Federal support amid COVID 19 outbreak disappointing: Bearskin Lake First Nation – APTN
Jan 12, 2022
The federal government’s response to a COVID-19 outbreak that has infected half the members of a First Nation in northern Ontario is disappointing, the chief of the community said on Wednesday.
Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin of Bearskin Lake First Nation said only a few members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been deployed in his community and the federal support offered has not been enough.
“Our community was anxiously waiting for help, and we were comforted by the thought that Canada would step in to provide us with much-needed physical and moral support,” Kamenawatamin said in a statement.
“In the end, however, this help has been minimal.”
He said that the situation is an example of what he called the “dishonesty and neglect” First Nations have been experiencing in their relations with the Canadian government for a long time.
“We are disappointed with Canada’s response,” he said.
