Nunavik’s 14 mayors call for public health emergency over tuberculosis cases [Video]

The mayors of 14 Inuit communities in northern Quebec are demanding the provincial government declare a public health emergency as tuberculosis cases in Nunavik reach the highest reported level in recent history.

In a letter Monday to Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé, the mayors wrote that two issues precipitated the demand: an “unprecedented surge” in tuberculosis cases, and what they say is a plan by the province to cut back on infectious disease resources for Nunavik. CBC News wasn’t immediately able to verify the cuts in question.

Last year, the region’s health board reported 95 cases of tuberculosis. To date in 2025, the mayors wrote, 40 cases have been reported.

“These statistics are a direct reflection of colonial systemic racism that continues to dictate health policy and resource allocation in Quebec,” the mayors wrote. “Inuit in Nunavik are not treated as equal citizens under Quebec’s health system.”

Now, Inuit health …