Good afternoon.
I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Health for undertaking a study on childhood obesity.
I'm honoured to come forward as a witness at the invitation of the committee.
It is my understanding that the committee wants to consider what role and responsibility the federal government may have in regard to childhood obesity, and that this study includes a focus on aboriginal children.
I will speak specifically to the issue as it affects first nations, and in particular the role of schools. The federal government could have a significant role on this issue for first nations children because of the legal framework for first nations in Canada.
My name is Lorne Keeper, and I'm the executive director of the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre located in Manitoba.
I am a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. My work has been in the field of education for the past 30 years.
In Manitoba, there are 55 first nations schools that are administered by their nations. This is commonly referred to as local control. First nations in Manitoba set local control of their education in the early 1970s in a move they felt was intrinsic to self-determination; however, the federal government did little to accept and support this concept. For approximately 25 years, there were essentially 55 one-school systems, with little or no support for the second- and third-level services that are taken for granted in all other jurisdictions.
The organization I represent, the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, was established in 1999 and was given a mandate by the chiefs of Manitoba to provide second- and third-level services to the 55 first nation schools. The funding initially came from the Gathering Strength initiative, which was the federal government's response to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.
The centre's staff worked directly with these schools. We have a role similar to that of a school board in a provincial school division. The primary difference is the provincial school boards have jurisdiction over their schools, and in our case the Manitoba region of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has jurisdiction over the schools we serve.
The problem of obesity is prevalent in first nations children and will only worsen if not addressed. There is extensive research on the causes of obesity in children. I do not need to cite any references. The predominant causes, as I understand, are that poverty and obesity are directly related, and low self-esteem and obesity are directly related.
In our first nations communities, it has been the changing nutrition patterns and the lack of physical activity within the larger process of social and cultural changes that are largely responsible for the emergence of obesity as a health threat. In first nations communities fifty years ago, diabetes was a disease that was virtually non-existent. Some early research implied that our people were immune to this disease. As you are all aware now, diabetes is the number one health issue in first nations communities throughout Canada. If the trend of childhood obesity continues, a very high percentage of this youth group will develop diabetes.
It is often thought that obesity and lifestyle choices are simply about bad food choices and a lack of effort to make healthy eating and lifestyle choices. However, in the schools where we work, there are the issues of poverty and the intergenerational effects of colonization, which are very real and have affected virtually every first nation in Manitoba. Colonization has impacted on our lifestyles and societal structures through policies that have controlled almost every aspect of our lives. Many of you are aware of residential schools as one example of colonization.
Another critical factor that we believe contributes to obesity is the cost of food. One of our staff members compared the cost of purchasing healthy food for a family of four living in Winnipeg with the cost of purchasing the same healthy food for a family living in a northern first nation in Manitoba. It was found that the family of four in Winnipeg would spend, on average, $800 per month on food for a healthy diet. The cost of purchasing the same food in the northern first nation for one month was costed at approximately three times more per month. It would cost $2,400 to feed a family of four with the same fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. Note that a four-litre jug of milk in this community costs $12.
The irony of costs in the north is reflected in the cost of a litre of whiskey. An individual purchasing a litre of whiskey in Winnipeg and then travelling 1,500 kilometres to a northern community is able to purchase the litre of whiskey for the same price, because the price is regulated by the provincial government. Something is certainly wrong with this picture.
Regulation of the price of healthy foods by the federal government would have a significant positive impact. The Government of Canada must play an important role in improving the health and well-being of all children. In doing so, it will begin to address the issue of obesity in our youth.
What are some strategies to consider for intervention, prevention, and control of obesity in first nations children? The impacts of poverty and poor nutrition are having a detrimental effect on school success. One of the ways to address this issue systematically is through the provision of breakfast for learning programs and by providing school-wide healthy lunch programs. Currently, schools have very little or no resources to fund such programs. However, providing such programs will not only have a positive impact on learning, but also improve attendance rates and help to meet nutritional requirements. Being hungry or chronically malnourished means a child is not able to concentrate and perform in school or work to their full potential. If the federal government were to provide such funding for first nations schools, this would assist in proactively addressing a number of problematic issues such as childhood obesity. It would also have a positive impact on long-term academic success.
Enhancing universal access to sports and recreation in first nations communities is also an area of need.
Capacity-building in first nations communities has to begin in the area of health professionals. It is important for communities to develop their own professionals. In order for capacity to occur, the government of the day must resource capacity.
More qualified physical education teachers must be trained. In many of our first nations schools across Canada, gym facilities and recreation facilities are not to be found. Having adequate school gym or recreation facilities seems to be contingent on the size of your first nations population. In Manitoba, at least, one-third of our 55 schools do not have an adequate gym, and in some communities there is no gym or recreational facility. On the other hand, provincial jurisdictions ensure that their schools have adequate facilities for physical activity and recreation.
It is imperative that health education strategies are developed and implemented by the communities, for the communities. Further to this, school-based programming and strategies will be required to promote healthy choices and could include curricula to instill healthy choices; self-esteem building and life skills; a physical education and health curriculum that promotes recreational activities to balance athletic competition; early intervention by qualified nutrition counsellors or health practitioners at the primary, middle, and senior years; outdoor education camps and activities; nutritional awareness for parents; and requiring schools to offer only nutritious, low-fat foods and drinks.
Undoubtedly the requirements to address this challenging crisis are considerable. It is evident that first nations schools in our communities are the centre and focal point of much of the community activity. What happens in the community is usually reflected in the school. For example, in many of our first nations communities, there is a concern about first-language laws. First nations schools are not being asked to develop programming for restoration of the first language of the community.
In the particular area of obesity, schools cannot solve the obesity epidemic on their own, but it is unlikely to be eased without strong school-based policies and programs.
The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre has had many ongoing success stories in working with the 55 first nations schools in Manitoba. Our organization is viewed as a catalyst for change in our communities. Many of the strategies are possible but require resourcing in terms of staff, as well as funding for the development of programming. Communities must build a capacity locally to help address the obesity problem. Our organization, if given the task to help the federal government, will be able to begin the process by building capacity and working with the schools to address this issue. The answers are within.
[Witness speaks in his native language]
Thank you.