Inuit leaders disappointed with budget's lack of money for tuberculosis elimination

Inuit leaders are concerned with the federal Liberal budget's lack of new cash specifically earmarked for eliminating tuberculosis in Inuit regions by 2030.

Advocates say the spend‐ ing plan was a missed oppor‐ tunity on that front and a let‐ down that puts the Trudeau government at risk of break‐ ing yet another reconciliation pledge.

"That is such a major dis‐ appointment," said Lori Idlout, an Inuk lawyer and Nunavut's New Democrat member of Parliament.

"It just goes to show that the Liberals will continue to break promises that they've made. They're not going to reach the target of eliminat‐ ing TB by 2030 if they're going to discontinue fund‐ ing."

Tuberculosis is a deadly but treatable illness that is sometimes called a disease of poverty. While virtually eradicated among Canadianborn, non-Indigenous peo‐ ple, tuberculosis affects Inuit at disproportionately high rates.

In 2022, the rate of active tuberculosis among Inuit in Canada was 136.7 cases per 100,000 people, which was comparable to estimated rates in Ghana and Kyrgyzs‐ tan, according to Public Health Agency of Canada and World Health Organization data.

The Canadian government has acknowledged the high rate among Inuit reflects so‐ cioeconomic disparities like overcrowded housing, food insecurity and barriers to ac‐ cessing health care that are linked to colonialism.

In 2018, national organi‐ zation Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Liberal govern‐ ment jointly committed to eliminating the disease in Inuit regions by 2030 while halving rates by 2025.

With that clock ticking, ITK requested $131.6 million over seven years from budget 2024. After the budget was tabled last week, ITK President Natan Obed called it "sobering" to see no new money at all.

"This is a precedent-set‐ ting arrangement that the government of Canada freely entered into, and that's why this means so much to Inuit," Obed said.

"It also is a public health crisis. We still have over 300 times the rate of tuberculosis [compared to Canadian born, non-Indigenous people]."

Deadly outbreak in Nau‐ jaat

The budget was tabled as Canada's chief public health officer was slated to tour a TB screening clinic in Nau‐ jaat, Nunavut, which has grappled with a deadly tuber‐ culosis outbreak for nearly a year.

Dr. Theresa Tam also vis‐ ited Pond Inlet and Iqaluit with officials from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) and the territory's health minister.

For NTI CEO Kilikvak Karen Kabloona, it sent mix‐ ed signals for Ottawa to dis‐ patch its top doctor on a mis‐ sion to study tuberculosis on one hand while failing to de‐ liver the resources Inuit say are needed on the other.

"It's difficult to imagine how we will meet the target of eliminating tuberculosis by 2030 without financial re‐ sources," Kabloona said.

"It is important the federal government has committed nurses, and there are a lot of good things happening right now. But we do need more money."

$1.1B for health pro‐ grams

NTI represents Inuit who are beneficiaries under the Nunavut Agreement, and

Kabloona said the organiza‐ tion is pleased with the in‐ vestments in health care, food security and housing, which she said will help bring the numbers down.

The Liberals pledged $1.1 billion over five years for First Nations and Inuit health pro‐ grams, including non-insured health benefits, the construc‐ tion and renovation of health facilities, the Nutrition North food subsidy and programs to battle food insecurity.

The budget did reference the $43.7 million already committed for tuberculosis eradication, but the specific spend Inuit leaders sought this year wasn't there. NTI noted the budget fell short of what's needed in several areas.

"There's a missed oppor‐ tunity to make meaningful progress on issues that are critically important to the fu‐ ture of Nunavut and the country," Kabloona said.

Last month, in a state‐ ment on World Tuberculosis Day, ITK and the federal gov‐ ernment pledged "to do all we can" to meet the elimina‐ tion targets.

This raised expectations for the budget but Idlout said the federal government did‐ n't even come close to doing all it can, "and it really is so frustrating."

"Pennies stopped being produced in 2013, yet when it

In the House of Commons, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu rejected the con‐ tention that the budget shortchanges Indigenous people.

The budget proposes $52.9 billion in new spending overall over five years, of which more than $9 billion is for Indigenous Peoples. On Friday in question period, Ha‐ jdu framed that as a win for reconciliation.

"Budget 2024 dedicates over $9.5 billion to Indige‐ nous priorities," Hajdu told the House.

"A full 25 per cent of the budget goes toward Indige‐ nous priorities in this coun‐ try. We will continue on the path of reconciliation togeth‐ er."

Idlout countered that Ha‐ jdu is "choosing to take a nar‐ row perspective" on this.

National Indigenous orga‐ nizations estimate the infra‐ structure gap facing their communities at more than $425 billion, a figure Hajdu's department helped compile.

"She knows full well the extent of what the needs are: billions and billions of basic infrastructure needs," Idlout said.

"Indigenous Peoples are not asking for extravagant items, they're asking to have their basic needs met."