Inuit health group gets one-year extension

By NUNATSIAQ NEWS

A federal Inuit health group will stay on the job for another year, thanks to a new deal that extends their mandate.

The extension was signed June 4 in Ottawa by Leona Aglukkaq, the federal minister of health, and Mary Simon, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

The health group, officially known as the ITK/Health Canada Task Group, will continue its work on how to provide effective health services for Inuit, community wellness planning, mental health initiatives and health human resources, and to improve information and data collection, says a Health Canada news release.

The group, which reports directly to Aglukkaq and Simon, is made up of seven senior officials from Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and ITK, including Jim Moore, ITK’s executive director, Gail Turner, chair of the National Inuit Committee on Health and Elizabeth Ford, ITK’s director of health and environment.

“This agreement highlights Canada’s commitment to working collaboratively with our Inuit partners to enhance the quality of life and promote a healthy future for all Inuit,” Aglukkaq said at the signing ceremony in Ottawa. “As an Inuk, I’ve seen first hand both the need and the opportunities to enhance health care in the far North.”

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