GATINEAU, QUE. — A crucial summit with First Nations leaders from across the country was held on March 6, 2024 to confront the urgent challenges and impacts of climate change that disproportionately impact their communities. Escalating wildfire, floods and extreme weather events saw the Assembly of First Nations convene the first summit of its type in seven years, to formulate actionable strategies aimed at enhancing the resilience of First Nations communities in the face of mounting environmental and public health challenges.
Furthermore, the summit was mustered four years into the COVID-19 pandemic, which has starkly revealed the heightened vulnerability of First Nations peoples and communities to infectious diseases.
Woodhouse Nepinak stressed the necessity of equitable partnerships with all levels of government to mitigate risks, ensure swift crisis responses and safeguard the land for future generations. The summit follows last year’s catastrophic wildfire season that engulfed more than 100,000 square kilometres of land, leading to the evacuation of numerous First Nations communities and highlighted the disparities in emergency response services faced by many First Nations communities, leaving them at a disadvantage compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.
Addressing the assembly, National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak underscored the urgent need for prioritizing community safety amid mounting disasters. “The unpredictability of these crises has resulted in recurrent emergency evacuations, uprooting our people and necessitating support from facilities far from their homes,” remarked Woodhouse Nepinak. She emphasized the profound and far-reaching impacts of cultural dislocation on the health and education of First Nations people.
These concerns align with the findings of the federal auditor general in 2023, which revealed Canada’s failure to provide adequate resources for emergency management services to First Nations despite the escalating intensity of crises. The report also criticized Indigenous Services Canada for its reactive approach rather than adopting preventive measures, and highlighted a lack of clarity regarding the comparability of emergency services received by First Nations with those in neighboring jurisdictions.
