Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister. Dr. Butler-Jones, thank you for being with us this afternoon.
In a document that identifies the responsibilities associated with pandemic planning and response for on-reserve First Nations communities, it says that the provinces will basically be working with on-reserve First Nations communities with a view to coordinating management of the flu pandemic in these communities.
Having taken the pulse of Aboriginal communities in Quebec, it seems that what the Public Health Branch in Quebec has done is satisfactory and that the communities are, for all intents and purposes, ready to respond in the event of a new outbreak of the H1N1 virus.
Are you able to confirm that? Also, the communities are concerned about their peers living in Manitoba. I imagine that is because, last spring, infection rates in Manitoban communities were among the highest in the country, and very substantially so, given the percentage of the population these communities represent.
I imagine you have done some studies. So, are you able to tell me why communities in Manitoba are more affected? Also, is there reason to be more concerned for these communities?