NCCAH > Federal Budget Impacts to Aboriginal Health

For more information

NAHO Announcement

Harper's disregard for Aboriginal health - Globe and Mail

NWAC responds to cuts to health projects - Nation Talk

Inuit describe Health Canada cuts as unconscionable - Nation Talk

Health Canada reduces funding to Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami - CBC News

Death by a Thousand Cuts - Yahoo News

NAHO's Loss is a Blow to Aboriginal Health - Royal College MediaRelease

Aboriginal health programming under siege, critics charge - CMAJ

Federal Budget Impacts to Aboriginal Health

April 2012 - The 2012 Federal Budget includes $200 million in annual cuts to Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada in an effort to reduce waste and duplication. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AAND) have had their funding cut by $165 million. These cuts have directly and significantly impacted several Aboriginal organizations and their work in First Nations, Métis and Inuit health. For a commentary on the impact of the budget on Aboriginal Peoples, see this Nation Talk article.

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO), founded in 2000 with a goal of providing health programs and a common research base for Canada’s diverse Aboriginal populations, has had all funding from the Federal government revoked. NAHO will consequently close on June 30, 2012. NAHO employs over 30 health researchers and has unique and valuable intellectual holdings including rare video and audio of Indigenous knowledge shared by Elders.

Health Canada funding to the Native Women’s Association of Canada’s (NWAC) work on national health programs and policies has been cut. For more than 30 years, NWAC has worked to address health inequities experienced by Aboriginal women in Canada. The health budget of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) has been cut by 40%, a loss of $1.5 million per year for the next two years.

Reasons provided for these cuts include: governance issues experienced by NAHO, lack of support for NAHO by partner organizations; and prioritizing front-line services to Aboriginal peoples in lieu of indirect services that these organizations provide. No matter the policy logistics of the cuts, their impacts will be felt at the human level.

Update September 2012 - The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a news article Aboriginal health programming under siege, critics charge summarizing the impact of federal funding cuts on Aboriginal health in Canada. The Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq, responded in a Letter to Editor. See article author, Paul Christopher Webster's, response to the Health Minister here.

National Collaborating Centres

Visit NCCPH to find out more about the Collaborating Centres program and read the latest
NCC E-Bulletin.

Publications

See our Publications page for our fully searchable database of reports and more.

Stay Connected

Contact Us

We welcome your comments and feedback! nccah@unbc.ca

Home / What We Do / News Stories / Federal Budget Impacts to Aboriginal Health