Lessons for Trudeau from Ontario
Despite his upbeat rhetoric about caring and compassion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is dropping the ball when it comes to helping troubled First Nations communities in northern Ontario.
Indeed, there is clear evidence that Trudeau is taking a back seat to the Ontario government in providing money, staff and materials desperately needed by remote communities plagued by inadequate health care, a youth suicide crisis and shortages of economic opportunities, proper housing, clean water and other essential services.
In recent weeks, Trudeau has rebuffed a request by the chief of Attawapiskat for an urgent face-to-face meeting on how to deal with the sharp rise in youth suicides, promising only to meet at some point soon; has fallen short on proposing a long-term program to begin addressing the major issues facing remote communities; and has dragged his heels in joining Queen’s Park in offering immediate aid to improve health care in northern Ontario.
To fill the void, the Ontario government, and specifically Health Minister Eric Hoskins, has acted quickly and is launching two new major initiatives aimed specifically at remote First Nations communities.
Importantly, Ontario is taking these steps despite the fact that First Nations health care falls under federal jurisdiction.
First, Hoskins visited Attawapiskat in April and announced Ontario would provide up to $2 million to deploy an emergency medical team for 30 days and fund youth programs in response to a wave of youth suicide attempts that rocked the community earlier in the year.
On May 9, Hoskins extended the team’s stay into June and increased psychological supports in the community.
Second, Hoskins announced on May 25 that Ontario will spend $222 million over the next three years and another $104 million annually to improve health care for First Nations people, primarily in northern communities.
Hoskins described the Ontario program as the largest investment ever in First Nations health care by a provincial government.
Under the plan, more doctors and nurses will work in the region, home- and community-care services will be increased and suicide-prevention, seniors care and northern fruit and vegetable programs will be expanded.
“My job as health minister is to ensure that every person in Ontario has equal access to high-quality, culturally appropriate health care, no matter where they live or who they are and right now, in this province, that is not the case,” Hoskins said at the press conference at the Anishawbe Mushkiki Thunder Bay Aboriginal Health Centre.
Ontario now spends about $208 million a year on “Indigenous-specific culturally appropriate programs and services.” When fully implemented, the new annual investment of $104 million will represent a 50-per-cent increase in spending on programs and services to meet the unique needs of indigenous people.
With respect to primary care, when fully implemented, the program will result in a $36.4-million, or 65-per-cent, boost in annual spending in this key area.
Noticeably absent at the Thunder Bay news conference was any senior federal representative.
Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day, who attended the event, said it was critical for Ottawa to become more involved, adding the provincial investment is significant, but is only a part of the funds needed to make a true difference in the north.
Ottawa hasn’t been totally ignoring the ongoing plight of northern communities. It plans to spend an additional $8.4 billion over the next five years to address horrible living conditions and federal health staffers have worked in Attawapiskat with their Ontario counterparts in the past few days trying to map out a long-term plan for the troubled community.
Another positive sign is that health ministry officials from both Ottawa and Queen’s Park have been in contact regularly, which is something that rarely occurred under the former Harper government.
Still, there seems to be little sense of urgency so far from Trudeau or Health Canada about the dire state of health care in northern Ontario.
The last time Hoskins and federal Health Minister Jane Philpott spoke was on May 11, but that call dealt mainly with ongoing negotiations over the Canada Health Accord.
Privately, federal officials seem to be suggesting they need more time to devise a plan focused on First Nations health care specifically targeted to Ontario communities.
In contrast, after his visit to Attawapiskat, Hoskins was eager to move and didn’t want to wait any longer on the federal government. He made his staff work late into the night to put the northern health-care plan in place quickly.
Hopefully, Hoskins’ fast action will set an example for Trudeau to follow, because there’s no reason why the prime minister should keep dropping the ball as he has so far.