Peterson happy with federal budget
Finance minister calls housing, health, green energy moves positive
Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services
Monday, March 27, 2017
NUNAVUT
Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau tabled his 2017 budget March 22 and Nunavut's finance minister sees it as positive for the territory.
"Nunavut faces unique challenges, especially related to housing and energy," stated Finance Minister Keith Peterson in a news release.
"We have encouraged the federal government to invest in these areas for some time. This budget is a positive next step, and we now look forward to working out the details. As always, we will make our needs understood and advocate for critical funding for Nunavut."
While the territory has long needed $1 billion to address its housing crisis, the promise of $240 million -over 10 years starting in 2018-19 -"will mean a slow and steady pace of longer term investments towards continued Northern housing."
Nunavut MLA Hunter Tootoo ran on a campaign that included advocacy for long-term stable funding.
"This new funding will help give the Government of Nunavut some stability when planning future directions for the territory," he stated in a news release.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk expressed modest optimism in a news release.
"These pots of money appear to signal that the federal government is aware of Nunavut's housing crisis and its far-reaching impacts on the physical, mental and economic health of Inuit in Nunavut. NTI is pleased to see Inuit-specific housing funding," Kotierk said.
"As a priority, NTI is keen to know when and how the health and language funding will apply to Nunavut."
An additional $54 million will be provided to the GN over four years, starting this year, for the Territorial Health Investment Fund.
"This funding will help improve access to health services by offsetting some of the high medical travel costs," said Peterson.
Indigenous languages and cultures will see $89.9 million over the next three years.
The budget includes $400 million over 10 years starting in 2018-19 to support an Arctic Energy Fund to address sustainable and renewable energy issues for communities North of 60. That funding will be administered through bilateral agreements with Canada, said Peterson.
Peterson also noted the $2 billion nationally over 11 years intended to support national trade corridors, as well as investments to resolve critical transportation needs in Canada's North.
"The GN will work with Canada to determine how this funding may be applied to projects like the Gray's Bay Road Project and/or a transportation corridor in the Kivalliq," he said.
Peterson concluded that the budget contains other initiatives intended to encourage innovation, address climate change and improve productivity nationally, including investments in infrastructure in rural and Northern Canada.
With regards to fisheries, the feds expanded support for indigenous participation in fisheries and the Indigenous Guardians pilot project, which "will give Inuit greater responsibility and resources to manage their traditional lands and water ways," Tootoo said.
Kotierk said the fisheries money is relevant to the Nunavut Agreement and wondered "whether new funding will apply to Nunavut, thereby ending the non-discrimination guarantee in section 2.7.3 of the Nunavut Agreement."
In addition, she questioned "whether the federal government will make use of training dollars and other resources to develop a representative government workforce as required by Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement."
The NTI president also noted the feds would be releasing details about $180 billion infrastructure fund plans April 12.
"Following that announcement, Inuit will have a greater understanding of the scope of the new infrastructure funding for Nunavut. While any new social or infrastructure investments are badly needed, Nunavut's social and infrastructure deficits go much deeper," she said.
