Inuit Child First Initiative extension a ‘relief,’ advocate says

The extension of the Inuit Child First Initiative came as a “relief” to Taya Tootoo, the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation executive director, who 10 days ago warned of a “humanitarian crisis” if the program’s funding expired.

“It was just so good to hear that the communities will have some interim support while we figure out long-term proactive plans,” Tootoo said in an interview Monday.

“Hearing from the front lines, the fear from the community of what was going to happen with their ability to support their children was quite traumatic” if the funding wasn’t extended, Tootoo said.

The program’s funding had been set to expire on March 31, the end of the government’s current fiscal year.

The federal government previously allocated $167.5 million over two years, starting in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

But Saturday at Nunavut Sivuniksavut college in Ottawa, Crown-Inidgenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree announced a one-year extension of ICFI on behalf of Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, whose department funds the program.

The initiative supports a food voucher program, which provides a $500 voucher a month to families for each child under 18 and an additional $250 for each child under four.

It also offers specialized medical and educational services for Inuit children.

“To hear that there’s at least one year to provide that stopgap funding while the [Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami] and the feds look at a way to make it a full, inclusive, long-term program and initiative was really nice to hear.”

Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout also welcomed the extension. She praised the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation, as well as the territory’s mayors and municipal councillors for their advocacy.

“The Liberals and Ministers Patty Hajdu and Gary Anandasangaree left the community hanging for months by refusing to answer, instead pointing fingers and politicizing childhood poverty,” Idlout said in a news release.

Previously, Hajdu and Anandasangaree had said the program couldn’t be renewed until Parliament went back into session on March 24.

Jeremy Tunraluk, the president of NTI, said in a news release he welcomes the extension but called for a “longer-term commitment” from the federal government.

Jennifer Kozelj, Hajdu’s press secretary, said in an email that the program’s extension is a “short-term solution.” Her department is working on “making sure Inuit children have the supports and resources they need.”

She didn’t say how much the government will spend on the one-year extension, only that funding requests “are approved on a case-by-case basis.”

Tootoo said a “shared responsibility” model for the program is needed long-term, where the GN would take on responsibility for some of the services the Inuit Child First Initiative provides. She said she hopes the program will be on more secure footing a year from now when the funding extension expiration approaches.

“I really do hope that with the advocacy that we’ve seen, the voices we’ve heard from the community members on the impact of it, that a shared responsibility model will go ahead and allow the Inuit Child First Initiative to flourish into something that addresses the specific needs,” Tootoo said.