Nunavut MP Lori Idlout is calling on the federal government to ensure that the Inuit Child First Initiative—which is set to expire at the end of March—is renewed and continued. APTN News explains that the program covers health, social, and educational services for Inuit children. More than 13,000 Inuit youth are enrolled in the ICFI, according to Nunatsiaq News. “With the ICFI being an equivalent to Jordan’s Principle, it’s meeting very critical needs for Inuit families,” explained Idlout. “Ending this program would be devastating for those families that rely on it. That’s why as soon as I found out that it was sunsetting, I started trying to get answers from the [federal government] about what they would do to replace it.” Indigenous Services Canada told APTN News that it is committed to ICFI, but future funding cannot go forward until Parliament resumes and approves the estimates.
