OTTAWA—Anishinaabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee paused following a three-hour meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne to discuss his work with the Assembly of First Nation chiefs’ committee on health, of which he is the chair.
“I have been carrying the portfolio for the Chiefs of Ontario for two years,” said Chief Madahbee, noting the importance of health matters to the First Nations communities across the province and the nation.
“This is an area that deeply impacts all of our communities at every level,” he said. “That is why I chose that committee.”
The mandate of the Chiefs Committee on Health is to “protect and maintain treaty and aboriginal rights to health and to provide advice, guidance and recommendations to the Ontario Regional Chief, the Health portfolio of the political confederacy, political confederacy and the chiefs in assembly on matters pertaining to First Nations health.”
The committee is currently deep into a review of non-medical health services with an eye to improving the delivery system and many services which are substandard or lacking in First Nations.
“We are looking at denials of service, things such as escorts for medical services and mental health appointments outside the community for the elderly and youth,” noted Chief Madahbee.
Chief Madahbee said that the long overdue realignment of service delivery and review of non-medical health services actually began under the watch of the previous government and minister, Rona Ambrose, who he described as a significant improvement over the ministry of Leona Aglukkaq.
“They had bean counters making the decisions against those of medical doctors,” he said. “That approach, as could be expected, resulted in catastrophic outcomes.”
The issues facing remote Northern communities are widespread and in many ways interconnected with mental and physical health issues, he noted, citing chronic unemployment as an example. “We need to build capacity within the communities,” said Chief Madahbee.
As to his meeting with the premier, Chief Madahbee described it as “productive.” Although no blank cheques were forthcoming. “We spoke on a number of items,” he said. “Poverty and infrastructure issues, research sharing and the duty to consult and accommodation.”
Chief Madahbee noted that the chiefs “have a pretty good relationship” with the current government, but added that open and frank dialogue is the first step and needs to be followed by concrete action to back up the words.
