Physician honoured for Indigenous health-care advocacy – Daily Herald Tribune
May 16, 2019
A Grande Prairie anesthesiologist has been recognized for helping create spaces where positive change can occur for Indigenous health care.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) awarded Dr. Alika Lafontaine with its 2019 Sir Charles Tupper Award for Political Action for demonstrating leadership and dedication in advancing CMA goals and policies through his grassroots advocacy.
Lafontaine is Ojibwe-Cree with Métis ancestry and is also Polynesian. He noted his participation in the culture, language and tradition of Indigenous peoples during his youth.
“The advocacy has kind of just been a natural evolution of growing up the way that I did and having the opportunities than I did,” Lafontaine said. “Any Indigenous person who gets involved in the health field has the opportunity to have some sort of impact, partially because there are not a lot of us out there, partially because the need is so deep.”
