Yellowknife (Apr 07/03) - When the April 1 deadline arrived for the outcome of the territorial health care funding deal, Premier Stephen Kakfwi was travelling in his riding.

A press release stated Kakfwi was pleased the deal went through, but he added, "This does not resolve the challenge of providing health care in our remote regions."

In Nunavut, Premier Paul Okalik said he is pleased the prime minister agreed to the additional funding because the previous offer would've worked out to only $3 million a year.

"Our costs are very high. It wasn't going to help us. This is almost $10 million more a year in Nunavut, that's a lot better than $3 million," said Okalik.

After a well-publicized struggle with the prime minister earlier this year, the leaders of Canada's three territories -- Kakfwi, Dennis Fentie from the Yukon and Okalik of Nunavut -- who stood firmly together on health care, will be getting extra money from the federal government.

The deal finalized April 1 gives $20 million a year to each territory for the next three years.

The prime minister had initially offered the territories a deal which amounted to about $5 million a year. The territories were outraged and walked out on the talks.

Kakfwi met with reporters in Yellowknife Friday.

"I am not the minister of health," he said when asked about where the new money is going to go.

"It's up to the minister," he said, adding that the public must agree on where the money would be best spent.

In the meantime, "We have to make due with what we've got," he said.

Todd Parsons, Union of Northern Workers president, released a statement on Friday saying he was happy about the new funding deal, but added, "it simply isn't enough." While "every little bit" of extra funding helps, said Parsons, "with the enormous cost of health care in the North, I would have liked to have seen a lot more."

For Kakfwi, the real "breakthrough" out of the funding fight was getting the prime minister to stand in the House of Commons and admit per capita funding doesn't work for the North, and that something needs to be done about it.

"No matter what happens," said Kakfwi on Friday, "we have now agreed on a process to address the difficulties that per capita funding provides to the NWT. That is in my view the most promising of what has developed to date."

As the funding talks unfolded during a First Minister's conference in Ottawa in March, there was a stir around the united front the three Northern premiers presented.

When they walked out together, a message was sent to the public that all was not well with funding talks in Ottawa.

Had they not stuck together, it was possible none of the territories would have received a better deal or as much attention from the media.

On Friday, Kakfwi made no mention of the importance this partnership played when asked about securing the deal.

"I would like to think if I was the only premier that was unhappy with the arrangements at the (conference) I would've had the courage to walk out and take the stands that I did. I would like to think it would have all happened even if I was standing alone on the hill."