Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Yes.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  For our Métis chartered communities, many of them will work with us to develop proposals to submit to health authorities to do their own health programming in their communities. It's important to remember that our Métis chartered communities are not funded together, so they do bake sales and they literally have offices in people's trunks, and they continue to meet because they are a resilient community.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That's a really good point you're making, for sure. To the earlier question around partnerships with the B.C. association, Métis Nation B.C., and First Nations Health Authority, I would say we have lots of great relationships we're building at the provincial level. I can sit and speak with Leslie Varley, who is now the new ED, or the senior staff, Harmony Johnson at First Nations Health Authority.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  May I make a further comment on the land base question? Certainly, as Cassidy has said, Métis have been in this province since the late 1700s. We do have a connection to the land. We do have people who are harvesting regularly. We have a mapping program of our Métis harvesters through the B.C.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  I certainly agree with Cassidy's recommendation that we need to speak to our communities. We're so under-resourced. Just so you know what the ministry of health looks like for Métis Nation B.C., there are 70,000 self-identified Métis. I'm the full-time director of health, and I have a three-quarter-time assistant.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  That was my understanding from the person I spoke to.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  It definitely says “for indigenous peoples”.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  The biggest challenge with Métis Nation is identifying Métis people and using health statistics for Métis. This was a self-reported, comprehensive survey done with Métis youth. It's very difficult to look at Métis statistics, compared to first nations status statistics. For similar non-status first nations, statistics are hard to find as well.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We are hoping that will change. Obviously, with the Daniels decision and the Tom Isaac recommendations, huge things are changing in our country for Métis people.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Cultural connectedness is, of course, very important. We know it's a protective factor for our youth. From the McCreary Centre report, we know that for our males ages 12 to 19, connectedness to family and having one adult outside their family was a huge protective factor for them.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Actually I called the helpline last night because I wanted to know what they would say to a Métis person calling, and they certainly said that, if a Métis person was calling in crisis, they would offer immediate support, but their real role is to connect them to insurable health benefits, and we know that Métis people do not qualify for insurable health benefits.