I echo his sentiment that we're at the mercy of the professionals who are around that in this environment.
Right now I believe the federal government is exploring the racism going on in the health care system. Again, we're at the mercy of individuals who may not always have our best interests...but they do enjoy the funding they receive. They may not have the cultural competency to work within our populations. We're at the mercy of these individuals.
I echo Lori's comment on people who do not want to do business with NIHB. I know a lot of practitioners who say no. They say they don't get paid on time. There are too many bureaucratic errors. There are all of these issues, and they won't do it. We're actually creating more barriers and wanting more.... The competent professionals that we need under NIHB are leaving.
I'm not saying it's all of the clinicians out there. There's a diversity of course. There's a spectrum. Really, in Canadian society, if you want to pick a therapist, you have the choice to go and try people out. The therapeutic alliance between the client and the therapist is the most important aspect. I work with young people who tell me that it's so good to work with me, because they had to tell their white therapist what it's like on the rez. They wonder why they have to keep explaining and educating her, whereas with me there is none of that. I grew up in these communities. I work in these communities. I'm from these communities.
With our work as professionals and as subject matter experts in our communities, we should be the ones who are being pulled together within your organization to look at this information as the subject matter experts, not the politicians.