THUNDER BAY — The Nishnawbe Aski Nation wants a seat at the table when the federal, provincial and territorial governments meet next week to discuss health funding.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hosting a meeting in Ottawa to try to nail down the details of additional federal transfers in the billions of dollars to improve the health care system.
NAN Grand Chief Derek Fox said Nishnawbe Aski Nation should be invited as well.
The political organization representing 49 First Nations across Northern Ontario signed the Charter of Relationship Principles Governing Health System Transformation with the federal and Ontario governments in 2017.
It was a commitment to develop and sustain a relationship that would result in immediate, medium and long-term transformative change to the existing health system at the NAN community level.
Fox said Wednesday that despite that agreement, NAN First Nations are being left out of any meaningful decision-making.
"We know that there is a limited amount of funding, especially coming out of the pandemic. With the state of health care in serious trouble across this country, it is even more important to include us in any discussions that will ultimately impact our health and well-being," he said.
The Grand Chief added that First Nations have faced challenges for decades with a two-tiered health system that's been imposed on them.
"Our treaty partners must recognize that meeting behind closed doors on such crucial decisions without the input of First Nations does not respect or consider the renewed relationship that the charter contemplates, and puts in further jeopardy negative health outcomes for First Nations people," Fox said.
The summit meeting is scheduled for Feb. 7.
The federal government has signalled it wants the additional funding to support systemic change in multiple aspects of health care rather than be used for short-term fixes.
