QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Indigenous Services
Non-Insured Health Benefits
May 7, 2026
Minister, the Non-Insured Health Benefits program, or NIHB, is a federal responsibility, yet in the Northwest Territories, the territorial government is administering that program and has publicly stated there’s a “significant shortfall.”
In fiscal year 2024-25 alone, the Government of Northwest Territories was forced to absorb approximately $13 million in cost overruns to ensure First Nations and Inuit patients could continue to access medically necessary care and travel.
Given that NIHB is a federally mandated program, can you explain why the territorial government is being required to subsidize it, and does this situation indicate that the federal government is not fully meeting its obligations to provide equitable health care access to Indigenous Peoples? Further, will you commit to fully funding NIHB in the Northwest Territories so the territorial system is no longer forced to absorb the deficits, and Indigenous Peoples are not put at risk by funding gaps in a program that is ultimately your government’s responsibility?
I had the opportunity to meet with leadership from the Northwest Territories, and we did have this conversation. This was a really important conversation because we spoke about the lack of service that is available in that region of Canada. It can be really challenging to see a dentist; it can be really challenging to see a doctor.
First and foremost, yes, I acknowledge that we offer the service in this space, but making sure that you’re able to work and harmonize with your provincial colleagues in terms of service delivery is one of the things that speaks to how we are able to fund in that space.
I was encouraged by the openness that the minister had to assure us that she wants to work with us and identify what kind of approach we want to take, not only in delivering in the health care space but everything having to do with dental care, even in spaces that relate to Jordan’s Principle. There are a number of health services that are eligible under this program.
There needs to be an approach of coordination, and I think that this is one of the strengths when you’re engaging with your colleagues or your counterparts at the provincial level. When that openness is there, there’s a more substantive pathway forward in pushing the programming that you’re able to do.
We did announce $765 million. I might have the number wrong, but it’s over $750 million for NIHB. This is a very substantive contribution in this space because we have work to do, but simultaneously trying to fund and look to solutions that will offer a better-quality service is —
Thank you, minister.
Minister, dental care for First Nations and Inuit is federally funded through NIHB, yet reporting has described the Northwest Territories as “a dentistry desert” where many Indigenous communities have no permanent dentist, rely on intermittent fly-in clinics and face months-long wait times or must leave their communities for basic care.
Given that untreated dental disease can lead to infections, hospitalization and impacts on nutrition, child development and overall health, and in a context where Indigenous Peoples already experience life expectancy gaps of nearly a decade, how can your government claim equitable access to health care, when even routine dental services are not consistently available where people live?
We will always ensure that we continue to offer the service when it is not available in the region.
It was $794 million that we contributed to Non-Insured Health Benefits.
Yes, there is a dental desert in the North. Helping individuals ensure they’re able to fly and travel to the nearest dentist is the space that we’re in right now. At the same time, having the capacity to look in the education portfolio and encouraging our youth, those individuals who are going back to school, to consider taking up studies is one of the solutions we can look to, because there needs to be delivery of culturally safe care, hopefully by Indigenous dentists as well. That’s my hope and dream. I think it’s something that can come to fruition.
