Inuktitut Magazine

As the federal government considers ways to improve a funding program to make food more accessible in remote northern communities, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says his organization is looking for a new model for Nutrition North Canada’s much-criticized subsidy component.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s pre-budget submission lays out Inuit priorities for the 2026 Federal Budget. The Budget should prioritize the physical and social infrastructure required to reduce living costs in Inuit Nunangat, advance equity and protect national security. The Government of Canada has an opportunity through Budget 2026 to set forth a clear vision and commitment to create prosperity while developing its Arctic territory, by bringing Inuit Nunangat into the rest of the country.

“The Prime Minister arrived in Kuujjuaq with a list of priorities to tackle.” (June 30, 2026)

To safeguard our sovereignty, Canada needs to let northerners lead the way. “We still struggle with the inability for the federal government, and also provinces and territories in which Inuit reside, to imagine that we could have equity,” Obed says. “We’re still living with a limited imagination of what our communities could be.”

KUUJJUAQ — A meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Inuit leaders Tuesday wrapped with a commitment for a new program to replace the Inuit Child First Initiative, and for Ottawa to use its channels to get a proposed Inuit Nunangat University accredited.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami leader Natan Obed agreed Tuesday there is room to improve the relationship between Ottawa and Inuit as they kicked off a meeting of the Inuit-to-Crown partnership committee. Carney was in Kuujjuaq, Que., with six of his cabinet ministers for a meeting with Inuit leaders. (June 30, 2026) Source The Canadian Press Publication Date June 30, 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Kuujjuaq, Que., on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Inuit–Crown Partnership Committee. Ahead of the gathering of elected Inuit and federal government officials in the northern Quebec region of Nunavik, Carney said he was looking forward to the day, while noting there were “serious immediate priorities” that he intended to discuss with Inuit leaders.

Inuit leaders have warned that Canada’s plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on Arctic defence could repeat past harms in the North unless Inuit are involved as partners.

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has released a poverty reduction strategy for Inuit Nunangat and recommended changes to how Nutrition North Canada operates in the region.

Canada’s national Inuit organization is calling on the federal government to be better partners, saying Canada must respect Inuit rights to governance and self-determination. Publication Date June 19, 2026