Territorial premiers visit Jean Chrétien

SCOTT FOSTER
PoliticsWatch.com

OTTAWA — Territorial leaders were one step closer to getting their wish on Thursday, when they called on Prime Minister Jean Chrétien at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa to discuss health-care funding in the North.

The meeting occurred one day after Nunatsiaq News’ printing deadline this week.

Territorial premiers were hopeful it would address the North’s unique health-care situation.

Earlier this month, all three northern leaders walked away from a federal-provincial health accord because they felt its per capita funding formula was unfair. They called on the federal government for an additional $20 million to $25 million for each territory, on top of the per-capita amount allotted to them.

Under a proposal they took to the recent first ministers’ conference on health care, the territories would have received 0.5 per cent of any new federal health transfers.

At the time, Chrétien admitted in the House of Commons that the per-capita formula was not suited to the North’s needs.

While the Speech from the Throne underlined aboriginal affairs as a priority for the Liberal government, Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik said this past Monday that he doubted there would be any assistance for the North’s health-care system in Tuesday’s budget.

“It has been over three years since we’ve formed and we have grown to be quite pessimistic of the budget because there’s never anything, really, for the territories,” he said, adding “the federal government has a constitutional obligation to meet the needs of this country’s aboriginal people and they’re not meeting that right now.”

However, Okalik and NWT Premier Stephen Kakfwi were cautiously optimistic that Chrétien would respond to their demands.

“I’d like to think that he’s meeting with us because he’s ready to deal with our situation,” said Kakfwi outside the House. “On Thursday, the prime minister will hopefully make an offer to us that goes a long way to meeting our needs.”

As before, Kakfwi and Okalik emphasized that those needs are dire.

No medical staff reside in small, remote communities, and territorial governments must pay exorbitant travel costs whenever residents need to see physicians, Kakfwi said.

“Romanow recognized this, the premiers recognized this. Now we need the prime minister to recognize it and to get his officials working on it so I can take something back to my cabinet and legislature,” Kakfwi said.

Asked if she was willing to meet with territorial health ministers on the subject of northern health care, federal Health Minister Anne McLellan said she would be “happy to.”

But she said there were going to be no special deals outside of the health accord.

Kakfwi said he and the two other territorial leaders have accepted McLellan’s offer, but he said it would be better if such a meeting took place following their Thursday discussion with Chrétien.

McLellan has said only that she would meet with the territorial premiers to “implement” the existing health accord.

Last week, territorial premiers cancelled a Feb. 24 meeting with McLellan, saying they wouldn’t meet with her until after they reach a deal with the prime minister that’s acceptable to them.

Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew told Nunatsiaq News that she and Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell have been working full-time for the past 10 days to bring the territorial premier’s message to federal officials.

“I’ve been going back and forth between the privy council office, the prime minister’s office, and the premiers.…” Blondin-Andrew said.

But she was reluctant to say whether Thursday’s meeting would produce a deal.

“These things are never easy. They’re very delicate negotiations and it’s politics at its height. I never like to assume anything, so I’m not going to say anything right now until we absolutely have something to say,” Blondin-Andrew said.

With files from Jim Bell in Iqaluit.