Budget renews Inuit Child First with $575 million, hands it to Inuit organizations

The Nov. 5 federal budget proposes $575 million to renew the Inuit Child First Initiative, which helps Inuit children get health, education and social services, and move it to an Inuit-run program, Pirutsiagutiit. Launched in 2018 and modelled on Jordan's Principle, the initiative saw some supports, such as hamlet food vouchers, discontinued, prompting protests in Nunavut. If the budget passes, Pirutsiagutiit would be in place by April; how it will differ is not yet clear. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami welcomed the funding but criticized continued support for Nutrition North in its current form and little mention of Inuit in housing measures.