Nunavut MLA complains about medical escorts who shop for alcohol
“There are too many people bringing alcohol back home”
Uqqummiut MLA Pauloosie Keyootak says too many patient escorts are bringing alcohol back to their communities. (File photo)
Some people sign up to serve as medical escorts for travelling Nunavut medical patients solely because they want to buy liquor, Uqqummiut MLA Paulooise Keyootak complained in the house last week.
“There are too many people bringing alcohol back home, especially the medical escorts,” Keyootak said.
Keyootak, who made the remarks in a member’s statement and in questions to Health Minister George Hickes, said the problem seemed to get worse after the federal government changed the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program to allow an escort for all mothers who travel outside their communities to give birth.
After Jane Philpott, then the national health minister, announced the change in 2017, the Government of Nunavut changed the policy.
Under the new rule, the GN, using NIHB dollars from Ottawa, will pay air fares for all escorts who accompany expectant Nunavut Inuit mothers.
In some ways, this policy change is good for patients, but it also has a darker side to it, Keyootak said.
“Some of them only escort relatives so they can buy alcohol, at least from my perspective, as many people are bringing back alcohol and some just seem to be here [in Iqaluit] to buy alcohol,” he said.
As a result, it has become a problem for elders and the amount of alcohol coming into the community has increased, he said.
Hickes replied by saying that the Department of Health does not tolerate alcohol or illegal drug use or abusive behaviour by patients and patient escorts.
All patients and escorts must sign an agreement to that effect and if they break the rules, they must reimburse the Department of Health for the cost of their travel.
“It is very clear in the agreement that the medical travellers sign that they are not permitted to use alcohol or illegal drugs. They have to sign that agreement,” Hickes said.
Also, those who rack up a history of rule breaking while on medical travel may end up getting permanently barred from serving as patient escorts.
That applies also to people who attempt to smuggle booze into dry communities, Hickes said.
“Like I stated before, it doesn’t matter whether you are a medical traveller or not, it is illegal to transport alcohol into restricted communities,” he said.
Every community should have a beer and wine store!
Considering that weed is legal why does Pauloosie have his panties in a knot over alcohol? Isn’t it time this government end its paternalistic attitude toward its citizens?
Because people bring it back and it causes fights and marriage breakups and suicide and murder duh wake up…they are going for medical escort to help a person not become a bootlegger and hurt our people and communities
And , i thought , it was only Nunavimiuk escorts that bring in suitcase load of booze.
Get with the times, prohibition has never worked anywhere, you’re wasting your time and our money even talking about this.
Here’s the real story with Medical Travel. I am an Inuk father of 2 and I am under NIHB, my spouse is not. My spouse is Caucasian and does not qualify for an escort but my children will be NIHB once they are born. So we had to foot the bill if I wanted to be at both of my children’s birth, which put a strain on our family financially after each child.
But if this were reversed and I were Caucasian and my spouse Inuk under NIHB, I would be able to be at my children’s birth as an escort, thus leaving no financial strain.
I found it appalling that one Inuk is allowed an escort and the other is not allowed to be an escort, depending on your gender, even though both children in this situation once born would be NIHB.
Just some casual sexism within this policy that I noticed. I understand this is the benefit for NIHB mothers, but it does not take into consideration the NIHB child in my situation and my spouse who needed help as well after giving birth.
The people of Nunavut should be allowed to buy booze just like anyone else. Let’s dump this paternalistic, condescending mindset that says Inuit can’t act like adults but must be treated like second class citizens, or, as children.
Reduce the baggage limit for medical escorts and those on medical travel. GN has a right to place controls considering they are paying the travel cost
Although I escort family, I do not buy alcohol when I go to Iqaluit. Why do some people think that all people who escort family/relatives thinks that they buy alcohol? Not all people who escort buys alcohol.
We as Inuit are being looked by our own leaders, being judged at, mocked at, laughed at.. etc because most Inuit people drinks and black-out, and when they’re drunk, their inner self appears so then they start talking, If I would say ”sober thoughts” and or start being physical abusive. But there are other people who drinks just to socialize & has their alcohol limits.
Alcohol is legal in Canada, but except in Nunavut and in Nunavik, verv restricted area. We live in a free land and are very controlled by our leaders.
To you all leaders, stop looking at over alcohol and start working on how to get us PSYCHOLOGIST & THERAPYS in all Inuit communities, so people who doesn’t know who to talk to anyone could just get an appointment. People are hurt so they turn to alcohol because they think its the only way to numb their pain. So that is why suicide rate is very high, and only within 1 year there is lots of suicide.
I did not vote for you to judge your Inuit people