Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada Statement on Aboriginal Health and Aboriginal Nursing Needs To All Parties in the Oct 19, 2015 Federal Election

Ottawa. With just days before Canada decides who will form the next government, the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada is releasing this statement as it believes that health is a critical election issue that requires attention by all Federal parties. Furthermore, Aboriginal health continues to curtail any promises of improved Canadian-Aboriginal relations, as initiatives continue to be subject to discretionary funding approaches that see programs allocated for, yet departments do not fully spend these commitments.

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal People in 1996 called for 9000 Aboriginal health workers. Today, we have close to that number in just Aboriginal Nurses; not to mention the numbers of Aboriginal physicians, therapists, para-professionals, etc. So the primary question remains: Why are we not seeing improved health outcomes for Inuit, Metis and First Nations people?

To answer this question, the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada believes that in large part, it is the bureaucratic system that is failing. To this end, Aboriginal Nurses call on all federal parties to truly commit to sustained changes and to answer these questions:

1) There is currently a complication of policies and legislations between the federal, provincial, and municipal governments regarding who is responsible for inefficient health access regarding Aboriginals. How will you work to ensure all three levels of governments collaborate to fix the policies and improve Aboriginal people’s access to health services?

2) The federal budget over the years has been allocating an uneven financial distribution between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health institutions. What will you do to review these policies and what will you do to make the funding gap more improved?

3) The Aboriginal population is still presented with many environmental issues to this day. What kind of policies and strategies are you willing to enforce to improve environmental conditions and clean up toxins and potential oil spills that are negatively affecting rural areas where many Aboriginal people reside?

4) Recent information shows there are still problems with nurse practitioners in northern and remote nursing stations that are put in place to provide Aboriginal health care. However, many of these nurses are not fully trained, and some stations themselves lack the appropriate resources to operate. How are you going to approach this problem to improve the health services for the Aboriginal people in northern and remote communities?

5) Because of the past destruction of Aboriginal socio-cultural, economic and family values, a large proportion of the Aboriginal population are struggling with serious key issues of poverty, mental health issues, social exclusion, an unequal access to education and medical services. What will you do to act on findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to support Aboriginal people to overcome many of these issues that are longstanding?

6) Many First Nations communities continue to live under boil orders for their drinking water or must rely on water to be brought in. What immediate concrete steps would you take to address safe drinking water for Aboriginal communities living in these types of situations?

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Contact: Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada
50 Driveway
Ottawa ON K2P 1E2
Ph: 613-724-4677
www.anac.on.ca

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Background Research: (conducted by Vlad Hordyeyev, International Development and Globalization studies, University of Ottawa)

Inequality issues

-Significant health disparities exist between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians

-First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples continue to experience considerably lower health outcomes than non-Aboriginal Canadians

-First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples continue to show a disproportionate burden of disease or health disparities. These disparities are often rooted in health inequities.

-Health disparities are directly and indirectly associated with or related to social, economic, cultural and political inequities; the end result of which is a disproportionate burden of ill health and social suffering on the Aboriginal populations of Canada.

-Social, economic, cultural and political inequities that impact the health of individuals and communities are often referred to as social determinants of health.

-Census data and other research show a persistent gap in socioeconomic status and well-being between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada.

-Fewer Aboriginal people between the ages of 25 and 34 obtained high school diplomas (68.1%) than non-Aboriginal people (90.0%).

-Median income for Aboriginal people was almost $10,000 lower ($16,752) than for non-Aboriginal people ($25,955).

-The unemployment rate for Aboriginal people in 2006 was still more than twice that for non-Aboriginal people (13.0% compared to 5.2%)

-Aboriginal people were three times as likely as non-Aboriginal people to live in houses in need of major repair.

-Indigenous peoples are affected by major health problems at rates much higher than nonIndigenous populations.

National Collaborating Center For Aboriginal Health, “An Overview of Aboriginal Health in Canada”. (2013). Retrieved October 12, 2015, fromhttp://www.nccahccnsa.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/101/abororiginal_health_web.pdf

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-Aboriginals are less likely to enjoy many of the privileges and amenities the majority of Canadians do.

-Health indices all clearly indicate that Aboriginal Canadians are not as healthy as other Canadians.

Queen’s University, “Aboriginal Health” School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2015, from https://familymedicine.queensu.ca/education/enhanced/aboriginal

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-In 2006, the median income for Aboriginal peoples was $18,962, a full 30% lower than the $27,097 median income for non-Aboriginal people.

-Aboriginal people have historically faced higher unemployment rates than non-Aboriginal people.

-Aboriginal youth are also over represented among criminalized young people and are jailed at earlier ages and for longer periods of time than non-Aboriginal young people.

-Higher rate of incarceration for Aboriginal people has been linked to systemic discrimination and attitudes based on racial or cultural prejudice, as well as economic and social deprivation, substance abuse and a cycle of violence across generations.

Joseph, B. (2012, September 10). “Key Issues for Aboriginal People in Canada.” Indigenous Corporate Training. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.ictinc.ca/blog/8-keyissues-for-aboriginal-people-in-canada

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Read more: http://anac.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ANAC-Election-2015-Statement-to-Federal-Parties.Oct-15_15.pdf