Indigenous leaders want more help

OTTAWA — First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders voiced concerns on Friday about a growing number of outbreaks of COVID19 in Indigenous communities, saying it is becoming harder to find the money and supplies to deal with them.

National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations told a House of Commons committee that provinces and jurisdictions should be cautious about lifting pandemic restrictions, given that the number of COVID-19 cases in First Nations has increased.

On Thursday, there were 164 confirmed cases on First Nations reserves.

“While the virus has been slower to reach First Nations, the number of cases is rising daily,” Bellegarde said.

He pointed to a number of systemic issues that make Indigenous populations more vulnerable to contracting the virus, including overcrowded housing, inadequate health services in many communities, food insecurity, lack of clean water and the remoteness of northern, fly-in communities. “Canada’s response must take all of these unique factors into account,” Bellegarde said.

Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said in all of Inuit Nunangat, there have been only 17 confirmed cases. All have recovered.

However, Obed noted that pandemic restrictions are having a major impact on the Inuit territories, which already face economic challenges.

David Chartrand, vice-president of the Métis National Council, said his people are falling through jurisdictional cracks, which he believes has contributed to a sharp rise in COVID-19 outbreaks in Métis communities in Western Canada.

One Métis village, about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, has more than 100 cases, but is not getting the same federal and provincial support as the First Nations reserve next door, Chartrand said.