GN welcomes investments in 2021 federal budget
News Release
GN welcomes investments in 2021 federal budget
IQALUIT, Nunavut (April 20, 2021) – The Government of Nunavut (GN) welcomed a number of key investments for Nunavut in the Government of Canada’s first budget plan in over two years, A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience, presented yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland.
“Despite the uncertainties brought on by the global pandemic, we are encouraged that the Government of Canada has demonstrated its continued commitment to address our shared priorities by investing in housing, healthcare and infrastructure for Nunavummiut,” said Minister Hickes. “This pandemic has thrown many things in our lives off course, however, we are glad to see that many of the initiatives that we started are still on track and supported in this federal budget.”
The 2021 federal budget announced a number of commitments specifically for Nunavut, including:
- $5 million this year in healthcare funding through the Canadian Health Transfer top-up;
- $27 million over two years in healthcare transfers through the Territorial Health Investment Fund;
- $25 million this year for short-term housing and infrastructure needs;
- $15 million over three years for the HMS Erebus and Terror archeological project;
- expanding the Nutrition North program;
- funding for feasibility planning for hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects, such as the Kivalliq Hydro Link project; and
- changes to the Northern Residents’ Deduction travel claim component.
Importantly, the federal budget also allocates significant funding for programs and services to Inuit in the areas of healthcare delivery, mental health, infrastructure funding, and early learning and childcare. The GN, with partners at Nunavut Tunngavik and the Government of Canada, will continue to work collaboratively on shared goals and responsibilities for the delivery of programs, services and supports for Inuit and our communities.
###
Media contact:
Weichien Chan
Manager, Communications
Department of Finance
867-975-6818
@email