2010 Federal Budget – Give us the Tools and we will finish the job

Reflecting on the federal budget it is interesting that we ended our press release with a quote from Winston Churchill – Give us the tools and we will finish the job. We concluded that when Inuit have the proper tools, we have proven time after time that we will finish the job. In our modern world one of the essential tools is funding, and this year’s budget failed to address many of our issues, however it succeeded in galvanizing our determination to tackle fundamental social problems in Inuit Communities. Inuit communities are experiencing tremendous strain in relation to secure access to a quality of life most Canadians take for granted – adequate housing, comparable educational opportunities, quality health care and affordable food, to name but a few. While the budget released yesterday sustains a number of programs in these areas that were scheduled to expire simply continuing the status quo will do little or nothing to overcome the growing social and economic problems in our communities.

There is a significant need for housing all across Inuit Nunangat. According to the latest statistics available to us the rate of overcrowding in (for example) Nunavut is more than five times the national average with some 31% of households in that region living in overcrowded housing. Inuit graduation rates are the lowest in Canada. While teacher training and Inuit specific curriculum development will play an important role in addressing that gap the simple fact is that it is very difficult to study, do homework, or even get enough sleep to be attentive in class, in a severely overcrowded home that contains multi-generational families. In the area of education, I am personally engaged to transform our Inuit education system so that our students have a brighter future and our statistics improve. The work of the National Committee on Inuit education is progressing well. We welcomed the establishment of a new level of funding of $60 million per year to a reformed Canada Food Mail Program. We will work closely with the federal government to make best use of this money. As well, an extra $199-million was allocated for survivors of the residential school experience. This extra money is appreciated, but it is extremely unfortunate that there is no commitment for the renewal of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Survivors and their families will certainly need ongoing mental and emotional support regardless of the details surrounding how services are delivered. In many areas, this budget leaves much room for interpretation and implementation, so I am eager to discuss with the Prime Minister and his ministerial colleagues how the financial resources it makes available might best be harnessed to provide maximum benefit to Inuit. I found the Speech from the Throne more encouraging this week, with the declaration that Canada would take steps to change it’s position on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. There were also several references to Aboriginal Peoples and the Arctic in particular. Coming right after a very successful Olympic games where our symbol – the Inukshuk – was front and centre I am left with an overall feeling of optimism as we continue our struggle to build Inuit Nunangat.

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