Aboriginal Peoples' Roundtable Report

In Ottawa, the Minister of State met approximately 12 leaders from the First Nations, Inuit and Urban Aboriginal Communities.

They advised the Minister to consider the following factors in building a Public Health Agency of Canada :

1. Regarding a Mandate for a Public Health Agency

• The Agency has to embrace the Federal government's fiduciary responsibility to First Nations:
  • Operationally, this means the Agency must closely collaborate with Aboriginal Peoples within a strong bilateral relationship between First Nations and the Federal government; and,
  • The Agency also has to take care to manage relations with provinces and territories in a way that recognizes and respects First Nations and Inuit priorities.

2. Regarding Operational Strategies for a Public Health Agency

An Agency should consider:

• The need to avoid a "melting pot" approach to Aboriginal issues, which might disregard distinctions between Aboriginal peoples:
  • Agency needs to be sensitive to cultural differences in public health -- which mean that some approaches can seem foreign or counter-cultural.
• The importance of engaging Aboriginal women as leaders in community public health issues. Aboriginal women should be consulted on the formation of good models of health delivery;
• Strategies to address the public health issues of Aboriginal people who live off-reserve;
• Future collaboration with Aboriginal people should include other Aboriginal organizations such as the:
  • National Association of Friendship Centres; and,
  • National Aboriginal Health Organization.
• Collaboration should focus on best practices/experimentation in health care/public health models.

3. Investments

Participants urged an Agency to focus on the following priority investments:

• The need for training nurses and public health professionals to serve northern and remote communities - particularly Inuit who would like to become nurses;
• The need for cross-cultural training for nurses who are often unable to take such training because of the demands of their work;
• The need for investments in capacity so that First Nations communities are better able to respond to outbreaks of infectious disease; and,
• The need for support to address public health crises in many communities, including mould in housing and potable drinking water.

4. Public Health Issues

Participants also raised concerns about specific public health issues:

• Inuit need help facing particular public health concerns, relating to:
  • Lower life expectancy;
  • Mental health;
  • Tuberculosis; and
  • The challenges of keeping health care providers, such as nurses, in the communities.
• First Nations communities need help addressing problems such as:
  • Prevalence of diabetes among First Nations; and
  • High rate of suicide in communities, such as those in northern Ontario.