Ottawa will donate $50 million to help build Canada’s first Inuit-led university and more than $170 million to fight tuberculosis, food security and support for children and families in Inuit communities, CBC News reported.

Indigenous Services Minister Mandi Galmasti is scheduled to make the announcement during a meeting with Indigenous Services Ministers in Kuujuaku, Kenya, on Thursday afternoon. Kativik local government, provides municipal and government services to the Nunavik region of northern Quebec.

“Together, we can create lasting opportunities for Inuit communities to thrive and empower them to shape their futures,” Gul Masti said in a statement.

“These investments reflect our commitment to supporting Inuit-led priorities and addressing long-standing gaps in health and community services while strengthening the foundations that sustain vibrant and healthy communities in the North.”

The long-awaited funding aimed at improving Inuit quality of life is being welcomed by Inuit leaders after dollar figures were noticeably absent from last fall’s federal budget. But they’re calling on Ottawa to do more to address inequalities between their community and other communities in Canada.

“This funding will make a meaningful difference in the lives of our children and families,” said Pita Ahtami. president of Makivvik Corporation — legal representative of the Inuit in Nunavik.

“However, much work remains to bridge long-standing gaps and address the systemic challenges that Inuit continue to face.”

The federal government says it will continue to work with Inuit partners on solutions that reflect their priorities and support strong communities.

Federal government commits $50 million to nation’s first Inuit-led university Scheduled to be built in Arviat, Nunavutwhich will be funded through the Build Communities Strong Fund in Budget 2025. The budget promised support, but the amount was not specified until now.

“Inuit Nunangat University is an innovative initiative that will strengthen Inuit-led education and community well-being and contribute to long-term economic and social development across Inuit Nunangat,” Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said in a statement.

“Learning and working from home means more Inuit have the opportunity to thrive in the north.”

Funding for Inuit children was set to expire.

Ottawa is also committing $115 million to: Update the Inuit Child First Initiativewas scheduled to expire at the end of March.

This program is a temporary measure to ensure that Inuit children have equal access to health, social, and educational services and other necessary supports without delay. Including meal ticket.

More than three-quarters of Inuit children in their homelands (known as Inuit Nunangat) experienced food insecurity in 2022, according to Statistics Canada.

The Inuit Child First Initiative has up to 7,000 funding requests that have not been awarded by Indigenous Services Canada, according to figures shared with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) by the federal ministry.

“This shows there are major administrative challenges to this effort,” said ITK President Natan Obed, who heads the national Inuit organization.

Obed told CBC News that he told Gul Masti that one of his first orders of business will be to address those who are waiting for funding for the initiative, and then work to improve the program with long-term funding.

Gul Masti’s office said the $115 million extension ensures continuity of services until March 31, 2027, as Indigenous Services Canada works with Inuit partners to commit to a long-term Inuit-led approach.

In addition to support for Inuit children and their families, Gul Masti will commit $30 million to the Canada Northern Nutrition Grant to ship food and supplies to 124 isolated communities in northern Canada.

The retail subsidy program is designed to reduce the cost of fresh food and essential items.

An additional $6.7 million has been set aside in the Northern Isolated Communities Initiative Fund to support businesses and community groups finding ways to grow and distribute food locally.

“I think Canadian soldiers don’t want to get tuberculosis either.”

The federal government will also spend $27 million over five years to support Inuit-led community-specific efforts to eliminate tuberculosis by supporting better prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Obed praised the government’s commitments, but said more needs to be done to completely eliminate the disease from Inuit communities, especially as the federal government prepares to spend billions of dollars to strengthen security in the Arctic.

“If the Canadian government wants to expand its influence in Inuit Nunangat through the military, it doesn’t want its soldiers to get tuberculosis,” Obed said.

In 2018, ITK and the federal government committed to eliminating tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat by 2030.

It is unclear whether that goal will be achieved.

Inuit communities continue to have some of the highest prevalence of the disease in the world. Nunavik finished last year with the following results: Record number of tuberculosis cases.

Jessica Hurd, tuberculosis eradication program manager for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS), told CBC News at the height of last year’s outbreak that the health system is not the only tool needed to combat tuberculosis.

“Housing, infrastructure and other social services all need to work together to solve this problem,” she said.

The jurisdictions of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories are also playing important roles in efforts to eliminate tuberculosis.

“Inuit are dying from tuberculosis,” Obed said. “This is a disease that has a huge impact on the sustainability of our communities and the costs of our health care systems.”

Obed is calling on Ottawa to take further leadership with targeted funding for housing and health infrastructure, food security and poverty reduction.

“We’re still waiting for the Canadian government to come to the table with integrity and work towards eradicating TB as if it were a crisis in our communities,” Obed said.

More than $1.8 billion has been spent on Inuit Nunangat housing and infrastructure, according to Gul Masti’s office. Last year’s federal budget included $2.8 billion for urban, rural and northern housing across First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.

“We are fully committed to that effort, and it does not end here. This is one step in this process,” Gul Masti said in a statement to CBC News.

“By investing in science, medical experts and Indigenous partners, we will continue to work with Inuit to achieve our shared goal of ending tuberculosis.”