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Flu overshadows apology anniversary

By: Bruce Owen

11/06/2009 3:20 PM | Comments: 13

MIKE.APORIUS@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

WINNIPEG — A celebration to mark the first-year anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology to Indian residential school survivors is overshadowed in Manitoba by the H1N1 flu virus that’s hit a northern native community, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans said today.

When a deadly tsunami swept through Southeast Asia on Dec. 26, 2004, Ottawa responded with a relief effort totalling $425 million that included airlifting emergency teams consisting of doctors and soldiers who brought medicine and badly needed supplies.

But when the H1N1 virus struck the native communities of Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point, local officials point out, Ottawa and Manitoba have been unable to provide them with basic medical care like a full-time doctor and hand sanitizers.

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"The H1N1 virus that is seriously impacting our communities today demonstrates that our communities and people continue to suffer in poor living conditions," Evans told a gathering at Memorial Park in Winnipeg.

"It is important that Manitobans and the Canadian public understand the obstacles and hurdles First Nations are facing in accessing the basic health-care services that many others take for granted."

Evans said aboriginal leadership has tried to work with federal officials starting almost three years ago to develop pandemic planning, but nothing happened until the H1N1 virus hit the northern community of St. Theresa Point over the past two weeks.

"We are on the verge of a full-scale pandemic and we are once again calling upon all levels of government, the minister of health and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, for immediate action," Evans said, adding systemic poverty issues like poor housing and access to decent medical care need to be quickly addressed. "We have no time for jurisdictional battles. We must all work together on this.

"The first wave of the pandemic demonstrates that poverty among our people make them very vulnerable."

Local pharmacy owner Daren Jorgenson said he has been trying to send doctors to those communities for several years and has been repeatedly rebuffed by provincial and federal officials.

"We have repeatedly requested  permission to have our physicians work in the nursing stations of these two communities for years now and have always been told no," Jorgenson said in an email distributed to the media Thursday.

Jorgenson said Ottawa seems more intent on protecting non-existent federal jobs than ensuring residents in the Island Lakes area receive proper health care.

"The system is so poorly managed and all efforts over the years to work with the system have failed," Jorgenson said.

Ottawa doesn’t want a private health care provider like himself placing doctors on reserves because it would rob Ottawa of fees it collects from the province but added that Ottawa won’t place doctors in those communities.

Jorgenson said Ottawa and the province would rather spend millions flying patients south than having doctors living in the community every day.

And in Ottawa, Phil Fontaine told Parliament this afternoon the apology to Canada's first nations for the residential schools tragedy freed Canada from its past but not enough has been done to give first nations children a future.

Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, spoke in the Senate on the one year anniversary of the residential school apology.

"How can the potential of all Canadians be realized when the dreams of first nations children are not allowed to flourish," said Fontaine.

He said the post-apology era has not seen enough action, and called on the government to do more to improve education, health care and living condition on reserves.

He noted there are over 100 first nations in Canada with a boil water advisory in place and another 40 with high risk water systems.

He said there should be three times as many aboriginal students in universities and colleges as there are now, and that the government should finally get rid of the two per cent cap on increases in spending for core programs of first nations.

That cap, in place since 1996, means first nations governments can't keep up with the cost of living increases and the rapidly growing first nations' population.

"Our governments are being forced to do more with less, year after year," said Fontaine.

Today’s events, one of many across the country, commemorate last year’s historic apology by Ottawa to First Nations for the treatment of aboriginal people in the residential school system.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs organized the event at Memorial Park to honour school survivors who’ve made a significant contribution to Canada and those that have contributed to indigenous cultures and heritage.

Education Minister Peter Bjornson and Culture and Heritage Minister Eric Robinson also introduced the province’s new curriculum to mark the first-year anniversary of the apology. Students in grades 9 and 11 will learn about the residential school system through new resources, which include personal interviews with survivors.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

 

 



"It is important that Manitobans and the Canadian public understand the obstacles and hurdles First Nations are facing in accessing the basic health-care services that many others take for granted," Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, told a noon-hour gathering at Memorial Park Thursday to mark the first anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s apology to Indian residential school survivors.

The apology, however, was overshadowed by the lack of federal and provincial response to the situation at Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point.

"The H1N1 virus that is seriously impacting our communities today demonstrates that our communities and people continue to suffer in poor living conditions," Evans said. Evans said aboriginal leadership has tried to work with federal officials starting almost three years ago to develop pandemic planning, but nothing happened until the H1N1 virus hit the northern community of St. Theresa Point over the past two weeks.








 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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13 Commentscomment icon

I agree berensriver, these people that make comments here don't know first hand or understand what reserves are going through. Maybe if they went and lived there for a week they'll be traumatized. As for Realist your comment "And yet two days ago I saw on the news a medical researcher explaining that aboriginals are susceptible to H1N1 because of their genetics". NOT SO! This flu is so new NOBODY knows the outcome even WHO. The WHO doesn't even know if the trend is linked to socioeconomic factors, genetic factors, or chronic underlying diseases. But I would say Socioeconomic factors play a BIG PART on RESERVES.

i agree with Countrytothecore! Its time for all people to be equal, and help those willing to help back and want to be helped. If people dont have the will to change then they won't. Also to Realist, your correct. Its all to do with genetics why people get it as severe as they do. Overcrowding doesnt help the situation, but is not the main factor to the severity. Just how people of african descent are more likey to have sickle cell anemia.

Here we go again. I saw the media reports of Ron Evans and Terry Nelson blaming the white man, his government and all of us hardworking taxpayers, as the cause of the H1N1 epidemic in aboriginals. Yes, because housing conditions are terrible on reserves, the water's bad, there's no money, blah blah blah.

And yet two days ago I saw on the news a medical researcher explaining that aboriginals are susceptible to H1N1 because of their genetics. Yet this doesn't matter, its so much easier to blame others for their problems. Starting to become clear why there is an image problem????

I wonder where First Nations people would be today if it were not for the Residential School program.

Yes to countrytothecore! Lets treat everyone the same.....let's not have our kids leave home after grade 9 to complete their education; let's not have a standing boil water advisory for northern communities; let's have nursing stations that have the basic necessities..! Let's have electricity and running water in "houses provided by the government" and what about education.... do you thing that the resources here are the same as they are in more urban or rural areas? If you're in doubt, the answer is NO!...why don't you come here and see how well you do with the resources that are here!

Immigrants don't have a choice though, they have to contribute to come into our country. I'm sure there are a lot of talented Natives out there but it is the social background and the ripple effects from what their ancestors went through. Their ancestors were taught not to value a dollar or plan for tomorrow by white people. It wasn't too long ago Native people were allowed to attend universities and I see quite a few are going now. I know quite a few Native people with degrees and a lot of them have jobs paying taxes just like we do. It is slowly changing and I commend educated Native people that went through universities because they've come from a long way.

Countrytothecore said: "The past is the past and we need to get over it."

Yeah! Screw the past! I'm sick of having to remember things like the Holocaust, D-Day, September 11, etc.

Ok, that was sarcasm. The thing is, the "past" that you refer to is pretty recent. The last residential school closed in 1996. 13 years ago. The residential school system pretty much wiped out/broken an entire generation/lifestyle/culture of Canadians. There is going to be an exponential ripple effect for a couple of generations to come. I urge you all to curb your thinly veiled racism and try to understand their situation. The last 100-200 years for the Aboriginals have been devastating to say the least.

Excellent discussion I see. Malleen, I not a bigot by any means and I applaud the immigrants to our great country that come here to contribute rather than leach on our society. We cut people receiving welfare off because we’ve learned that extended times do more harm than good. Just imagine if even 50% more of the non-tax paying population worked and paid taxes? More money for day cares, police, infrastructure not to mention make our economy that much stronger. I have no question that there are many many talented natives, but when they have no incentive to strive and excel, I think we suffer as Canadians as well as the person themselves. Do we not encourage our kids to get out and get a job and make their own way in life? Why do we have a different standard here? I have no issue with my tax dollars helping out people in need, but one has to question the need here.

I agree Malleen.....

and COUNTRYTOTHECORE had great ideas! "cut the umbilical cord and treat everyone the same".....

malleen your so quick to judge yourself why may i ask everyone is intitled to their own opinion . now whose narrow minded , are we a little afraid of the truth , and is there ever going to be enough paid for a final forgiveness , i doubt it . and if we all sit here and say we believe in god then why aren't we living and giving FORGIVENESS .

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