Question Period Note: Medical Travel in the North

N/A

• This government recognizes the unique challenges and rising costs territorial governments face in delivering health care to all their residents, including First Nations and Inuit.
• Medical travel is essential for territorial residents to access insured health services that are not available in their home communities.
• We will continue to work with territorial governments and Indigenous partners to ensure that territorial residents, including First Nations and Inuit people, have access to necessary health services.

Historically, Canada has had long standing funding agreements in place with the Governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories to ensure ISC programming to Inuit and First Nations territorial residents is delivered in a manner that is integrated with the territorial health systems. However in recent years, both territories have taken the position that all territorial medical travel costs incurred to support First Nations and Inuit territorial residents access to insured services are a federal responsibility.

The territorial governments’ position is that medical travel for First Nations and Inuit is a federal government responsibility and they should be fully reimbursed for all medical travel related costs. Since 2019 in Nunavut, and 2023 in the Northwest Territories, ISC has provided the governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories with supplementary funding to offset medical travel cost pressures faced by the territories, to support First Nations and Inuit territorial residents in accessing insured health services (in 2024-25, $95 million for Nunavut and $24.2 million for the Northwest Territories). In the Yukon, ISC directly administers Non-Insured Health Benefits (including medical transportation coverage) for eligible clients.

If pressed on Non-Insured Health Benefits and medical travel funding agreements with the governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories
• ISC’s funding agreements with the governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories expired on March 31, 2025.
• Discussions with both governments are ongoing towards renewing the Non-Insured Health Benefits agreement and addressing their funding concerns.
• In the interim, both territorial governments continue to provide medical travel programming for all residents, including First Nations and Inuit.