Turning medical travel costs program over to Ottawa an ‘option’: Health minister
John Main repeats 2024 suggestion after encountering delays securing funding agreement
Health Minister John Main says handing administration of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program back to Ottawa is an option if the current funding agreement expires without a renewal. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Updated on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 10 a.m. ET.
With federal funding for a program covering Nunavut Inuit’s medical travel costs set to end at the end of this month, Health Minister John Main says turning administration of it back to Ottawa remains an “option.”
“Time’s running out,” Main said March 11 of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program during an interview.
“We really want to have an agreement in place [with Indigenous Services Canada] so we can plan properly, so we don’t have this huge gap or a huge hole in our budget.”
The NIHB is funded by Indigenous Services Canada and administered by the Government of Nunavut. For Inuit in Nunavut, the program covers costs for medical travel and services including vision and dental care.
Main also suggested the possibility of turning administration of the program over to the federal government in February 2024, before the GN and federal government reached a $190-million interim deal in May of that year. That agreement was retroactive to 2023, and expires March 31.
“I understand the federal political landscape is shifting and quite uncertain currently, but that should not be an excuse for delay tactics and for the refusal to come to the negotiating table,” Main said.
On letting Ottawa administer the program, he said, “They can be the service provider for Nunavut Inuit as they do in some other parts of the country for other Indigenous Canadians.”
Nunavut is looking for $236 million in funding from NIHB and for “related medical travel costs” for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, according to Charmaine Deogracias, a Department of Health communications manager.
Indigenous Services Canada is working with the GN and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to “ensure Nunavummiut have seamless access to the health supports they need” through the territory’s health system, Jacinthe Goulet, a spokesperson with the federal department, said March 13 in an email.
Note: This article was updated to include a comment from Health Department spokesperson about how much money the department is seeking from the federal government.
The GN has steamed and threatened this SINCE DIVISION. You can go to search on Nunatsiaq and see articles from 25+ years ago with this same dialogue with Canada and GN Health. Pull the plug already.
But the threats have worked, multiple times. You can go to search on Nunatsiaq and see the articles.
If working means the GN continuing to pay a growing portion of the program costs while administering a federal program for free, then I guess it “worked”.
From November 5, 2020, after George Hickes threatened to turn it over to Canada:
After a lengthy dispute with the Government of Nunavut, the federal government has substantially increased its payments to cover Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) for Inuit beneficiaries.
For medical flights, the Government of Canada will now contribute $715 per trip, up from $125 per trip in the past, Health Minister George Hickes announced in the legislative assembly on Thursday. That federal contribution will be capped at $20 million for this fiscal year, he added.
Ottawa will also make an additional $58-million contribution for this fiscal year, “which will help address the NIHB program’s shortfalls, and free up millions of dollars for other healthcare spending needs,” Hickes said.
In May 2024, after John Main threatened to turn it over to Canada:
The governments of Nunavut and Canada have reached an interim funding agreement on the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program (NIHB) for Nunavut Inuit.
That includes an additional $190 million from the federal government for medical travel.
I’m not saying that the federal government is paying the full cost of administering the program, but making this threat has worked in procuring higher sums of money on more than one occasion.
The federal government knows from experience that the threats are idle and that impacts what they offer. They know the GN will accept whatever pittance will be thrown at it. Granted, it is better to have money than not, but over decades we need to ask whether the short term political gain is worth the long term pain that exists. Medical travel is hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used for other public benefits. The medical travel budget continues to escalate, so increased federal payments only bring it within the same status quo as in decades past. I like to look at things as percentages. Until the program is 99% federally funded, then the GN should not be administering it. Check out Yukon’s process.
We want devolution!!
Oh nevermind it costs too much, shoot you take this part.
There should be an investigation in kivalliq about health workers and RCMP, they do the documentation how they are working. They always make excuses to cover up their lack of work too. For example go back to paul quassaq was premier, what happen to him when they take him off from premier and who was the people involved in the government offices. They really need to investigate how they manage the finances, that is towards the people of inuit. They got evidence too when they did their work. Even the legal aid in kivalliq needs to be investigated, how they are working. After this there will be so many news that they did their work and the work will be done. They make so many apologies and never do they work what they say. That’s why they say arviat is the second largest in territory and first in jobless. It’s because of their careless and laziness, there is not much job and GN not even thinking of adding new jobs and there are so many graduates now too. For what do they say we must finish grade 12 and do what sitting around and let those friends and relatives be work instead.
Why is it that only the bottom entry-level jobs at the GN are “restricted to nunavut inuit only”?
A nunavut grade 12 is probably a good pre-requisite to work at the Co-op. Heck even an NS education isn’t enough for most government jobs.
Get the teenage pregnancy numbers down and the high-school graduation numbers up and then Arviat may no longer be “the first in jobless”.
Somehow the GN and the Feds need to get away from one year funding programs. It makes it impossible to plan and deliver services without clear funding timelines.
The RIAs and the DevCorps could be relied on to deliver this service on long term contracts. Deliver medical travel (with boarding in communities) in a way consistent with Inuit priorities.
NTI and RIAs have been approached by Canada many times to administer this program. They will not do it. Would you? It is a very thankless program, always subject to complaints about escorts and patient fairness etc. Why does the GN run this program, which is being paid with federal dollars under their programming for indigenous peoples? GN runs the parallel program for people who are not indigenous (or who are insured through the GN through their job) but does not need to run the program for the Inuit public, that should be on Canada.
Inability to deliver fair and equitable healthcare in the north is a clear charter violation of s.15 and s.7. Flying people to the south increases health risks, but investing in proper healthcare makes too much sense for the federal government. Lets continue to waste money by flying people out on a yearly basis, let them fall through the cracks and force people to move away from their home communities because of the lack of healthcare. That sounds great.
So I read sections 7 and 15 and don’t see any reference to the provision of health care.
Can you expand on this for us?
Yes this has been going on since division, and every health minister has to beg for money, and put up with this albatross, give it back to the feds, stop begging, and Carney is in Iqaluit today PJ it’s your job do it
Looking forward to seeing a photograph of the new Prime Minister with the Nunavut Premier, marking the fulfillment of the position and another significant achievement.
Does anyone ever wonder why doctors and nurses do not want to stay in Nunavut full-time? Here are some possible reasons:
1. The high level of verbal abuse from patients.
2. The need to counsel local staff who bring their personal problems and gossip to the workplace.
3. A lack of support from direct supervisors.
4. Micromanagement from the Executive Director.
5. Being assigned to staff housing that is not conducive for those working shifts, such as midnight shifts.
6. The realization that they could earn the same salary working down south, where the cost of food and travel is lower.
These factors may contribute to the difficulty in retaining doctors and nurses to live full-time in Nunavut.
I suggest considering writing a friendly letter to the Legal Services Board to share your thoughts about your Legal Aid complaint. If your issue is health-related, reaching out to the Deputy Minister of Health would be a good idea. For concerns involving the RCMP in Iqaluit, you can simply contact their office there.
If you are looking for more GN job opportunities in your community, it would be great to connect with the Minister of Human Resources or, even better, your MLA.
It’s well-known that Arviat has a lot of graduates, and I believe the population in Arviat is even larger than that of Rankin Inlet. So, it does seem a bit puzzling why Rankin Inlet has more GN jobs. It might be helpful to advocate for more capital infrastructure in your community by chatting with your MLA. Your voice can make a difference!
This isn’t about the bother of administering health or medical travel programs (although I’m sure it’s difficult). I think the GN accepts that the territorial government should bear that burden.
It’s about the financial cost of medical travel and how Canada won’t properly cover it for Inuit, as they are supposed to. Besides clearly having the NIHB mandate, the feds are also responsible for the Canada Health Act and the regulation of aviation – from approach minima to mergers and acquisitions. They control almost all the levers.
Maybe the Territorial Formula Financing specifically requires Nunavut to bear these costs (I doubt it), or maybe Canada’s reluctance is some kind of “tough love” pressure tactic designed to incentivize Nunavut to invest more in health care delivery capacity in Nunavut and thus rely less on medical travel. Otherwise it does seem like cruel avarice.
The majority of the cost stems from medical travel for indigenous peoples. Under the Constitution’s division of powers and responsibilities this falls to the federal government. The Federal Government has consistently declined to accept any legal obligation and do so voluntarily, out of good will, through NIHB. This is not on the Territorial Government, only non-indigenous persons are under their scope.
WTH?!!! PM PJ?!!! God Forbid!!!
Better off with Trump.
That’s how much….(can’t even say)
Just too Funny.
Don’t even think about it.😡🤬