Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I want to begin by thanking the members of the committee for inviting me to speak on behalf of Grand Chief Sydney Garrioch of MKO on this very important issue of childhood obesity. I would also like to acknowledge the traditional territory of the Algonquin peoples.
I'm going to keep my presentation focused on what I believe is most relevant for a parliamentary committee to consider, as opposed to expressing all other important information on the subject.
I understand the purpose of the study is threefold: to obtain information about recent trends in childhood obesity; to understand the wide range of determinants that influence childhood overweight and obesity rates--social, economic, geographic, cultural, genetic, and environmental factors; and to identify existing and potential roles for the federal government in addressing these issues.
The region I represent spans nearly half the province of Manitoba in the northern portion. I have a written summary of who we are and what we do, for the reading pleasure of the committee later.
My presentation will highlight the three main areas that form the theme for this study. I'm going to focus less on quantifying the issue through statistics--I'm sure you've heard much of this already--and focus on the quality of the message that needs to get out.
I have heard that the rate of childhood obesity in aboriginal children is in the range of 60%. This is an alarming enough statistic at the broad level, even if it is off a few percentage points. What concerns me about this is that at least half of those in our population are under the age of 18. On one hand, this can be viewed as a negative thing, because about 20 years from now at least 30% of our population--nearly 17,000 of our northern children, 60% of whom are under 18--will be faced with risks associated with chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, and colon cancer, added to those they are already suffering from today. On a more positive note, though, I know that if we take the right action now, starting with delivering the right messages to parents and communities about the importance of physical activity and nutrition, we can have some peace of mind that the prevalence rate will be impacted in another direction by at least these 17,000 first nations citizens.
How do we measure this? I'll leave that up to the experts, but I'll emphasize that investment in measuring effectiveness should be secondary to trusting the advice and recommendations of those on the front lines actually dealing with the situation.
On the determinants of health associated with this particular disorder, I can offer some points for each of the ones highlighted. On the social aspect, I suppose a number of concerns can be highlighted here that attribute the condition to lifestyle choices such as apathy or neglect. But I would caution any parliamentarian not to attribute certain health conditions to certain populations, and to refrain from attaching any stigma to an already sensitive dynamic that exists for aboriginal people in this country.
I am sure many assumptions have been made by many people up to this point, and not just politicians or bureaucrats, about the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children are adequately nourished and provided for in their recreational needs. These assumptions need to be balanced by the realities facing our people.
Let me share some of the social realities in our communities. We do the best we can to meet the needs of our children and their families. We have programs in our communities that are mandated by law to provide essential services through various government departments, such as Indian Affairs, and the first nation and Inuit health branch. That includes education services, child and family services, day care, and primary health care. These essential services are provided through financial authorities that are not only very stringent but inadequate. Moreover, these programs are based on demand and legal responsibility under some authority of government. But there are voids that are still not filled, such as the jurisdictional wrangling that occurs between the provincial regional health authorities and our federal nursing stations.
Many of our schools are starting to age and are overcrowded. Technology is either outdated or limited. Mandates are focused and limited, and resources are stretched. Furthermore, there is a lack of recreational facilities. Policies of authorities sometimes limit access. Those facilities that do exist, such as federal school gyms, and crucial positions, such as recreation directors, are not considered core social programs.
I suppose the consequences of this situation are compounded rates and effects of depression, discrimination, and other impacts of obesity and poor nutrition on the mental health of children such as lethargy, low esteem, and poor body image.
In terms of economic determinants, the main point I want to emphasize here is the need to address poverty as a major factor affecting health status. With limited income and opportunities to income, families have limited resources to acquire the tools for healthy living. More income means more money to buy sports equipment, to transport kids to extracurricular events, and to buy nutritious food.
In terms of geographic factors, half of the communities within MKO are in remote locations accessible only by air or winter roads, and winter roads usually at times don't last very long. Every year our organization intervenes on behalf of its member nations to advocate the need for subsidies and emergency response related to winter roads, or lack thereof, when the weather does not cooperate.
The government needs to take responsibility for ensuring that the appropriate authorities are in place to assist communities in getting access to the basic necessities of life--in this case, fresh foods such as meat and produce and fruits and vegetables. An example of a good-case scenario is the recent implementation of the food mail program, a cooperative effort between Sobeys West of Thompson, Manitoba, and Canada Post.
Food mail is a Government of Canada program that pays part of the cost of shipping nutritious, perishable food and other essential items by air to isolated northern communities through postage rates of 80ยข per kilogram. The principal objective of this program is to reduce the cost of nutritious, perishable food and other essential items, thereby improving nutrition and health.
Eligible items include fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, bread, and meat, as well as non-perishable food such as canned food, cereal, pasta, and baking supplies. Ineligible foods include pop, chips, and candy, and tobacco and alcohol. Nutritious, perishable foods are generally delivered within 48 hours. Direct shipments can be made to individuals, organizations, establishments, and businesses providing day care services, school breakfast programs, health care, and similar services.
This is an excellent example of partnership between government, business, and first nations, and I cannot emphasize the importance of government to continue to remain committed to this program, perhaps even through some form of statutory guarantee.
The cultural factors have probably already been highlighted by other presenters, such as the decline in traditional lifestyles and the need to get back to a more traditional way of life. In the past, our ancestors had no choice but to keep moving and remain active as a means of survival. These days it is more a form of recreation. For example, through the school curriculum there is traditional food gathering and preparation, such as hunting, fishing, trapping, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and mandatory home economics classes, such as tanning, canning, harvesting, cooking, and baking.
The genetic factors are probably best left for the scientists to explain. However, I'm certain that certain genetic conditions exist that predispose aboriginal people to certain health conditions at an increased rate over the general population, such as certain forms of cancer, heart disease, and endocrine disorders. It is not fair to attribute certain health conditions as arising because of poor lifestyle choices. I'm sure a combination of factors contribute to this problem.
Finally, some environmental factors to be considered could be related to the deterioration in the environment and ecosystems of our lands due to mining, forestry, and hydroelectric development. Migration routes and patterns of herding animals have been impacted by exploration and development in the north, and waters have been contaminated due to flooding.
Effects on the environment have devastating impacts on the traditional ways of the people, and compensation for the loss of culture and the way of life is still outstanding for many of our communities. Governments can assist on this front by expediting the specific land claims process as it impacts treaty land entitlement and by dealing with the relocation of the Sayisi Dene people, who are members of our organization in the northwestern corner of the province.
By righting past wrongs, our people can move on and begin rebuilding their spirts and restoring confidence in their relations with the different levels of government.
First nations need to begin building the economies necessary to provide the right opportunities to families.
The main message here is that no one solution exists. The issues confronting our people are complex and intertwined. No one government or department can bear the responsibility for the safety and health of our children. This is a shared responsibility.
The challenge for all of us is coming up with common understandings, commitments, and actions at a formal level such as through intergovernmental agreements and more flexible policy and legislative frameworks. I am confident this can be done.
I look forward to the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Health and future commitments of government to respond to this latest health crisis. This particular issue falls within a subject area that usually is very low in priority and under a lot of scrutiny as far as expenditures are concerned. Child obesity falls under health, and in many of our communities health has been under extreme pressure and a lot of the services are being cut.
The issue of health also falls far below critical issues like employment, securing business opportunities, the cost of living, attracting airlines to provide services to our communities, funding winter roads so that goods and services can be brought in, housing, and families in crisis. All of these take priority and usually take precedence over issues in health.
I just wanted to briefly mention in closing that competitive sport has its advantages towards inspiring individuals to better themselves physically through diet and practice in between competitive games, but a lot of times non-competitive sport promotes friendship and doesn't measure your acceptance according to your skill level. I commend the government for recognizing that sport in general requires financing and promotion of healthy and positive inter-community competition.
Our communities are isolated, and a lot of priorities remain in trying to get a basic service that in big cities we accept as always being there--that's basic transportation amongst our communities. It's one of the critical areas. So a lot of the competition that occurs between communities down south can't be had in many of our communities.
I just want, again, to reiterate my thanks for the opportunity to appear before this committee.