Nunavut program money should go to GN, not ITK, senator says
ITK’s board allocated more than $266 million in federal funds last month
Cape Dorset, where the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Health started community-wide screening program for tuberculosis last February. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s four voting board members, who are the elected leaders of the four Inuit land claims organizations, have decided how to allocate the $27.5 million in funding that the federal government set aside in 2018 for the elimination of TB in Inuit Nunangat. (File photo)
(Updated with correction, new information, June 13, 5:15 p.m.)
The Government of Nunavut should continue serving as the main delivery agent for social and health programs in the territory that receive funding from Ottawa, Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson told reporters on June 12.
“I am very strongly in support of the Government of Nunavut being the primary deliverer of health and social and justice and housing and municipal programs in Nunavut,” Patterson said.
He made those remarks in response to a question from CBC Iqaluit reporter Nick Murray, who asked Patterson for his opinion on the federal government’s use of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami as a conduit for federal contributions to health and social programs in Nunavut and other Arctic jurisdictions.
Patterson, who is chair of the Senate Special Committee on the Arctic, had been talking about the empowerment of northern governments in relation to a report the committee had just released.
ITK divvies up $266 million
At a meeting held on May 29 and May 30, ITK’s small board of directors approved “funding allocation models” for five Inuit-specific health and social programs over the next five to 10 years, worth about $266 million.
“In some cases, the board self-determined that those funds should be drawn down from the federal government using ITK as an administrative flow-through. In other cases, the board self-determined that those funds should go directly to the regions from the responsible federal department,” an ITK spokesperson said in an email.
That includes the $27.5 million that Ottawa—in the 2018 federal budget—announced for the elimination of tuberculosis.
“The ITK board allocated these funds to regions using a funding formula which takes into account the burden of active tuberculosis and population size, as well as a base amount for administering the program,” ITK said in a news release issued on June 3.
ITK delivering programs?
Patterson, however, said it’s inappropriate for “an Ottawa-based advocacy organization like ITK” to design and deliver programs for the North.
At the same time, he praised ITK for doing “great work” in drawing attention to problems in health, housing, TB and early childhood education.
“But I don’t think it’s appropriate for them to try to deliver programs in the North,” he said.
“It also puzzles me why the government of Canada would provide funding for the delivery of programs, like eliminating TB, to an organization based in Ottawa. I think that should happen to the Indigenous governments in the North and to the duly elected territorial governments of the North,” Patterson said.
In support of his position, he cited Article 4 of the Nunavut Agreement, which states the GN must be a public government offering services to everyone.
“The Inuit agreed to that and recommended that and signed off on that in Article 4 of their land claims agreement,” Patterson said.
Decisions on five programs
At their May meeting, the four elected Inuit leaders who make up ITK’s board made allocation decisions for the following chunks of federal money:
At the end of last month, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s board of directors worked through a packed agenda. Back row, from left to right: Duane Smith, chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corp.; Gerald Asivak, minister of Health and Social Development for the Nunatsiavut Government; ITK President Natan Obed; Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. President Aluki Kotierk. Front row, seated, from left to right Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada President Rebecca Kudloo; National Inuit Youth Council President Ruth Kaviok; Makivik Corp. President Charlie Watt Sr. Unavailable for photo: Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada President Monica Ell-Kanayuk. (Handout photo)
• The second year of a $110-million, 10-year Inuit-specific contribution made to ITK through the National Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework. A working group will go back to ITK in the fall of 2019 with options for how to spend years three to 10 of that money.
“In this case, the board self-determined that the second year of ELCC funds should be divided equally by existing federally funded ELCC sites through amendments between existing agreement holders in the regions (as well as Inuuqatigiit, formerly called the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre) and the federal government,” an ITK spokesperson said in an email.
• A $40-million, five-year Harvesters Support Grant that the federal government announced in the fall of 2018, part of $62.6 million in new spending under the Nutrition North Canada program.
“The ITK board came to a decision on funding allocation for the four Inuit regions, including a combination of base funding for administration as well as amounts using a formula incorporating per capita and number of communities, to be distributed over the next five years,” ITK said.
ITK did not state how much harvesting money each region will get, or how the money will be distributed within each region.
• Inuit-specific federal funding of about $7.4 million over five years for anti-tobacco work. “The ITK board allocated these funds to the four Inuit regions using a funding formula which takes into account smoking prevalence and population size, as well as a base amount for administering the program,” ITK said.
• Funding worth $82 million over 10 years, with $6 million per year thereafter, for a permanent Inuit health survey. “The board decided to use a funding allocation model for the first two years which takes into account factors most relevant to survey design and implementation, including number of communities.” ITK did not state how much they will spend or where they will spend it during that two-year period.
• The previously mentioned funding, worth $27.5 million, for tuberculosis elimination in Inuit Nunangat. “Funding will allow regions to implement activities from their regional TB elimination action plans,” ITK said. ITK did not state how much money each region will get.
In addition to those program areas, ITK said they will continue to work on an Inuit-specific equivalent to Jordan’s Principle that will guarantee support for the social and health needs of Inuit children, no matter where they live in Canada.
For now, however, they’re relying on an interim measure called the “Child First Initiative.”
“The Child First Initiative has provided more than 350 instances of support for Inuit children across Canada within its first year, and it is expected that this number will grow over the next five years of implementation,” ITK said.
ITK’s board is made up of four voting members representing the four regional Inuit land claims organizations in Canada.
The ITK president, Natan Obed, chairs the board’s meetings. An ITK spokesperson said the president is not a member of ITK’s board.
Three other representatives sit on the ITK board as non-voting members.
New NIYC president
Also last week, ITK announced that Crystal Martin-Lapenskie of Hall Beach has been elected president of the National Inuit Youth Council. She succeeds Ruth Kaviok.
Martin-Lapenskie is Nunavut regional manager for economic development at the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and is president and chief executive officer of Okpik Consulting.
She was the 2016 recipient of the Rising Technology Star Award from the Women of Colour STEM Conference for her work in Arctic communities, and was nominated by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada as Inuit Woman of the Year.
A previous version of this story contained incorrect information. ITK President Natan Obed is not a member of ITK’s board. ITK’s board is made up of four voting members (the representatives of the four Inuit land claim regions) and three non-voting members (the presidents of the National Inuit Youth Council, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, and Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada.)
And as a clarification: the four voting members decided, or “self-determined,” which funds would flow through ITK to their respective regions and which funds would flow directly to the region from the relevant federal government departments.
Oh shut up, Patterson.
“The Senator from Nunavut should actually be from Nunavut”, Nunavummiut say.
Interesting comment. So, do you disagree with Patterson on this issue, is that what you are saying? Or, do you just want to weigh in on an article you probably didn’t even read?
All this fund is allocated for Inuit Nunangat. Nunavut is one of the regions of Inuit Nunangat so it will get it’s portion.
For once I have to agree with Dennis Paterson.
The responsibility for health lies with the province and the Territories.
That`s a very important piece of the Canadian constitution.
If the Inuit organisations feel that this arrangement is not working either we have to amend the constitution ( good luck with that !!! ) or they find a way to with the provincial and territorial dept of health and welfare to find ways to improve the situation.
The Federal Government should not Kow-Tow to them and forget the leagal framework in which they must operate.
Thank you
With all due respect Senator from Vancouver, we do not have much faith in our GN to administer this funding, I believe ITK can do a better job then the GN.
The GN is by all means inefficient and not always up to the tasks it sets out for itself. Fair enough. Now, take away all accountability and infrastructure, remove a slice of the pie to pay for a duplicate mini-bureaucracy and ask yourself, would this really be better? I have my doubts.
ITK is no better than the GN. Maybe the feds should just keep the money and ensure it is divided up to the programs it is supposed to go towards. 266 million that will probably not be administered to improve the services it was entailed for as there are too many incompetent people running the departments
I would agree with Patterson, this funding needs to be delivered through the territory. ITK does not represent the territory interests also at the end of the article is it just me but how can someone be president and CEO of a consulting company and work as a regional manager manager for Cannor? Is that not a conflict of interest?
This whole thing is moot. If the polls are to be believed there will be a conservative government in power come October and the first thing they will do is rescind all these funding agreements with ITK and either use the money for other priorities or flow the money directly to the GN and other elected governments. In either case ITK’s days as a northern program delivery agent are numbered.
At least the ITK Board is elected, either directly or through the regional corporations. Dennis Patterson was elected by no one.
I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect someone who was appointed to represent the interests of the Vancouver Stock Exchange to support Inuit self-determination (or UNDRIP). It’s simply not in Patterson’s job description to do so.
Thank you for a classic example of the ad hominem fallacy, a basic cognitive error often committed by those who are poorly educated or lacking in emotional discipline.
The nature of Senator Patterson’s appointment have no relevance whatsoever to the question of whether his opinions are valid or invalid. The fact that he is appointed and not elected has no relevance whatsoever to the question of whether his opinions are valid or invalid.
The Government of Nunavut’s record on health care is admittedly poor. However, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has NO record on health care, for the simple reason that Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is not a health care provider.
Where are these people in Nunavut with active TB going to be treated? Will they attend the Natan Obed Memorial Hospital? Will they attend the Aluki Kotierk Community Health Clinic? Will they receive their medication from the Charlie Watt Northern Pharmacy?
No, they will receive treatment from qualified health care professionals who are employed or contracted by the Government of Nunavut. So why is a lobby organization like ITK with no experience or knowledge of public health deciding how this life and death public health campaign will be funded in Nunavut? Why is the duly elected government of Nunavut not invited to the table?
To your first point, I disagree. Patterson is a colonial edifice. The fact that he is a Harper/Aglukkaq era Conservative matters a great deal. It explains why he acts and votes the way he does. His primary motivation is clearly the fortune of the Conservative Party, and his position within it (he was an early Scheer backer). The interests of Nunavummiut come second. Note the leadership he didn’t show on suicide prevention, for example — and his position re: UNDRIP. The fact that he was appointed also matters — he is accountable to no one, and there is essentially no way he can be removed from office until he turns 75. Having the jurisdiction with by far the highest percentage of indigenous people in the country represented by an unelected older white Conservative lawyer is, imho, an obscenity. If an election were to be held for his seat, he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of winning.
To your second point, either you’re a fool or you think the readers of these comments are fools. No one is talking about setting up parallel heath services. The federal government is giving indigenous peoples greater say in how the programs and services they receive are prioritized and managed, especially funds dedicated to ‘closing the gap’ in health outcomes between indigenous and non-indigenous people. It makes perfect sense, and there’s a track record of it making a positive difference. The Nunavut Suicide Prevention Strategy was a far stronger document and process precisely because NTI was a full partner in the design of it, and then in the monitoring of its implementation. NTI brought far greater urgency and brainpower to the table than did the senior management of the GN Dep’t of Health at the time. This did not result in parallel services or facilities named after Inuit politicians, as the author snidely suggests. NTI’s participation ensured that suicide prevention was prioritized appropriately, and that services were as culturally-appropriate as possible under the circumstances. I fully expect that having ITK play a similar role in key decisions re: health care in all four Inuit regions will have a similarly positive effect.
What Senator Patterson, the reporter or this article fails to mention is the difference between health funding transfers to provinces and territories for the provision for universal health care under the Canada Health Act, that the GN already receives and expends on (approximately $505 million dollars in 2018) and funding programs for the prevention of illnesses and diseases and the improvement of health determinants for First Nations and Inuit.
I’m not sure where you got that figure from or your information. The Department of Health operating and maintenance budget for this fiscal year is approximately $430 million dollars, not including capital expenditures. This is taken from total transfers from the Government of Canada that are approximately $1.9 billion dollars.
The Government of Canada does not transfer this money to the Government of Nunavut under the Canada Health Act, they transfer this money to us through the Territorial Financing Formula and a few other small third party funding agreements.
There is a huge difference between GN and ITK in how the GN must handle public funds. When ITK and these other organizations receive public funds, they do not have to do any of these things and therefore do not have to worry very much about transparency and accountability:
— our ministers, deputy ministers and staff are required to appear in public at the legislature to receive and answer questions from MLAs on our spending plans.
— our Department of Health budget information is available to the public through our Business Plans, our Main Estimates and our Public Accounts and made available on our GN website.
— anyone can use ATIP to access health budget details from the GN, subject to privacy regulations and cabinet confidentiality
— our health and other departmental and Crown agency budgets are audited by the Auditor General of Canada who delivers public reports on our performance.
— our our health and other departmental and Crown agency budgets are studied in detail by committees of MLAs who we must answer to.
ITK does not have to do any of this. They can just take the money and run with no clear requirements for transparency and accountability.
Everyone does not get it. Inuit Nunangat is former Lab, Nunavik, Nunavut, Inuvialuit in Canada.
This money is not just for Nunavut.
Who is Jack Hicks? Is he the guy who single handed wrote the Foot prints 1 and Foot print 2 , the design for Nunavut Government? Is he the same guy who sat in Amagoaliks chair in the office?
I Agree with Senator Dennis Paterson. I also agree with Big Bad Civil servant and thank him/her for the explanation. He / she should go for the MP job as this would not have happened if Nunavut MP was doing his job. Let the Federal Government try changing the funding formula for NWT and give the funding allocation role to Dene Nation and see what happens.
Unfortunate that so many of you choose to belittle the Senator using unknowns about the man personally. The Senator does in fact own property in BC that has been rented out.
He in fact has a rented home here in Iqaluit and flies here every weekend for the most part. He has family here and is grandchildren. He DOES have to be in Ottawa to do his job you realize. So he also has a condo there. I don’t know who this Hicks guy is but he seems to have a personal beef with the Senator as do a couple of you anonymous types
All you are doing in leaving misleading statements about his residency. Leads me to wonder if you are ITK employees or have family there. All he and the other Senators are saying is that Nunavut”s share of the 266 million program funds should be given to our elected representatives to apply to our programs. Not an unelected body representing ALL Inuit. The Senator has worked very hard on northern issues for us and certainly harder than our existing MP with no power.
For many years, Inuit organizations were very leery of getting directly involved in program delivery for Inuit. The thinking went – if we do it, government will say that the work is getting done, and will ignore the basic need.
The Inuit orgs believed this for good reason, as this is still going on today. The “pathetic” mine training investment on the part of GN when they have the excuse that IIBAs solve everything being the most recent example.
ITK taking funding directly from the Federal government to “solve” Inuit problems runs counter to this long held philosophy.
When the Federal money goes to ITK, they spend it where ever and whatever way they see fit, has ITK thought seriously about what will logically happen next? The funds provided will not “solve” all the Inuit problems in the areas mentioned in the story, but it sure lets Ottawa wash their hands of the matters.
At some point, the public government in each area of our land will be back talking to Ottawa to get additional support to actually do things in these areas. Then the Federal officials will have a huge laugh and tell them ITK spent it all.
Their long held worry will then be realized. They have accepted a token amount of funding to tackle issues on behalf of Inuit, and at the same time stymied public government to act at same purposes. It is hard to see ordinary Inuit come out better from this.
Well played Ottawa.
You mean the huge flurry of press and media declarations for the five year Suicide Prevention Strategy that was never funded?
How about Health hiring a former tourism official to lead the Quality of Life group who knew nothing about suicide?
You must mean the federal money that was written for and would have produced many anti-suicide public service announcements that was given away to another organization that never did about it?
Surely this Dept. struggles, staggers and slouches when it comes to suicide and ill health, feigning an overly cautious approach to everything while it’s Qadlunaaq minions don’t have a clue what to do.
And you think ITK can do worse than that?