Ottawa should help Nunavut with high medical travel costs, Main says
Canada’s premiers discuss health care, looming U.S. tariffs at premiers’ meeting in P.E.I.
Nunavut Premier John Main speaks at the closing news conference of the Council of the Federation summit in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on July 22. Main says Nunavut’s high medical travel costs highlight the need for more health care services closer to home and stronger federal support. (Photo courtesy of CPAC)
Speaking at a meeting of Canada’s premiers, Nunavut’s John Main said the territory’s biggest healthcare cost is not medication — it’s jet fuel.
That’s why Ottawa must help deliver health care in the North, he says.
“We are spending tens of millions of dollars each year to send patients halfway across the country, in some cases, to access specialized care. So, we want to change that,” Main said Wednesday at the Council of the Federation meeting in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
The premiers’ news conference was broadcast by CPAC.
“We want to build care closer to home, and we need a strong partnership from the federal government that recognizes our increased spend.”
Main said he intends to raise the issue with Prime Minister Mark Carney when they meet in person Thursday for the first ministers meeting in Charlottetown, the final day of the three-day summit.
A major focus of the talks is the looming 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, set to take effect Aug. 19. Premiers are calling for a co-ordinated approach to negotiating with Washington.
The White House cited Canadian provincial boycotts of U.S. alcohol products as one reason for the tariffs.
“We can’t keep rolling over for Donald Trump,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “You don’t negotiate through weakness with President Trump.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby said Canada must balance protecting workers and industries while responding to U.S. demands for access to Canadian resources.
“The United States needs to decide what they want,” Eby said. “Do they want a strong partner in Canada where we work together, or are they keen to go it alone?”
Main echoed other premiers’ concerns about Canada’s imposition of counter-tariffs in the ongoing trade war with the U.S., saying impacts on the cost of living are “magnified” in the North.
“So everything that you want to do in Nunavut, from building a house to starting a business, could potentially get harder under new tariffs,” Main said.
In a closing statement, premiers called for continued federal investment in health care, housing, transportation and infrastructure, while urging Ottawa to maintain close consultation with provinces and territories during negotiations.
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