Indigenous Leaders Left Out Of Health Meeting

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is supporting the Mushkegowuk Council of Chiefs who are rallying in opposition to being left out of a meeting being held by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders on health care.

“The Premier’s are requesting long term permanent funding,” said NAN Grand Chief Derek Fox at a Tuesday morning media event. “NAN should be there, Mushkegowuk should be there, First Nations should be there!”

Fox says this meeting is expected to transform the healthcare system across the country and First Nations should not be omitted from those discussions.

“We already have an agreement to move health transformation forward with both levels of government, but they are making these 10 year plans without us. We have demonstrated that when we work together we can come up with real solutions.”

The funding proposal from the federal government is estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

But despite the lack of Indigenous representation at the meeting and not privy to the direct conversations being held behind closed doors today, Fox does look forward to seeing what comes out of the meeting.