Nunavut, Ottawa reach ‘interim’ deal on non-insured health benefits
Health Minister John Main announces $190M deal in legislative assembly; says longer-term agreement still needed
Health Minister John Main, shown here in the legislative assembly earlier this year, says Nunavut supports the proposed settlement with three tobacco companies. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
The Government of Nunavut and the federal Indigenous Services department have signed a new interim deal to cover non-insured health benefits and medical travel costs for Nunavummiut until next spring.
Nunavut Health Minister John Main announced the $190-million deal during the opening of the legislative assembly’s spring sitting in Iqaluit, Thursday.
That money comes directly from Indigenous Services Canada, which provides coverage for a variety of health-care services, such as eye and dental care for Inuit and First Nations, through the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.
The deal, retroactive to April 1, 2023, also includes additional funding to support the increasing cost of medical travel.
The two-year agreement addresses the Health Department’s “current financial challenges,” Main said, adding it allows the two levels of government to work together on a long-term agreement.
Main thanked Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu and federal Health Minister Mark Holland for their support in reaching the deal.
“This is getting us closer to a Canada where everyone, regardless of where they live, has the services they need and a fair chance to succeed,” Hajdu said in a statement Thursday.
In the winter legislative sitting, Main described a shortfall in funding for the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.
In February, he said Nunavut would be “left with no choice” but to recommend the territory turn over administration of the program to Ottawa.
In a visit to Iqaluit in March, Holland said he recognized that Nunavut needed “better coverage.”
In an interview Thursday, Main said the deal followed long negotiations with federal counterparts, and he’s thankful Indigenous Services Canada is helping the territory’s health needs.
Being more than halfway through the two-year deal, Main said negotiations are underway to secure longer-term funding for when this agreement expires next March.
“Our position has not changed in terms of the need of Indigenous Services Canada to fully fund that program, and we’ll continue working with them on that,” Main said.
“We’re never going to be satisfied with the status quo, we’re always looking for ways to improve [health services].”
As usual, non-insured, non-inuit nunavummiut are treated like second-class citizens in the north.
John, a lifelong resident of Arviat, is fluent in the local language and has been raised in the manner of the other Inuit in the community.
While he encounters challenges in responding to emails, I am hopeful that he will make improvements in this area.
It is worth noting, however, that his performance surpasses that of the previous MLA who represented Whale Cove.
See point #2 here
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dear-qallunaat-white-people-inuit-sandra-inutiq-1.5020210
1. You are a visitor on Inuit homelands
Does this mean Inuit in Ottawa, Montreal, WInnipeg, and Edmonton are visitors and settlers on others’ lands?
2. Being close to Inuit, being proximate, does not make you an expert and voice for Inuit
This is actually how expertise is gained. You get close, observe, and learn. It may not make you a voice for Inuit, just as a single Inuk is not de facto a voice for Inuit. However, John Main has been elected to his position which does, in fact, make him a voice for Inuit. That’s… how democracy works.
3. It is common for white professionals like you to use working in Nunavut or with Inuit to embellish a resume.
Look at any job ad by the GN. It contains, “Knowledge of Inuit communities, culture, land, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, Inuktut and experience working in a northern cross-cultural environment are also considered assets.”
So, yes, people are going to write that they have worked in Nunavut and/or with Inuit on their resume.
4. Meritocracy is a system that assumes everyone is on a level playing field — i.e. education, skills and experience — and are considered based on their qualifications.
This is true. Meritocracy does assume that. However, every indeterminate GN job uses the preferential hiring system, so a Qallunaat resume will not even be looked at if there is a qualified Inuk.
5. Attitudes that the North/Inuit Nunangat is inferior and backwards are common.
I’ll admit this is all too common.
6. Reverse racism or racism against white people does not exist.
This is such BS. Racism is the belief that a race of people is inferior. I’ve heard plenty of that going both ways.
7. Moreover, you cannot be the one to judge whether an act is racist, culturally insensitive or appropriate.
Hilarious. Sandra Inutiq follows up “racism against white people does not exist” with “you cannot be the one to judge whether an act is racist”.
8. If there are mainly Inuit or Inuit-spaces, allow that to be, either by excluding yourself or by listening and not talking.
I guess?
9. Part of the process of achieving equity in Nunavut means making space for Inuit, whether physically on the land, in policy and decision-making, economically or through employment.
The text under this states, “[in] order for an Inuk to take a managerial position, someone has to move on”. Yeah, there’s at least 20 manager-or-above positions posted on the GN website right now, and I’m positive there are many more available but not currently posted. Sandra also mentions better access to housing. There are over 6,000 public housing units in the Territory and over 64% of public housing units are charged less than 5% of their household income. I understand there’s a housing crisis, but I don’t know of anywhere else that provides that level of access per capita.
10. “It is a public government!” This statement, which we hear all the time, sanctions racism.
No it doesn’t. “The subtext here is that any efforts to reverse systemic discrimination and racism should be avoided”. No it isn’t. This statement, that it is a Public Government, is said because Inuit make up around 80% of the population of Nunavut and therefore control who is in power to make changes. Sandra continues,
“There has been nothing done to reform the system in any large scale and consistent manner, including finally focusing on Inuit employment, education, housing and poverty-related issues (and these are all interconnected). Imagine, after Nunavut was created, if there was a program to train Inuit to become Inuktut teachers in a deliberate, systematic way? Our language would be thriving rather than on a downward spiral, treated as an inferior language and not worth saving.”
Well, look at the elected government. Look at the Cabinet Ministers. Since the creation of Nunavut. Those are the people that make decisions and control outcomes. And there aren’t many qallunaat in that list.
11. The attitude that Inuit get everything paid for them, including health benefits and post-secondary education, might be more common than “It’s a public government.” But if that is the case, why are Inuit still facing wide-scale poverty?
I’m not sure that’s a question you want the answer to.
12. You need to change the attitude that when Inuit talk about cultural reclamation it is about nostalgia for the old times.
Sure, I guess.
13. Suicide, homelessness, hunger, mistreatment or discrimination in health or justice systems are not theories to us.
“White people love having loud, insensitive conversations about alcohol and suicide issues within earshot of Inuit as if they are abstract, without realizing these issues are being experienced by Inuit.” Wait, I thought you were upset about white people’s “indifference to social conditions”? But now you’re upset that white people are having discussions about these social conditions? Which is it, Sandra?
14. Stop expecting Inuit in the office to translate words, work or give advice on what “Inuit think” as if Inuit are ethnographic objects of study.
If you get a bilingual bonus at work, then you can translate words. If you’re going to say that that, “being close to Inuit, being proximate, does not make you an expert and voice for Inuit” (see point 2), then don’t get upset if people ask for advice on what “Inuit think”. Isn’t that what you wanted?
15. Why don’t they just (fill in the blank)?
Depends what the blank is. But people will say this about many groups of people, even their own.
16. Do not negotiate with artists or craftspeople.
True.
17. White people do not seem to understand why Inuit do not volunteer, or volunteer as much, for boards and committees, etc.
“I can promise that Inuit are expending more hours and energy helping each other out than the superstar white volunteer who gets all the volunteer awards”. While this is a hasty generalization, it could definitely be true for some. However, without those “superstar white volunteers who gets all the volunteer awards”, then the things they do would not get done.
18. Address your apathy.
True.
19. Stop talking over Inuit, cutting people off or finishing sentences for people.
This is a cultural difference in communication. After spending many words telling white people not to tell Inuit how to conduct themselves, and telling white people to stop with the, “Why don’t they just [blank]?”, Sandra now tells white people how they should communicate and that they should shut up and listen.
20. People of colour expend a lot of emotional energy trying not to upset white fragility; like, a lot.
This is such a blah statement. I can’t even respond.
21. If you’ve read this far, the most important thing for you to remember is to have humility.
Well how can we not all agree with that.
Thanks Sandra.
Good job Sandra. Yes, why are Inuit facing wide-scale property?
Inuit are indigenous people
1. Non-Inuit choose to move to Nunavut for employment, better pay, better benefits than they get in the South.
2. Many employers in Nunavut who hirer employees from out of territory have better health insurance coverage for their employees than the non-insured health benefits program.
3. The non-insured health program is funded by Indigenous Services Canada and not Health Canada.
When you choose to move to another jurisdiction in Canada for employment to earn a higher income make an informed decision, ask the right questions. This is a chose people make, or parents make for their children.
Here’s the thing with NIHB, it doesn’t differentiate, one could be only 5% inuk blood (not that we are doing blood quantum), they will still be covered under NIHB. Or one could be an inuit family making $300-400K/year and they can claim this next to an inuit family with 10 kids and living in public housing. So its a the rich gets richer situation? Take out the “bloated” financial benefits to indigenous and let’s see how many people claim they are indigenous. We all bleed red after all. Indigenous people should still has some reasonable benefits above the rest of the population but in Canada, its gone several level of crazy.
Hunter, Nunavut is still part of Canada, unless that has changed, southern tax dollars pay for everything, it’s called equalization payments, and a lot of Canadians move between provinces and territory’s to find a bit better life, example there are 10,000 Inuit living in southern Canada trying to find a better life, should we not permit them from moving to the south for a better life, or is it a one way street with you hunted.
Kindly give the same advice to the many thousands of Inuit who have chosen to leave Nunavut and live in other regions for the same reasons – opportunity that Nunavut can’t provide, higher salaries, and better living conditions.
Better life living in Ottawa? How so?
A report in 2021 for the City of Ottawa estimated Indigenous people represent about 4% of Ottawa’s population, yet represent 32% of the homeless population in the city of which it is estimated 2/3 ‘s are Inuit.
As there is an estimated 7500 individual/families in Ottawa are homeless today so by the estimates 1500 of them are Inuit, Nunavut’s entire Inuit population sits at approximately 30,000 (85% of 36,000 total population) living in 25 communities, that is an average of 1200 Inuit per community. So please tell me how those 1500 Inuit who are homeless in Ottawa are better off homeless and dying of drug overdoses at an alarming rate.
MR BigShot on news, try to send him a message about what happened in H.S.C. in Winnipeg 2 year ago but won’t want to Help us (Inuit)
It’s the same story every few years, Ottawa knows you won’t turn the program over and that they can just offer a portion of the expenses. For George they did it with covid money. They did the same with every other health minister since 1999.
He is a non-beneficiary, so this deal does not benefit him or his family.