MLAs approve doubling Nunavut Child Benefit payments
Families can expect more money starting in September, premier says
Nunavut Premier John Main says doubling the Nunavut Child Benefit will help children and families struggling with poverty and food insecurity. (File photo by Arty Sarkisian)
MLAs closed out the spring sitting of the legislature last week by approving a bill that doubles the amount of money families can receive through the Nunavut Child Benefit.
Amendments to the Income Tax Act increase the basic Nunavut Child Benefit payment from $348 annually per child to $696, Premier John Main explained during a June 11 meeting of committee of the whole.
“Poverty and lack of food is a big problem, and it really affects the small children, and it affects them in a bad way,” Main said to his colleagues.
“So even if we increase it by a little bit, it’s going to help, and we’re really happy about that. The children in Nunavut that need help [are] what it’s about.”
The GN, Main said, will spend an additional $2.3 million to cover the cost of the increase.
Families who have a net income of $22,065 or less are eligible to receive Nunavut Child Benefit payments.
Canada Revenue Agency administers the program with funding from the Government of Nunavut.
The benefit rates will adjust annually with inflation, Main said, due to amendments to the Income Tax Act that remove a three per cent consumer price index “floor.”
After receiving approval by MLAs and assent from acting Commissioner Lew Phillip, the bill is set to take effect July 1, Main said.
However, recipients won’t see that increased money reflected in their accounts until September.
“There will be retroactive payments. So the benefit will actually start accruing, or going towards families in July, but they won’t receive that first increase until September,” Main said.
Three other bills received assent on the final day of the legislative assembly, including the GN’s $2.47 billion operations and maintenance budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which started April 1.
MLAs also approved $273.9 million in additional capital spending for 2026-27 for projects and purchases across 10 GN departments.
A fourth bill, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act, updated the language in various territorial laws.
The fall sitting is scheduled to begin Oct. 22.
This doesn’t go very far for most parents these days. It is too bad they did not expand the eligibility too. not many people who net less than $22k.
Great news for bootleggers and those that sell $20 packs of illegal rez cigs.
Prejudice much towards the poor and marginalized? Typical ignorant comment, not all parents or guardians are substance abusers, or smokers. People actually use the money to feed their children and use it towards clothing.
Awesome, time to make some more babies
Teen girls are already told at an alarming rate to “get a job or have a kid” to put money on the table. This is just going to encourage more teen and unwanted pregnancies.
Yay! More of acceptable and permissible Territory-wide Addictions in Publicly Gambling “Fundraising Events” through Bingos and Nevadas and more free money to buy Junk Food instead of purchasing real groceries on or about every 20th of each month (Childrens Benefits Day) and 1st of the month (Social Assistance).
Hooray! More money means more Publicly Accepting to Gamble and God be rid of hungry children because scr*w them its Parents’ Benefits Day to spend on “Communnunity Fundraising” events every date on or about Children’s Benefits Days and Social Assistance.
Misappropriation of Funds earmarked for “Survival” and “Make ends meet” never is grasped in Nunavut as it “Free Money” to spend however Parents wants and not for it its intended uses.
Instead Parents spend Social Assistance and Children’s Benefits Days Income on Fundraising Gambling and Junk Food and Processed Foods. All of which Local Stores get rich off of with no care about Inuit Nutrition as Pop, Chips, Kukuk, Tim Horton’s, QuickStop make all the Revenues as a accepted normal operations of dysfunctional society while toxicitity are killing numbers of our own.
It is all normalized as a now acceptable culture by acceptable normalization that became entitlement and expectations of selfish parents to turn manipulative use of Children resources is now acceptable. Normal. Done every month.
Nunavut Children need protection from their Parents and every Local Fundraising Events predator who suck all Children’s Benefits Days and Social Assistance Days Fundraising held twice a month. There needs to be protection from their Parents and Local Organizations.
Only in Nunavut do Children need financial advocacy and protection from Parents who know nothing about Modern Parenting requires Budgeting, Nutritional Education vs Junk and Proxessed Foods, and basic human needs decency to grasp concept Social Assistance and Children’s Benefits Days are meant for surviving to purchase Groceries as Food, Hygiene and Shelter needs
Nunavut needs to Pass a Bill to make Law Protect Children of Nunavut from their own Parents which can Legislate No Fundraising Events of Bingos, Nevada, and other events on the week of Social Assistance and Children’s Benefits Days. Protect Nunavut Children from Parents and Communities of misappropriation and misuse of Canadian Tax Dollars earmarked and meant for Food, Hygiene and Shelter needs and not Fundraising.
Only in Nunavut this is normal..(facepalm, headshake, sigh, cry). And you, Nunavut and Legislative Assembly of Nunavut, wonder why you have Socisl Crises, affected Youth and Children and young Adults. And you wonder why NU cries about Social turmoil and crises’.
What?! So simple that its difficult to comprehend to understand?
You cannot Collectively comprehend and understand Root Causes and you wonder why Crises all over everywhere with hands up while crying to all of Canada and waiting to be saved because its somebody’s fault and poor you Inuit are victims ( (Sarcastica Font).
Take it easy ChatGPT
Nunavut has , the highest birthrate in canada.
Nunavut still suffers from miserably low school attendance. This means that there is a fair chance that the children of those that cannot get a skilled job, will be in exactly the same boat as their parents within a generation.
For once, I would like to see the GN offer a program for families and children that gives credit to those that send their kids to school.
In that way, if education was the impediment for the parents not to be able to work and support their family, then the same fate will not befall their kids.
Give out a basic amount of funding for everyone. This is only fair as society should look after the most disadvantaged. However, give out more to those that send their kids to school. Give these families an incentive to improve the chances of their children to fare better in life than they did.
Not just for all of Nunavut but canada wide!!! Wish they can give gift cards instead for child tax day! So they can actually be used for children ♥️ too many people will be asking for food a couple days after child tax day and their children go without food! Shoes! Clothes! While I see hungry kids at playgrounds that are hungry and thirsty and dont have the proper outer wear and get so happy when theyre given a snack or a drink 💔 or given the proper outerwear to use ♥️ and see their parents at the BNW store! Breaks my heart!! ( I know this is not all parents that do this) but you can definitely tell around child tax day 😪
Not one word from you, even though your elected community has endured one tragedy after another over the last two months.
We have lost community members, families have been devastated, and people are grieving. Yet there has been no public acknowledgment, no visit to the community, and no visible effort to advocate for the mental health supports that are so desperately needed.
There has been no statement from you, no call for the Minister of Health or the Deputy Minister of Health to ensure permanent mental health professionals are based in our community, and no reassurance to the people you were elected to represent.
Leadership is needed most during difficult times. Our community deserves to know that our concerns are being heard and that someone is fighting for the supports we need.
Silence is difficult to understand when so many families are hurting.
Don’t you have a mayor? Where is he?
Absent like the MLA the past four years !! Photo op Mayor too🤣