I'll be very quick.
Let me talk about the 30,000-foot solution. It really is about health transformation and looking at first nation jurisdiction on health. That's where we need to be, because essentially jurisdiction means authority, and authority means responsibility. We've not had a history of having our ability to respond to our own issues being respected.
For an example, look at the Indian Act system. The Indian Act system is really at the root of much of the oppression and the outside impositions that have affected the daily lives of first nations people: on land, on the people, and on our economy. That's the first piece.
If you think for a second about what has transpired here in the last two decades, you'll see that two significant studies have taken place. One was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The other one was the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Those two provide the guideposts that are needed. One is on an institutional self-determination level, which really talks about the imposition of the Indian Act. Those are things that talked about nationhood and the overall community. The other one is the TRC, with the 94 calls for action. All the solutions are in there. That's the 30,000-foot solution.
The issue here was looked at by the first nations of Ontario. A few years back, we took the approach of studying this. We did a “take a stand” approach in our report, and it looked at four strategy areas that address prescription drug addiction.
The first one is obviously looking at prevention and health promotion. The second is looking at healthy relationships at all levels to address complex issues, because this is a very complex issue. It involves everybody in being part of the solution.
The third is reducing the supply, and I think this incremental approach to disentrenchment of this insidious addiction is really where we need to go. The fourth is the need for a continuum of care, that continuum of care being here, again, with first nations being responsible, responsive, and respected within that process.
Overall, this is going to require the investment needed to address the issue. The problem we're looking at right now with respect to the joint review on non-insured health benefits in Canada for first nations is the fact that historically the program is not a needs-based program. It's based on funding levels, with the allocation that comes down from Treasury Board not so much looking at the cost to deal with the solution. Again, it's throwing good money after bad and not really addressing the root of it and eradicating terrible issues like the opiate addiction.
To the committee, we do need investment spending. This is the only way.