I would start by saying that everything we do is in partnership with indigenous leadership across this country. When we talk about our response to COVID, it was never just ISC nursing staff. There were always first nations health pandemic response teams. There were mobile mental health units that were first nations-led, working side-by-side with our ISC nurses and physicians. There were multiple tables that were put in place, not just for the response in terms of PPE but in terms of vaccinations and the “Protect Our Elders” campaign.
This is what I would say. First, I would offer my condolences to you on the loss of your uncle.
The second thing I would say is that we cannot do these hiring practices independently of our discussions with communities. As the goal of this department is the health transfer of services, it's empowering communities to take that on. Part of their short-term strategy is to try to fill gaps and then the important work that we're doing on long-term strategies to have indigenous students in post-secondary institutions—