliver health services.
Came here to say exactly this. NTI (the Inuit treaty organization for Nunavut) is not a service provider.
If you look at news articles related to the last federal funding for TB elimination:
– 2018 Feds announce $27.5M of which ITK allots $13M for Nunavut.
– 2022 NTI CEO & President publicly state that no money will be shared until the GN agrees to do what NTI wants (e.g. release sensitive public health data).
– 2025 NTI gives $4M to GN for TB programs.
A seven year delay during a crisis? Where did the other $9M go? How is there any accountability with this organization?
The GN should enact transparency laws for NTI if they’re getting federal funding because who knows how any of this money is being spent.
this is the main reason why people want to get into politics and have positions in these organizations so they could line their pockets and fatten their bank accounts. 9 Million dollars, where did it disappear to?