The federal government will continue to fund the Inuit Child First Initiative until at least 2027, Indigenous services minister Mandy Gull-Masty announced on Thursday.
Gull-Masty said $115 million would be allocated to the program until March 31, 2027. It provides children recognized by an Inuit land claim organization with access to essential health, social and educational services and supports, similar to those Jordan’s Principle is designed to provide to First Nations children.
A news release about the announcement said the funding will help ensure access to these services “while Canada and Inuit partners continue to co-develop an Inuit-led, long-term approach.”
$122 million was previously earmarked for the program in the federal budget.
Included in Thursday’s announcement was $27 million over five years to support Inuit-led approaches to eliminate tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat, in partnership with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Inuit treaty organizations.
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The federal government previously partnered with ITK on tuberculosis elimination in 2018, with the goal of cutting rates of the disease in half by 2025. However, data shared by ITK shows a 47-percent increase between 2016 and 2023.
Gull-Masty also announced $30 million in funding for Nutrition North, a federal subsidy program designed to lower the cost of food in isolated communities.
“This funding will help ship food and essential items to 124 isolated northern communities, while Indigenous and northern partners are shaping broader program reforms to better address the high cost of living and affordability challenges,” read Thursday’s news release.
Funding to the tune of $6.7 million for the Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund was also announced on Thursday. The fund supports businesses and community groups working on projects that grow, process or distribute food locally.
Funds for Canada’s first Inuit-led university were also included in the announcement. An investment of $50 million is being made through the Build Communities Strong Fund to build the university, which will be located in Arviat, Nunavut.
