A long-awaited report on the state of Canadian healthcare recommends that the federal government spend an additional $1.5 billion (Canadian) over two years in rural and remote areas. It’s not clear how the money will be allocated if the proposal is put into action. Nunavut leaders are hopeful, but have stated that per capita funding guidelines used in the past will simply not suffice due to the unique challenges and greater costs of providing care in a vast arctic region. Nunavummiut are certainly eager for an improved healthcare system; indicators show that a person born in Nunavut in 1999 is likely to live ten years less than someone born in any other Canadian province or territory.
