September 11, 2026–KUUJJUAQ, NUNAVIK
The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Board of Directors voted to allocate more than $88 million in distinctions-based federal environment and nature funding to Inuit during their meeting in Kuujjuaq September 9.
The new Inuit-specific environment funding will strengthen Inuit-led nature and conservation initiatives. This includes $51 million to Inuit Treaty Organizations for the Inuit Guardians program, a network of on-the-ground monitors introduced in 2018 that plays a critical role in exercising Inuit-led stewardship over land, water, and ice across Inuit Nunangat. Guardians examine ecological health, maintain cultural sites, protect sensitive areas and species and support the transmission of Inuit knowledge between Elders and youth.
The funding also includes about $33.3 million in Indigenous Partnerships for Nature funding to support Inuit-focused nature initiatives, and about $4 million to support the Inuit-Canada Nature Table, a joint Inuit-Canada advisory body to advance federal and Inuit leadership on shared nature priorities.
Directors voted to allocate $130 million in Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy (URN) funding to Inuit via ITOs. This is part of a $780 million URN top-up provided by the federal government through distinctions-based agreements with Inuit, First Nations and Métis. It is in addition to $197 million in URN funding over seven years for Inuit received in 2025. The funds allow ITOs to determine how best to provide housing for Inuit, no matter where they live in Canada.
The Board received updates on the work between ITK, ITOs and the federal government to advance the National Framework to guide the implementation of a replacement for the Inuit Child First Initiative. Inuit are calling on the government to allocate permanent funding for the new program to ensure that Inuit children are able to access essential health, education and related services, products and supports.
At ITK’s Annual General Meeting September 10, delegates marked World Suicide Prevention Day, as well as the 10-year anniversary of the release of the National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy in Kuujjuaq. Delegates recognized the work done over the past decade to reduce stigma around suicide, increase Inuit-specific mental health supports, and create broader understanding of where funding should be spent to address one of the biggest public health challenges facing Inuit.
Delegates discussed the June 2026 launch of the Inuit Nunangat Poverty Reduction Strategy, an Inuit-led roadmap to reduce poverty and close longstanding socioeconomic gaps between Inuit and non-Indigenous Canadians. The Strategy was informed by years of engagement with Inuit regions and provides a national Inuit policy framework for addressing the interconnected factors contributing to poverty in Inuit Nunangat.
They welcomed news this week of a decision by the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to terminate the NunatuKavut Community Council’s (NCC) Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination table, a negotiation forum to explore Section 35 rights-based agreements. Delegates unanimously agreed to continue efforts to ensure that federal funds, programs and supports intended for Inuit or Indigenous Peoples broadly are not misappropriated by NCC or other fraudulent collectives in the future.
ITK’s next Annual General Meeting will be held in Nain, Nunatsiavut in 2027.
