Thank you for the question, Madam Chair.
Specifically with respect to first nations, since the beginning of the aboriginal health human resources initiative, which was put in place, I believe in 2004, the government has been working with partner organizations and the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation to increase the number of aboriginal students pursuing health careers, including nursing and medicine. Funding under that initiative has more than doubled the number of aboriginal health care students who are receiving support. In the last four years of the program, over 1,000 bursaries and scholarships have been awarded to aboriginal health care students, many of whom are studying nursing and medicine.
While increasing the number of doctors and nurses is critical, it's also important to ensure that medical and nursing students are receiving training that will increase cultural competencies in their future practice. Through this initiative, a framework for cultural competency has been developed collaboratively by the association that represents all 17 of Canada's medical schools, that is the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada. Work is now under way to integrate this framework into medical school curricula. There is similar work under way to address the same issues with respect to the curriculum for nurses.