Nunavut MP denies she’s silent on health issues

Nancy Karetak-Lindell, Nunavut’s Member of Parliament, struck back this week at Svend Robinson, the New Democratic Party’s health critic, for accusing her and two other northern Liberal MPs of staying silent during Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s recent rejection of special health funding for territorial governments.

“[Robinson] always uses the media to get some attention. But I’ve always worked the other way,” Karetak-Lindell said.

Karetak-Lindell’s colleague in the Liberal caucus, Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, went further, calling Robinson a “loud blabbermouth” and “a media hog” in an interview broadcast on CBC television.

Robinson had launched a scathing attack against Karetak-Lindell, Blondin-Andrew, and Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, saying they’ve betrayed their constituents on health-care issues.

He was especially critical of Karetak-Lindell.

“I mean, where has Nancy Karetak-Lindell been? Maybe she said something. I certainly haven’t heard anything. Not a word. I mean, she’s been as silent as a church-mouse on this issue,” Robinson told Nunatsiaq News.

“This health accord was a betrayal of northern and aborginal Canadians, and I can’t think of a more fundamental issue for the elected representatives of northerners to speak loudly and clearly on than access to health care.”

After the northern premiers staged their highly publicized rejection of Chrétien’s health accord on the morning of Feb. 6, the three northern MPs immediately went to work on damage control.

Karetak-Lindell said they first met with Chrétien and Anne McLellan, the federal minister of health. Then they met with the three premiers to do “brainstorming” and to discuss “approaches.”

The only concrete development to emerge from all that activity is a meeting between McLellan and the three territorial health ministers in Yellowknife near the end of February to discuss “implementation” of the accord.

But for his part, Chrétien appears to be warming to the idea that per capita funding doesn’t work for the northern territories.

“It makes no sense to treat them exactly the same way as the provinces because their populations are too small,” Chrétien said in the House of Commons in response to a question posed by Robinson.

Robinson believes that sustained political pressure may push the prime minister into meeting the demands of the territories.

“I still believe Chrétien can be shamed into coming up with money on the upcoming budget next week. If we can put the heat on them and apply the pressure now, I think they can be forced to come up with some extra funding,” he said.