First Nations move forward on health care without province – Winnipeg Free Press
OTTAWA — Manitoba’s northern First Nations are moving ahead with plans to ultimately take over federal dollars and responsibility for on-reserve health care, forging a deal without the provincial government, after months of urging it to take part.
This morning, the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak will sign a memorandum of understanding with federal Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott on “health transformation.” But unlike a similar MOU signed last July with an Ontario group, the province won’t be at the table.
“There’s been some movement, but ultimately it doesn’t seem like the province wants to work with First Nations on reserves,” said MKO Grand Chief Sheila North, adding previous NDP governments also seemed reluctant to work on the issue. “That has caused a lot of unnecessary grief for our people.”
The federal government pays for virtually all on-reserve health care, often through nurses that give basic treatments. Local leaders can run prevention programs, but have to navigate federal bureaucrats and programming that changes under the government of the day.
