- Member of Parliament
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
- Liberal
- Niagara Centre
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 68%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $88,875.84
- Government Page
- Feb/8/23 8:21:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this issue is very serious.
No one likes to imagine an older member of their family having to travel a long distance for proper medical care. This government recognizes the problem, and we know of the stress and harm it inflicts on Inuit families and their communities, so we have been working hard to improve health care in Nunavut. We are constantly working with indigenous partners and territorial officials to design culturally relevant health care that will meet the needs of the community.
We have supported the health care needs of Nunavut, and the other territories, during the pandemic and postpandemic, and we will continue to support the territorial governments and the people of Nunavut, so that their health and well-being are a priority.
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- Feb/8/23 8:15:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Nunavut for raising this very important issue. I would like to acknowledge, first of all, that I am speaking from the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe people.
We understand that historic wrongs have harmed Inuit elders. We are working extremely hard to build a new type of relationship with all indigenous peoples across this great nation, one that is built on recognition of rights, respect and partnership.
The Government of Nunavut holds jurisdiction over health care and this includes long-term and continuing care. The federal department, Indigenous Services Canada, works very closely with Nunavut officials to ensure that they have the resources to address the health care needs of Nunavut.
The government supported Nunavut in managing health care costs during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing $238 million in funding. This included funding to help the health care system as a whole and funding to directly support Inuit communities. Transitioning into the postpandemic period, this government is committed to continuing to provide health support to the Government of Nunavut and its people. For the year 2022-23, the federal government has allocated $47 million to health care funding for Nunavut.
The federal government also provides funding that directly helps elder Inuit through a program called first nations and Inuit home and community care. Indigenous Services Canada has a 10-year Nunavut wellness agreement in place with the Government of Nunavut that provides over $87 million to support home and community care services. This includes special enhancements funding that supported the response during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program was co-developed with Inuit and first nations partners. It provides services on reserve and is based in the community. It supports people with complex care requirements, inclusive of palliative and end-of-life care, and their caregivers. This allows them to stay in their homes and their communities for as long as possible. Through the program, first nations and Inuit people of all ages are provided essential health care services. This includes vulnerable seniors and those living with disabilities and acute or chronic illness.
On top of the home and community care program, officials in my department will be working with Nunavut partners to co-develop a distinctions-based indigenous long-term and continuing care framework to ensure that residents can receive services closer to home. This is part of an overall effort to improve health care for indigenous people by providing culturally relevant programs and by working to eliminate racism against indigenous people in the health care system. The goal is to ensure that health care is culturally safe and inclusive across the country.
The federal government also provides support for mental health programming and services in the north. For example, for 2021-22, we allocated $24.6 million toward mental health in Nunavut.
This government is responding to the health care needs of elder Inuit and other indigenous people in the north. We know that there are difficulties, and we want to avoid the need for elders to leave home to receive the care they need. We are working closely with indigenous and territorial partners to improve health care in the communities of Nunavut in order to better meet the needs of each and every community.
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- Jan/31/23 6:11:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this day is an opportunity, an opportunity to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health, not only a day, but a week, a month and years ahead. It is a chance for all of us to talk about our work and focus on what needs to be done. I would like to thank the member for continuing this conversation.
The member rightly mentions that suicide has had devastating impacts on families and communities in Nunavut. We know these high rates are linked to a variety of factors, including the impacts of colonization, discrimination and the loss of culture and language, but we also know the way forward. The way forward is to address the disparities in the social determinants of health and help people find a sense of hope and belonging.
That is why, on October 6, the Government of Canada and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami announced $11 million in new supports to help strengthen the implementation of the national Inuit suicide prevention strategy. This funding comes from budget 2022 and builds on previous investments in budget 2019.
The national Inuit suicide prevention strategy was launched by ITK in 2016, and I would like to take this opportunity to highlight its work. The strategy is an Inuit-led, evidence-based and globally informed approach to reducing suicide among Inuit and Inuit Nunangat. It focuses on six priority areas for action: creating social equity, creating cultural continuity, nurturing healthy Inuit children, ensuring access to mental wellness services for Inuit, healing unresolved trauma and grief, and mobilizing Inuit knowledge for resilience and suicide prevention.
ITK and Inuit land claim organizations are taking a holistic Inuit-specific approach to suicide prevention and focusing on systemic changes, early intervention, and support. The new funding that was just announced will support them in that hard work.
We are also working in close partnership with the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated to respond to the mental health wellness needs of Inuit in the territory. Through this partnership we are contributing more than $242 million over 10 years to the Nunavut wellness agreement for community wellness initiatives. In 2021-22, $24.6 million in funding was allocated to the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated and community organizations for mental health wellness teams and other mental wellness services. As one final example, and a strong example, I might add, of our strong partnership, I am pleased that construction is slated to begin this year on the Nunavut recovery centre. An enormous amount of planning, design and coordination has gone into this project since it was announced just a year and a half ago.
Once again, we are looking forward to continuing our work in partnership with the Inuit.
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