Mr. Speaker, our government is taking action to enhance care in all remote first nations communities. We are improving access to mental health supports, infrastructure, and working to ensure needed equipment is available. As I mentioned before, in budget 2016 our government invested $8.4 billion for better schools and housing, cleaner water, cultural and recreation facilities, and improvements for nursing stations. We also announced a further investment of $69 million over the next three years for immediate interim measures to support mental wellness in first nations and Inuit communities.
Our government acknowledges the release of the ITK's national Inuit suicide prevention strategy. This will be an important step to guide actions needed to address the high suicide rates in the Inuit population. Health Canada announced $9 million for Inuit-specific approaches to improving mental wellness.
I would like to emphasize our government's commitment to a renewed nation-to-nation relationship with indigenous people. As part of this commitment, we will continue to prioritize issues that are important to us.