NorthThere are mixed feelings among Inuit leaders about the federal budget, and there’s still uncertainty about how the funds will directly impact Nunavummiut.The federal budget promises $1B for Arctic infrastructure, though it’s unclear how funds will be usedBianca McKeown · CBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2025 3:54 PM EST | Last Updated: November 6Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Jeremy Tunraluk, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president, said he’s optimistic about the federal budget, but has questions about how the funding will be distributed to Nunavut. (Isabel Harder/CBC)Some Inuit leaders are feeling optimistic about the federal government’s budget tabled Tuesday, though there is some uncertainty about how funds will be distributed and used for Inuit. Jeremy Tunraluk, the president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., says he’s encouraged to see support for the new Inuit Nunangat University and the $1 billion toward the Arctic Infrastructure Fund, meant to build highways, roads and ports for dual use for military and civilians. But, he also says more funding is needed in the North. “This is a great start. However, for the long term, it is not nearly enough to bridge the infrastructure gap that we have in Nunavut,” Tunraluk said. “With this $1 billion Arctic infrastructure, it is not too clear on how we will be receiving these funds, who will be receiving these funds.” In addition, he’s concerned about the lack of funding for health-care and tuberculosis prevention. That’s something that also troubles Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s president Natan Obed.In 2018, national organization Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the Liberal government jointly committed to eliminating the disease in Inuit regions by 2030 while halving rates by 2025. Obed is pleased with the support for the university, but is disappointed with the lack of announcement about the Inuit Child First Initiative. The Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI) program has been in place since 2018 as a temporary measure to ensure Inuit children have timely access to essential supports and services while an Inuit-specific framework is being developed. Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, is disappointed to not see an Inuit-specific section in this year’s budget. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)“We were hoping that in budget 2025, the Government of Canada would make a 10-year investment for almost $10 billion to ensure that we could have a shared responsibility model that allows for Inuit children to not be discriminated against,” Obed said. “We still will continue to work towards that goal, but we were really disappointed that there wasn’t mention of it.” Concerns Nunavummiut won’t be leading developmentKaren Costello, the executive director with the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Chamber of Mines, says the infrastructure fund is a step in the right direction but more commitments are needed. “When you look to develop in the North, it’s going to take more than a single billion or two billion [dollars],” she said. WATCH | Mixed reaction to Liberal budget among Inuit:Mixed reaction to Liberal budget among InuitSome point to signs of progress, others say important funding is missing and it could have consequences not just for Inuit, but for the North as a whole. Bianca McKeown has more.The federal government has proposed expanding the eligibility for the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit, which aims to incentivize investment in the exploration of specific critical minerals. Also in the budget is a new Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund to make strategic investments in critical minerals projects and companies. Costello welcomes that, however, she wanted to see a North of 60 mineral exploration tax credit to attract investments to the territories. “Exploring in the North is more costly,” she said. “We have been looking for that opportunity for the federal government to, as I said, level the playing field so that we could attract expiration investment for early stage projects in the North. And we didn’t see that.” Lori Idlout, the NDP MP for Nunavut, is not as optimistic about the budget. She says she doesn’t see a lot of benefit going to Nunavut, specifically with the Arctic Infrastructure Fund, and worries it opens up Nunavut to development without ensuring Inuit are the ones leading the charge. “I know that that sounds like a lot for the Arctic, but when you look at the details of what they’re proposing, not a lot of that investment will go towards ensuring that Nunavummiut can have access to that fund to be part of the infrastructure,” Idlout said. ABOUT THE AUTHORBianca McKeown is a reporter with CBC North in Iqaluit. Previously, she worked at CBC Ottawa. Have a story idea? Email her at: Bianca.mckeown@cbc.caWith files from Anais Elboujdaini and Eli Qaqqasiq-Taqtu.
Inuit groups optimistic about federal budget, but unsure how funds impact Nunavummiut
