Liberals extend Inuit Child First Initiative for 1 year, again

The federal government announced a $115-million extension of its Inuit Child First Initiative, six weeks before funding for the program was expected to dry up.

“Children’s well-being is one of the core priorities that I have as a minister,” Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said Thursday in Kuujjuaq. “Families, leaders, and children themselves have been clear about how critical the Inuit Child First Initiative is.”

The Inuit Child First Initiative is a program funded by Indigenous Services Canada that provides educational and socio-economic support for Inuit children and youth.

One of its aspects felt widely throughout Nunavut was the funding of a universal food voucher program that gave Inuit families $500 a month per child to help pay for groceries. In February 2025, the government ended the universal program in favour of needs-based funding that required families to apply for vouchers.

Gull-Masty made the new funding announcement during the Kativik Regional Government’s quarterly meeting in Kuujjuaq.

Indigenous Services will spend $115 million on the initiative for the government’s next fiscal year, which begins on April 1, Gull-Masty said.

It’s a $7-million reduction from the $122 million the Liberal government allocated in the current fiscal year that ends on March 31.

The temporary two-year program ran out of funding in 2025, but was extended for a year. The federal government has been promising since last year to retool it and develop a permanent program.

In November, Gull-Masty reiterated the government’s commitment to finding a permanent program, saying she was actively working with Inuit leadership.

When the federal Liberal government presented its 2025-26 budget in November, it included funding for the Inuit Child First Initiative for the 2025-26 fiscal year, but no further funding beyond March 2026.

“In the short term, we are focused on improving processing timelines and reducing complex administrative barriers,” Gull-Masty said.

While in Kuujjuaq, she also announced a one-time $30 million “top up” of the Nutrition North subsidy, a federal program that lowers the price of healthy groceries in northern communities.

“This investment will help lower the cost of foods and essential items for families.”

Nunavut MP Lori Idlout criticized the Liberal cabinet minister’s funding announcements.

“These are just promises waiting to be broken,” Idlout said in a phone interview Thursday.

“They are not offering real solutions.”

Idlout said she was dissatisfied with how long it has taken the Liberal government to develop a permanent Inuit Child First Initiative, while Inuit children and youth are in dire need. She said Thursday’s announcement was just a “Band-Aid.”