Comparative Analysis of Services for Canadian Inuit for Tuberculosis, Suicide Prevention, and Smoking Cessation: Common Themes and Underlying Issues

ABSTRACT

This article provides a comparative analysis of Government of Canada interventions in three areas of Inuit public health: tuberculosis (TB), suicide, and smoking. Each public health case study focuses on a different period from the 1940s to the present. Common themes across these times and health issues are identified: the extent of the health issue is more prevalent among Inuit; each problem began with colonization, particularly from the resulting trauma, family separation, cultural interruption, and removal of decision making; resources for Inuit health are insufficient; racism, language, and cultural barriers impede Inuit access to healthcare; overcrowded housing, food insecurity, and unresolved trauma play roles in each health issue in each time period. The article argues that public health initiatives for Inuit need to be designed by Inuit and adequately funded, and to address the root causes of the problems.

[Inuktitut: South Baffin Dialect] ᑕᒪᓐᓇ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᕿᒥᕐᕈᔪᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᕈᓐᓃᑎᑦᑎᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᖓᓱᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᔾᔪᑎᔅᓴᖏᓐᓂ: ᐳᕙᓪᓗᓇᕐᓂᖅ, ᐃᒻᒥᓃᕐᓂᖅ ᓯᒡᒐᓕᐊᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ. ᐊᑐᓂ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᖃᐅᔨᓴᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᓯᐊᒍᓪᓗ ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᖃᑦᑕᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᑐᑎᑦ 1940−ᖏᓐᓂ ᐅᓪᓗᒥᒧᑦ. ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ: ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᖏᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᓯᐊᕐᒪᖅᓯᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓂᑦ; ᐊᑐᓂ ᐊᑲᐅᓐᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᖅᓯᒪᔪᐃᓐᓇᐅᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᐊᓯᔾᔨᖅᑕᐅᓇᓱᐊᓕᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐱᓗᐊᖅᑐᒥᑦ ᖁᐊᖅᓵᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ, ᐃᓚᒌᑦ ᐊᕕᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᓂᖏᓐᓂ, ᐱᖅᑯᓯᕆᔭᖏᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ, ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᕈᓐᓇᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐲᔭᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᑦ; ᐊᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᔪᑦ ᑭᓱᑐᐃᓐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᑲᔫᑎᔅᓴᐃᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᓐᖏᓗᐊᓪᓚᕆᒻᒪᑕ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ; ᐅᕕᓂᖃᑎᒌᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᓚᐃᓐᓈᖅᑕᐅᓂᑦ, ᐅᖃᐅᓯᓕᕆᓂᖅ, ᐱᖅᑯᓯᖃᑎᒌᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐱᓇᓱᐊᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᔪᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᓐᓂ; ᐃᓄᒋᐊᓗᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᖏᓐᓂ, ᓂᕿᔅᓴᖃᑦᑎᐊᓐᖏᓗᐊᕐᓂᖏᑦ ᓴᐃᒻᒪᕈᑕᐅᓯᒪᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ ᖁᐊᖅᓵᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑐᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓯᒪᔪᐃᓐᓇᐅᒻᒪᑕ ᖃᖓᒃᑰᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᑦᑐᐃᓯᒪᔪᑦ. ᑎᑎᕋᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᐃᕙᔾᔪᑎᖃᕐᖓᑦ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ ᐋᓐᓂᐊᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐱᒋᐊᕈᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ ᐋᖅᑭᓱᖅᑕᐅᒋᐊᖃᕐᖓᑦ ᐃᓄᓐᓄᑦ, ᑮᓇᐅᔭᖃᖅᑎᑕᐅᑦᑎᐊᕐᓗᑎᑦ, ᑲᒪᒋᔭᐅᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖏᑦ ᐊᑲᐅᓐᖏᓕᐅᕈᑎᖏᑦ.

KEYWORDS:

• Inuit
• Indigenous
• public health
• tuberculosis
• smoking

Acknowledgments

I acknowledge and thank the many Inuit I learned from over the years. I am grateful for their patience. I acknowledge that the work I performed as a consultant for Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Tungasuvvingat Inuit, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and the Canadian Cancer Society brought me into contact with a range of sources that shaped my thinking and helped me to develop the insights noted in this article. I also acknowledge that I am writing this article on unceded Algonquin Anishinabeg territory and hope to do my part in the journey toward truth and reconciliation.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Alaska Inuit are the Inupiaq and Yupik.

Additional information

Funding

The suicide prevention research in this article was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The smoking cessation prevention research in this article was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society.

Notes on contributors

Marika Morris

Marika Morris is a Research, Evaluation, and Training Consultant and an Adjunct Research Professor in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University. She works mainly with Inuit organizations, but also with violence prevention and health organizations.