Evidence of meeting #14 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Grand Chief, is that money getting out to the further-out areas?
Southern Chiefs' Organization Inc.
Could you ask the question again?
Conservative
Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Is that money that she's talking about—for data and for making sure that people can actually access the online information—getting out to the rural and remote areas?
Southern Chiefs' Organization Inc.
I think that it is, to an extent. I know that many of the communities are online. There are calls every day here in the region. There is some back-and-forth happening.
Conservative
Tamara Jansen Conservative Cloverdale—Langley City, BC
Okay.
Ms. Formsma, I think you mentioned that there are many young people who are having a hard time getting that data, that online availability.
Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres
We've been working to try to make sure that the information is getting out. NAFC is partnering with the Well Living House to ensure that urban-specific information is getting out. We've also been working with Indigenous Services and Dr. Valerie Gideon. We're about to embark on some urban-specific messaging and communications. We recognize that a lot of the information is specific to living on-reserve, so instead of just complaining about it, we've offered to work with the department to ensure that the communication is available. We want to make sure it's getting out as far as possible using our network. That's what we're doing.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you, Ms. Jansen.
We go now to Ms. Sidhu. Ms. Sidhu, you have five minutes, please.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Thank you all for joining us today.
Even though I'm joining from my home, I would like to begin by acknowledging that the land I'm sitting on, where we gather, is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg.
My question is to Grand Chief Daniels. You mentioned the prevalence of diabetes. Up to 80% of indigenous youth will be diagnosed with diabetes in their lifetime. Could you go into detail on how, during this time, especially with this dire epidemic, and especially for people who are more vulnerable with heart disease and diabetes, we are handling those populations?
Southern Chiefs' Organization Inc.
I think that in the long term we need to focus on food security and creating community gardens, year-long gardens, in the community. We see examples of these in OCN, where all year they're producing their own vegetation, their own produce, and then they're providing that to the community. We need to see this expanded.
I think that the education system should shift towards these kinds of things. We really need to focus priorities around what young people really need. What are the tools that they need? What are the skills that they really need to learn? Skills on survival and food security, those kinds of things, should be of the highest importance.
When we think of the education system, when we think of employment and training, we have to think about those kinds of things, micro-strategies, micro-sustainability. That's the kind of thinking we need to be focused on. I would encourage all sectors of government to think that way when they're thinking of first nations. First nations can't be reliant on just these big aggregates all the time. There really needs to be a localized strategy. I think that's the best way forward.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
At the last meeting, the Canadian Mental Health Association testified, and you mentioned the youth council and guidance from elders as well. How can the federal government better support mental health for the indigenous population? Can you elaborate on that?
I want to ask the National Association of Friendship Centres if they can elaborate on that too.
Southern Chiefs' Organization Inc.
We've asked for mental health to be expanded in the region. We have two facilities here in our region, and we're looking to expand them. A great deal of work needs to be done in this area.
I think the national suicide prevention strategy that was implemented way back in the day yielded a great deal of results. The friendship centres were involved in that, and so were a lot of other indigenous organizations. We want to see continued focus on our young people, providing support so that we're not involved in the kinds of numbers we're seeing right now.
We need to see a change in the number of people who are feeling like they're hopeless. That takes a combined strategy with a lot of different partners. A lot of it has to do with the institutions that govern, and in some of those interactions, indigenous people feel systemically discriminated against. It's in every institution we can possibly look at. There are examples we can point to.
You need to create the facilities. You need to make space for that. You need to have a strategy so that you also have facilities in the community and support positive livelihoods in the schools. It's all those areas.
Mentorship is key on this. People need to feel supported. Young people need to feel supported and feel loved. It's unfortunate that history has got us to this place, but I think there's an opportunity now for us to create that change.
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
The First Nations Health Authority in B.C. has the virtual doctor of the day program. Do you think that type of program is of benefit to remote communities? Can it be helpful to indigenous populations in areas that are too far away?
Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres
I'm not clear on who that was directed to. I was going to respond on the mental health question, but I'll leave it to the chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Your time is up, but there is a little confusion over who will respond to that. Was that directed to Grand Chief Daniels?
Liberal
Sonia Sidhu Liberal Brampton South, ON
Yes, or to the National Association of Friendship Centres. Perhaps they could give a short answer.
Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres
Sure.
With regard to mental health, our national youth council has also identified that as a priority for youth across Canada. I would just say that for health care in general, but especially for mental health care, availability within urban spaces doesn't always mean access for indigenous people, because it's the culturally safe environments that really foster well-being within our communities.
When it comes to mental health, I think there's availability. As to whether it's accessible, or whether it's something that indigenous people, especially indigenous young people, feel safe accessing, is another question. I think if somebody is getting to the point where they can actually reach out and say that they need help, then when they make that call or when they do that outreach, there definitely needs to be somebody responding back with “Yes, I can help you” and not “Sorry, you need to call this number”, because if they get told that two or three times when they're in a state of mental crisis, it can be very discouraging for them.
I guess it's about making sure that if those services are available, then they're also accessible. If a young person says, “Hi, I'm a child of a sixties scoop survivor, and my grandfather went to residential school”, and the counsellor doesn't know what that person is talking about, then the young person is in the position of having to educate the person who is supposed to be helping them out of that crisis. It adds an additional burden.
I'll leave it at that for now on the mental health piece.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Thank you.
We'll now go to Mr. Thériault.
Mr. Thériault, you have two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Wherever COVID-19 is found around the world, three negative effects of confinement are beginning to emerge, and they are mental health, substance abuse, and family and domestic violence.
First, I will address the National Association of Friendship Centres, and perhaps also Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.
Can you tell us whether your associations and the organizations you are in contact with have also observed an increase in these negative effects since the beginning of the pandemic?
Since there is always a need for prevention, I would like to know what you need to do to adequately counter these kinds of negative effects, and the solutions you would recommend to do so.
President, National Association of Friendship Centres
Jocelyn can probably follow up more specifically with examples from the specific centres, but I think it's about understanding the isolation that already exists in urban spaces. As Jocelyn said, there's this idea that if you live in a city, it must be better because you have access to counsellors or services or programs, but in reality it is sometimes even more isolating, because you don't always have the same kinship bonds you would have in your own territory.
People are more than just a clinical response. They require an emotional response, a clinical response and sometimes just a social response or opportunity. If it's an urban person who may not have a phone, who may not have the Internet at home, who may live in a boarding house, for example, all those factors contribute to someone's isolation and the buildup of some of these other social issues, because there really isn't a strategy for dealing with some of these interpersonal stressors and if you don't have a virtual way to meet with a counsellor, you're alone. For a lot of these issues, that isolation makes it even worse.
Connections and connectivity need to exist in communities to make sure people are wrapped right into the services they need. In terms of eligibility for programs, there are federal programs in which technology is not an eligible expense. You have to start looking at how you support the most vulnerable, and it's the flexibility to get the tools people need to be as connected and supported as possible.
I'll go to Jocelyn because I know she has specific data about what we've seen since the start.
Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres
I'll just add quickly—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Ron McKinnon
Ms. Formsma, if you could do it in about 15 seconds, we'd appreciate it.