Current Problems: Health (18-24)

Exploring Stakeholder: "Government of Manitoba"

Updates on this page: 79
 

March 24, 2024


Nursing shortage, overcrowded homes in Pimicikamak Cree Nation make tuberculosis cases difficult to monitor

Chief, Winnipeg doctor say more awareness, national strategy needed to fight spread of disease CBC Indigenous: The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation says overcrowding and poor access to health-care services in his community can make tuberculosis cases harder to monitor and contain. Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake, currently has three...

March 21, 2024


Mental health one affect of colonization says Mohawk psychologist

APTN News: Hundreds of delegates assembled at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg this week for the Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s First Nations Health Gathering. One of the issues discussed was Indigenous Peoples and mental health. Ed Connors, a psychologist from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory outside Montreal, highlighted the impacts of colonialism on the mental health of...

March 18, 2024


Inuit leaders, MPs urge action on TB elimination as federal budget nears

TB rate among Inuit 676 times higher than among non-Indigenous, Canadian-born people CBC Indigenous: 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,...

March 15, 2024


Feds failing at health care reconciliation and nursing is at the heart of the issue: union

Four nurses are working around the clock to serve 8,000 people in Cross Lake Cree Nation  Map shows the 21 health centres staffed by Indigenous Services Canada nurses on First Nations in Manitoba. Photo: Submitted  APTN News: The union representing nurses who provide health care on First Nations agrees the system is in a code...

March 13, 2024


State of emergency over substance abuse in Shamattawa leads to vehicle searches, patrols of snowmobile trails

Other communities also search vehicles for drugs, alcohol CBC Indigenous: A northern Manitoba First Nation is cracking down further on drugs and alcohol after declaring a state of emergency over bootlegging in the community. Leaders in Shamattawa First Nation have made a band council resolution to give local and hired security officers the power to...

March 12, 2024


Nursing shortage creating ‘health crisis’ in First Nations in Manitoba

“Critical nursing services at the 21 nursing facilities run by ISC in remote Indigenous communities in Manitoba have been impacted”: Ottawa Cross Lake (PImicikamak Cree Nation) in northern Manitoba is in the midst of a health crisis due to a shortage of nurses. Photo: APTN file  APTN News: A Cree Nation in northern Manitoba is...

March 5, 2024


Father who lost son to fentanyl poisoning hopes anti-drug campaign goes national

‘No thanks I’m good’ campaign is hoping to save lives in Manitoba. APTN News: Joseph Fourre says his son was known for saying “No thanks I’m good” when he was offered drugs. “Harlan was an extraordinary young man who was looking forward to paying off his car and his future,” Fourre says on the latest...

February 26, 2024


Indigenous youth want more Indigenous-led models, support to access health care in Winnipeg, report says

Discussion with 26 Indigenous youth highlights ‘deep mistrust’ of health-care system CBC Indigenous: Some Indigenous youth in Winnipeg say discrimination in the province’s primary health-care system is pervasive — and they want more Indigenous staff and fewer barriers to accessing care in order to help fix that problem, a new report says. The project OurCare...

February 26, 2024


Trail equity at heart of new Brandon-based research project

Riverbank Discovery Centre wants to find out how people use green space to make it more welcoming CBC Indigenous: A group of students huddle in a circle listening to the Akitcha Cante Waste Indigenous men’s drum group. The drum beats aim to inspire the young people to learn more about Indigenous culture, the land and how...

February 2, 2024


First Nations communities push for all-season road in northern Manitoba

Construction crews working on the all season in Manitoba. Photo courtesy: Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.  APTN News: The Canadian Press – First Nations leaders are renewing their push for an all-season road on the east side of Lake Winnipeg that would connect several remote communities to goods, services and health care in the south. They’re...

January 26, 2024


Marlborough Hotel video sparks calls for better accommodations

Click on the following link view the video: https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/indigenous-leaders-demand-better-accommodations-for-those-travelling-to-winnipeg-for-medical-care-1.6744482 First Peoples Law Report: CTV News Winnipeg – Leaders are demanding better accommodations for those travelling from remote First Nations to Winnipeg for medical care. Cockroaches, bed bugs and mice are just some of the conditions patients face in hotels designated for their stays in the...

January 11, 2024


Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Calls for Comprehensive Healthcare Approach Following Addition of 36 Acute Beds

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) acknowledges the recent announcement by the Manitoba government to add 36 new acute care beds at St. Boniface Hospital as part of their broader healthcare system improvement plan. While the move to enhance healthcare capacity is welcomed, the AMC emphasizes the need for...

November 16, 2023


First Nations adults with disabilities living on reserve lack equal access to services, report finds

On-reserve services ‘underfunded, under-resourced and understaffed,’ report says  CBC Indigenous: Jennifer Bercier says “an invisible line with a huge barrier” separates Manitoba First Nations like hers from the rest of the province, after her daughter lost all of her disability support and services upon turning 18. The mother from Opaskwayak Cree Nation says the disability...

September 12, 2023


Racism partly to blame for unequal health care provided to Indigenous women: PHAC study

Indigenous communities are still deeply affected by the 2020 death of Atikamekw woman Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec hospital, where she filmed staff insulting her as she lay dying, Lee Clark said. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson NationTalk: Racism and the lack of primary care providers mean off-reserve First Nations, Metis and Inuit women and girls...

September 7, 2023


Pimicikamak Cree Nation worries it won’t have enough staff to run new health centre

First Nation’s leaders say nursing station running with less than half of staff it needs Manitoba First Nation struggles to find staff for new health centre: Duration 1:38 Pimicikamak Cree Nation is pleading for more government support for health care. The community in Cross Lake says it’s struggling with few local health services and a severe...

August 28, 2023


Barriers like racism, distrust may be main cause of health-care disparities for Indigenous women, study says

National study quantifying health-care inequities is 1st of its kind, lead author says Brishti Basu · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2023 4:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29 CBC News: Just before Tina Campbell had a minor medical procedure recently, she remembered the discrimination she says she felt while trying to access health care nearly two decades...

August 27, 2023


Indigenous females face more hurdles in health care access, study finds 

The Globe and Mail: New research confirms what many Indigenous women have known all along: First Nations, Inuit and Métis females face many disparities in accessing health care. A study, led by the Public Health Agency of Canada and published in the CMAJ on Monday, found that First Nations, Inuit and Métis females have less access...

July 26, 2023


The AMC Calls on Manitoba to Commit to Providing Comprehensive and Culturally Responsible Competency Training for Newly Recruited Family Physicians

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) urges the province of Manitoba to work in partnership with First Nations leadership to provide comprehensive competency training for family physician recruits. This training is essential to address the existing gaps in healthcare service delivery, particularly for First Nations citizens living in urban,...

July 5, 2023


SCO Launches Harm Reduction Education and Awareness Campaign

ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — Today, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is announcing the launch of a comprehensive public campaign focused on preventing and increasing awareness of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections (STBBIs), and harm reduction. “Harm reduction has become a major focus for SCO when it comes to...

June 26, 2023


Considerations for collecting data on race and Indigenous identity during health card renewal across Canadian jurisdictions

Andrew D. Pinto, Azza Eissa, Tara Kiran, Angela Mashford-Pringle, Allison Needham and Irfan DhallaCMAJ June 26, 2023 195 (25) E880-E882; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.221587 KEY POINTS Canada’s health care systems do not routinely collect self-reported race and Indigenous identity data and often lack a standardized and consistent approach to data collection that would permit comparisons between organizations or jurisdictions. Collecting racial and Indigenous identity data is necessary for...

June 16, 2023


Peguis First Nation, surrounding Manitoba communities fear lack of funding could shut down ambulance service

Provincial funding agreement for Fisher Ambulance Service expired in 2019 CBC News: Peguis First Nation and surrounding communities in Manitoba’s Interlake have declared a state of emergency over lack of funding for their ambulance service, which they say is in danger of shutting down unless the province steps in with support. The Fisher Ambulance Service...

June 5, 2023


Indigenous coalition urges Canada’s healthcare system to ‘Rise Above Racism’

NationTalk: themessage. Who: A coalition of Indigenous health organizations (First Nations Health Managers Association, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Thunderbird Partnership Foundation); with NationTalk for strategy, creative and media (supported by Cleansheet Communications). What: “Rise Above Racism,” a new government-funded awareness campaign highlighting the issue of anti-Indigenous racism within the Canadian healthcare system. This is the second...

June 1, 2023


They say Canada’s health system is broken. But can First Nations leaders create a new one in the shadow of colonialism?

“We’ve been very clear with Canada that any federal health legislation that moves forward must recognize the Treaty and Inherent Right to health,” says Vice Chief David Pratt Toronto Star: First Nations leaders are wrestling with what the future of Indigenous health care should look like as they piece together legislation meant to deal with...

May 23, 2023


The Treaty Right to Health and the Legacy of the Indian Health Policy (1979)

Contemporary Legislative and Policy Considerations EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document provides a succinct overview of the health-related legal and policy frameworks that frame and limit the potential for self-determination and self-government of First Nations people. This review is informed by recent developments such as the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the associated Calls...

April 11, 2023


Analysis of anti-Indigenous racism in hospitals reveals pattern of harm, no tracking mechanism

Canada’s National Observer: “Sakihitowin means love,” Pearl Gambler says, recalling the day she gave her daughter her name.  It was the day Sakihitowin was born — and died. From Bigstone Cree Nation, Gambler entered Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital on June 11, 2020, and experienced a series of events that she can only characterize as traumatic and...

March 10, 2023


‘It’s hard to comprehend:’ AMC says more resources needed after girls freeze to death in St. Theresa Point

APTN: The chief of St. Theresa Point First Nation is making a plea for privacy after two 14-year-old girls froze to death in the northern Manitoba community on March 1. Leaders of the close-knit First Nation, 465 km northeast of Winni peg, said the whole community has been hit hard by the girls’ deaths. It...

March 7, 2023


‘Our people are dying’: Manitoba First Nation declares state of emergency

3 people have died in O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation in the past 2 weeks CBC News: A remote northern Manitoba First Nation has declared a state of emergency following the deaths of three people in the community over the past two weeks. “We’ve seen the hurt and pain suffered by our First Nation and we can’t wait any longer....

March 5, 2023


Family, community mourn 2 teens found dead in northern Manitoba

Girls found outside and St. Theresa Point Chief believes drugs a factor in their deaths CBC News · Posted: Mar 05, 2023 9:17 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5 The family of one of the 14-year-old girls found dead outside after a frigid night on a northern Manitoba First Nation says she was struggling to cope with...

February 22, 2023


Provinces lag behind Ottawa in offering crucial supports to those who’ve been switched at birth

The Globe and Mail: A man who was the first known switched-at-birth case in Manitoba says if it weren’t for the independent review and mental-health support ordered by the federal government, his life would’ve fallen apart. Luke Monias of Garden Hill First Nation said he would likely be unemployed and struggling with addiction. “I wouldn’t be...

February 13, 2023


Frustrations mount in Cross Lake, Man., where ambulance service has been in limbo for 2 years

Private ambulance service is still seeking its licence after 2021 incident CBC News: A private ambulance service in Cross Lake, Man., hasn’t been operating for two years now, with frustrations mounting from operators and community members who want to see things back up and running. “You know, it’s a matter of life and death for some...

February 2, 2023


Manitoba medical group apologizes to Indigenous people for racism

NationTalk: CHVN – 95.1FM – The organization that regulates medical care in Manitoba has apologized for racism directed toward Indigenous people when accessing health care. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba says it recognizes its failure to effectively regulate the medical profession to prevent racist and substandard medical care to Indigenous peoples. Grand...

January 25, 2023


First Nations groups upset with exclusion from health-care funding talks

‘There is no reconciliation for First Nations when we continue to be excluded from these crucial discussions’ CBC News: First Nations groups are criticizing their exclusion from an upcoming meeting between federal, provincial and territorial governments aiming to reach a funding deal to improve the country’s ailing health-care system. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations...

December 20, 2022


Province releases “Health Status of Manitobans Report”…the gap in health between Indigenous communities and other people is widening”

The life expectancy for First Nations people is 11 years lower than average and this gap is growing As of March 31, 2021 there were 9,8501 children in welfare service: 91 per cent of these children are Indigenous Premature Mortality Rate (PMR) for all First Nations in Manitoba is three times higher than for other Manitobans....

December 9, 2022


The AMC Calls on Province to Reconsider Decision to Close E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital in Eriksdale, MB

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) supports the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council in calling on Health Minister Audrey Gordon and Shared Health Manitoba to recall the decision to close E.M. Crowe Memorial Hospital in Eriksdale, MB, after it has been ‘temporarily closed’ for the past few months. The Assembly...

November 24, 2022


The Impact of Inaction – New Publication Reveals Not All of Canada is on Track to Meet Global Hepatitis C Elimination Goal

Timing of elimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Canada’s provinces indicates 70% of provinces could reach the World Health Organization’s (WHO) HCV elimination target of 2030, however three of Canada’sprovinces — two of them the most populous in the country — are off track to achieve this hepatitis C elimination goal.1 Timely elimination would save 170...

November 7, 2022


AMC Calls on Manitoba to Allocate More Money to Healthcare After CIHI States Manitoba Has the Third Lowest Healthcare Spending Per Person in the Country

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) issued the following statement in response to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) projections that Manitoba will have the third lowest healthcare spending per person in the Country. Manitoba Health has chronically underfunded First Nations in Manitoba, especially those living in northern...

November 2, 2022


Northern health leader says language test is a barrier to Indigenous nurses

First People’s Law: CTV News – An English proficiency test for prospective registered nurses in Manitoba, even those who receive all their education in English, is a racial barrier that disproportionately affects Indigenous people, a health official in northern Manitoba said Wednesday. “They trained in English, they saw patients in English … and then suddenly...

November 2, 2022


‘Pandemic of suffering:’ Manitoba chiefs press governments to fund regional hospital

Toronto Star: Chiefs of four remote First Nations in northeastern Manitoba are calling for the provincial and federal governments to build a health facility that can treat ongoing mental health and addiction crises for their growing populations. The chiefs from the Island Lake region estimate 15,000 to 18,000 people live in the area, but none...

October 12, 2022


Call for Restructuring Medical Transportation System After Delayed Medical Response for First Nation Infant

NationTalk: Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) and the Assembly of First Nations Manitoba (AFN) issued the following statement after an infant was not given prompt transportation from Pimicikamak Cree Nation to Winnipeg for emergency care. The ill infant waited 24 hours after triage at the nursing station because Medevac...

September 28, 2022


Ministers Honour Joyce Echaquan and Re-Affirm Commitment to Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada’s Health Systems

Indigenous Services Canada: Ottawa, Ontario (September 28, 2022) – The Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, and the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, issued the following statement today: “Health care is a human right, and should be free of racism and discrimination. But the systemic discrimination and racism that...

September 26, 2022


‘We are truly sorry’: Leaders, health officials acknowledge Indigenous-specific racism in northern Manitoba’s health-care system

CTV News: Indigenous leaders and northern health officials in Manitoba say Indigenous people continue to face racism in the health-care system, and have signed a declaration committing to eliminate it. On Monday morning leaders from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), and the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA), met in Thompson to sign...

September 6, 2022


The beast of addiction in Indigenous communities remains untamed

Globe & Mail: Tanya Talaga – Over the past week, a Thunder Bay hotel’s conference room has become home to a land-based healing and recovery program. There, 17 women from one northern First Nation about two hours down the highway – women who are addicted to opioids, alcohol, crystal methamphetamine (jib) and/or methadone, which is...

May 27, 2022


Manitoba First Nations leaders declare State of Emergency in Health Services in the north

NationTalk: (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) – Late afternoon May 24, 2022, the Keewatinohk Inniniw Okimowin Council (KIOC) of elected leaders unanimously declared a state of emergency on health services. The elected leaders are Chiefs and Councilors who collectively represent 23 First Nations in Manitoba’s north. The motion calling for the declaration came about during a two-day...

July 12, 2021


Human Rights complaints

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) – fully supports the human rights complaints filed this week on behalf of First Nation citizens living in what is now Manitoba. Three human rights complaints were filed against the federal government this week alleging systemic discrimination as well as a failure to provide proper services where they were needed for...

May 19, 2021


Systemic Racism

Southern Chiefs Organization – 45% of ICU patients in Manitoba are First Nation people despite representing only 10 per cent of the total population. Manitoba is now the worst COVID-19 hotspot in North America. “I am deeply concerned about the health and well-being of the people I represent if these trends continued,” stated Grand Chief...

April 19, 2021


Bill 56 “The Smoking Act”

CBC – The Canadian Cancer Society – which actively campaigns to discourage smoking — has written to the province to withdraw its support of Bill 56 until First Nations are properly consulted. “While we are committed to reducing rates of lung cancer, we cannot do so in the absence of a consultative process that honours...

April 14, 2021


Bill 56 “The Smoking Act”

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs – The Manitoba government scheduled a 30-minute meeting at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon “the weekend before Bill 56 is going to Standing Committee prior to third and final reading…we did not want Manitoba to use that meeting as ‘checking a box’ to say that they had consulted First Nations”....

March 5, 2021


Bill 56 “The Smoking Act”

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs – The AMC stands in condemnation of the Province’s unjustified intrusion on the jurisdiction of First Nations through the tabling of Bill 56. Bill 56 removes section 9.4 of The Smoking and Vapour Products Control Amendment Act (the “Smoking Act”), which “exempts lands reserved for Indians and federal lands” from the...

March 2, 2021


Infant mortality and youth suicide

The Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (MACY) and the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba – submitted a report that discusses “the international and national human rights framework as it relates to structural inequalities and Indigenous children’s right to continuous improvement of health with a particular focus on infant mortality and youth suicide...

February 3, 2021


Racism in Winnipeg Fire Dept.

Southern Chiefs Organization – SCO is asking Mayor Brian Bowman along with Fire and Paramedic Services Chief, John Lane, and all relevant officials to take immediate disciplinary action as it relates to an incident of systemic racism. City of Winnipeg firefighters ignored repeated requests for help from a paramedic who was trying to administer care...

January 28, 2021


Racism against Indigenous womern

Native Women’s Association of Canada – At a two-day meeting at which the issue of anti-Indigenous racism in Canada’s healthcare systems will be addressed by federal, provincial, and territorial governments as well as representatives of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit, NWAC is not being permitted to give more broadly based opening remarks Wednesday, along...

January 28, 2021


Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health

Assembly of First Nations – AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde reiterated recommendations and called for urgency in addressing systemic racism in Canada’s health care systems at a two-day virtual meeting with federal, provincial and territorial ministers and Metis and Inuit leaders that ended today. The meeting, convened by Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations...

January 15, 2021


Excluding Métis from COVID-19 Task Force

Winnipeg Free Press – Government has left the Métis out of its COVID-19 vaccine task force and plans no vaccination clinics targeted to them. That’s despite Premier Brian Pallister having said he’s committed to including Métis people in the vaccine rollout, guided by reconciliation. Emails obtained by the Free Press show provincial officials have asked...

December 9, 2020


“Our Children, Our Future: Knowledge Keeper Recommendations”

“Our Children, Our Future: The Health and Well-being of First Nations Children in Manitoba” released by Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) looks at the health and well-being of registered First Nations children living on-reserve and off-reserve in Manitoba. The purpose of this report is to provide a sound baseline measure of how First Nations...

November 19, 2020


Problems with Indigenous COVID-19 data

Toronto Star – COVID-19 is negatively impacting both on-reserve and off-reserve Indigenous populations. “Hospitalizations and intensive-care rates are sky high for off-reserve populations and testing is low. Both on and off reserves, about 18% of tests come back positive. The issues identified by Janet Smylie, research chair in Indigenous health knowledge and information at Well...

November 12, 2020


Systemic Racism at federal, provincial, territory ministers human rights meeting

NationTalk – 24 civil society groups attending the third ever meeting of Federal, Provincial, Territory Ministers responsible for human rights “condemned the obstructive attitude of some governments” in advancing international human rights obligations. Groups had pressed governments to commit to nation-wide law reform that will legally require governments to adopt a collaborative, accountable, consistent, transparent,...

November 2, 2020


Work Camps and COVID-19

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Inc. – is issuing this statement along with the four Cree Nations that are in a partnership with Manitoba Hydro in the construction and operation of the Keeyask Generating Station in Northern Manitoba. The four First Nations are: Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Fox Lake Cree Nation, War Lake First Nation, and York Factory...

November 2, 2020


First Nations hardest hit by COVID-19, appeal for increased funding

Southern Chiefs Organization – is making an urgent appeal to all levels of government to free up increased funding and resources to contain COVID-19 in First Nations where the test positivity rate among First Nations is 11% vs the provincial average of 8.6%. Manitoba has the worst case count per capita in Canada including daily outbreaks...

November 2, 2020


Canada’s Constitution embeds discrimination

Policy Options – Canada’s history of colonization has laid the foundation for the implementation of racist health policy and the delivery of culturally unsafe health care, resulting in health disparities that are disproportionately experienced by Indigenous Peoples. Since the establishment of the Indian Act in 1867, Canada’s Constitution has continued to support and maintain discriminatory...

October 21, 2020


Food Insecurity

The Narwhal – Human Rights Watch released “My fear is Losing Everything: Climate Crisis and First Nations’ Right to Food” in Canada. The report details how longer and more intense forest fire seasons, permafrost degradation, volatile weather patterns and increased levels of precipitation are all affecting wildlife habitat and, in turn, harvesting efforts. The report...

October 16, 2020


Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health

Emergency meeting on racism in Canada’s healthcare system. AFN recommendations to all levels of government: Work directly with First Nations to ensure that Indigenous Peoples feel safe accessing health care services. Quebec needs to work with First Nations to fully implement the Viens Commission Report’s recommendations. Canada must conduct an immediate review of the Canada...

September 29, 2020


Beyond Hunger – The Hidden Impacts of Food Insecurity in Canada”

Community Food Centres (CFC) – Release of “Beyond Hunger – The Hidden Impacts of Food Insecurity in Canada”. Even before COVID-19, food insecurity affected nearly 4.5 million Canadians. In the first two months of the pandemic, that number grew by 39 per cent. Food insecurity now affects one in seven people, disproportionately impacting low-income and...

September 13, 2020


Access to COVID-19 Data

Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) – MMF filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission against the Government of Manitoba, the Honourable Cameron Friesen – Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living – and Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer. The complaint states that the Manitoba Métis Community has been subject to...

September 8, 2020


Unicef “Innocenti Report Card 16”

NationTalk – Release of Unicef “Innocenti Report Card 16: Worlds of Influence – Understanding What Shapes Child Well-being in Rich Countries” where Canada placed in the bottom 10 of 38 countries. In fact, all four countries with large Indigenous populations – who all initially opposed The United Nations Declaration the Rights of Indigenous People –...

May 21, 2020


Manitoba Hydro’s Keeyask project

CBC – Members of the four First Nation community partners of Manitoba Hydro’s Keeyask project (Tataskweyak, Fox Lake, War Lake and York Factory) have launched protests to protect their communities from COVID-19. Hydro is switching out the current 600 on-site employees with an outside group of 1000 some of whom are from outside Manitoba. The...

May 20, 2020


Work Camps and COVID-19

CBC – We were not included in the discussion of the plan for the shift change,” said Robert Wavey, a band member and spokesperson for Fox Lake Cree Nation. “It was given to [First Nations] after Hydro came up with their plan.” “Our First Nations leaders do not want to see a repeat of what...

May 12, 2020


“Colonialism of the Curve: Indigenous Communities and Bad Covid Data”.

Yellowhead Institute – release of Policy Brief: “Colonialism of the Curve: Indigenous Communities and Bad Covid Data”. There is wide discrepancy on COVID-19 related health data from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and provincial health authorities: There is no agency or organization in Canada reliably recording and releasing Covid-19 data that indicates whether or not a person...

April 23, 2020


Release of at-risk Indigenous inmates

The Indigenous Bar Association (IBA)– Calls Upon Federal, Provincial and Territorial Justice Ministers and Attorneys General to Immediately Release low-risk Indigenous Inmates over COVID-19.Specifically, we call for the immediate release of incarcerated Indigenous people and the following actions: Immediately and minimally, carry-out the release of Indigenous inmates that are low-risk, non-violent, nearly eligible for parole,...

April 20, 2020


Incarcerated prisoners

First Nations leadership across BC is united in calling for immediate action to protect incarcerated peoples amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak at the Mission Institution is now the third largest outbreak in the Province of BC, with the first inmate tragically passing away on April 15, 2020. Senior health and corrections officials have...

March 17, 2020


H1N1 and Systemic Racism

Globe and Mail – Despite accounting for just under 5 per cent of the Canadian population, Indigenous people were 25 per cent of those admitted to ICUs during the first wave of H1N1. First Nations children were 21 per cent of the paediatric patients admitted to ICUs during both waves. This led to sad and...

March 13, 2020


Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants

Release of Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth (2020): Safe and Sound: A Special Report on the Unexpected Sleep-Related Deaths of 145 Manitoba Infants” According to population projections, Indigenous infants account for between 20-30% of live births in Manitoba during the study period (Jan. 2009 – Dec. 2018), but represent 57% of sleep-related infant deaths....

September 17, 2019


Health Care Data: 2015-17 vs 2002

University of Manitoba Today – Joint study by the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM) and the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, “The Health Status of and Access to Healthcare by Registered First Nation Peoples in Manitoba” compares health...

December 10, 2018


Forced Sterilizations

72 organizations endorse the joint statement from Amnesty International Canada, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, and Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, calling for government action to #DefendConsent and end #ForcedSterilization of Indigenous women in Canada Canadian Press – All the women interviewed felt that the health system had not served their needs,...

November 22, 2018


Call for national investigation into forced sterilizations

Senator Murray Sinclair, former Chair of the TRC, says Canada needs a national investigation to find out how common coerced sterilizations are among Indigenous women and how they’ve been allowed to continue for so long. http://nationtalk.ca/story/usw-joint-statement-calling-on-canada-to-end-sterilization-without-consent...

March 31, 2018


Access to Health Services: Virgo Report

Release of the Virgo Final Report: “Improving Access and Coordination of Mental Health and Addiction Services: A Provincial Strategy for all Manitobans” specifically emphasizes the discovery made during the system review that for almost every service encountered, the largest percentage of people being served were of Indigenous background. The report acknowledges the “history of colonization...

September 21, 2017


Canada Health Act flaws

Healthy Debates – “Indigenous health services often hampered by legislative confusion“. The federal and provincial governments negotiate health transfers based on the Canada Health Act, which specifies the conditions and criteria required of provincial health insurance programs. It doesn’t mention First Nations and Inuit peoples, Métis and non-status or off-reserve Indigenous peoples who are covered...

September 17, 2017


Ignored to death: Brian Sinclair’s death caused by racism, inquest inadequate, group says

Brian Sinclair, 45, was found dead in Health Sciences Centre ER 34 hours after arriving without being treated CBC: A group of doctors and academics from across Canada say an Indigenous man who died while waiting for care in a Winnipeg emergency room in 2008 was killed by racism, and say the subsequent inquest into his...

September 15, 2017


Death of Brian Sinclair

CBC – Brian Sinclair was killed by racism on Sept. 21, 2008. He was ignored for 34 hours, despite his need for urgent medical care, because medical professionals made negative assumptions about him based solely on his appearance. Anti-Indigenous bias is an endemic problem in Canadian health care: The hospital authority denied that stereotyping had...

July 14, 2016


Fire protection on reserves

NationTalk – There is no national fire protection code that mandates fire safety standards or enforcement on reserves. All other jurisdictions in Canada including provinces, territories, and other federal jurisdictions (such as military bases, airports, and seaports) have established building and fire codes. The Aboriginal Firefighters Association of Canada (AFAC), NIFSC’s parent organization, supports the...

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