Nakurmiik, Mr. Chair. It's great to be here talking about such an important topic.
I'm Natan Obed. I'm the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which is the national representational organization for Canada's 65,000 Inuit.
The majority of Inuit live in Inuit Nunangat, which is our homeland that encompasses 51 communities across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Northwest Territories, the entirety of Nunavut, Nunavik in northern Quebec and the Nunatsiavut region in northern Labrador.
Many Inuit also live in southern centres. When it comes to the considerations for non-insured health benefits, those Inuit who live out of jurisdiction are still indigenous peoples and still have the ability to access non-insured health benefits but in very different ways.
There are three points I hope you take from my presentation.
First, the majority of Inuit rely on non-insured health benefits and access a range of medically necessary health care products and services that are not otherwise provided through provincial and territorial health programs, social programs or private insurance plans. Inuit are not a part of the Indian Act, so the jurisdiction and the service delivery flow primarily through provinces and territories or through Inuit self-governing mechanisms, which are emerging and will continue to evolve as we are successful in achieving self-determination over the health care system.
My second point is in relation to Inuit beneficiaries facing barriers in accessing and receiving NIHB program benefits due to the existing program structure, its restrictive policies and administrative processes.
Finally, there's a clear need for the development and implementation of Inuit-specific goals and objectives to address barriers to care and to provide timely, responsive and equitable access to NIHB by Inuit, no matter where they reside.
The NIHB program plays a key role in health care access and delivery in Inuit Nunangat, from medical transportation, pharmaceuticals, dental care, vision care, medical supplies and equipment, and other services. These health care products are administered and delivered to Inuit by the NIHB program and they directly impact our health outcomes. Given the state of Inuit health and the challenges of health care delivery across Inuit Nunangat, it's fundamentally important that the NIHB program provides timely and accessible health care products and services to fully support the health care needs of Inuit.
To this end, the program must be properly resourced, offer unique and adaptable administrative processes and be accountable to the goal of timely access to care. The things we are hoping for from any improvements to the NIHB program are a recognition and commitment that demonstrate the government's willingness and leadership to better meet the needs of Inuit, to be truly responsive to Inuit-specific circumstances and realities, and to provide a firm commitment on improving timely access to care.
These changes have to be made to improve the program's approach and delivery in order to support the needs of Inuit across Inuit Nunangat. There must be clear and specific priorities that are delivered in a timely and distinctions-based way. They must also allow for considerations of Inuit positions in the way in which these services are considered and delivered.
In conclusion, we urge the standing committee to seriously consider the importance of providing inclusive and Inuit-specific goals and objectives as part of its review of the NIHB program's administration and accessibility objectives and, further, to truly demonstrate a clear commitment to eliminate barriers to timely access and develop responsive processes to better meet the needs of Inuit.
Thank you for the opportunity.