With the federal budget approaching, Inuit leaders and New Democrat MPs are urging the Trudeau government to tackle tuberculosis in Indigenous communities.

Inuit in particular face a “staggering and unacceptable reality” of tuberculosis rates more than 300 times higher than Canadian-born non-Indigenous people, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) said in a pre-budget submission.

With the clock ticking on a Liberal pledge to eliminate the disease in Inuit regions by 2030, the national advocacy organization for Inuit in Canada is seeking $131.6 million over seven years — and a show of commitment — from next month’s budget.