Opposition parties took advantage of Native Affairs ’study of budgetary appropriations on Tuesday to express their concerns about several issues affecting Quebec’s First Nations and Inuit. Minister Ian Lafrenière dealt with a barrage of questions on cultural security, Joyce’s Principles, youth protection and housing, in particular.
The story of Aby Piétacho, reported on Monday at ang Have, encouraged parliamentary committee discussions. The treatment undergone by this two -year -old boy, who was sent home five times before finally being treated in hospital for a tumor, has again opened the question of the acceptance of Aboriginal people in the hospital environment.
Less than two years after the Echaquan affair, Liberal MP Gregory Kelley and Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Manon Massé expressed their concerns about the discrimination that persists in Québec’s health system against Aboriginal people.
It is clear that the situation of Aby Piétacho is the tip of the iceberg, launched Manon Massé. This is called systemic racism.
Mr. also wonders. Kelley why no funds have been allocated by the CAQ government to implement the Joyce Principle, a cultural safety principle that guarantees respect for the rights of Aboriginals in terms of health and social services. . This approach was recommended by the Viens report in 2019, a year before Joyce Echaquan’s death.
They are nicknamed because of their history and this is something we want to destroy, Mr. indicated. Kelley. We want them to go into the health care system and be treated like all Quebecers. This is a basic request […] Aboriginals are overly stressed when it comes to our institutions because they are afraid of being treated by others.
Mr. Lafrenière indicated that as part of the plan I have hopeaimed at responding to the recommendations of the Viens commission, approximately one-third of health care personnel in Quebec have received training to better engage with Aboriginal populations.
The training was originally intended to be delivered to health care workers in Joliette, but was later launched across the province. Currently, 108,000 of the approximately 300,000 workers in the Quebec health system follow it.
This is not the number we want. We thought that now there would be a greater number of people who would have training. But it is a step in the right directionsaid Minister Lafrenière.
The important thing is to put everything in place so that it does not happen again [des histoires comme celles de Joyce Echaquan et d’Aby Piétacho]and have the clarity to tell ourselves that we are human.
Yes, we have training, awareness campaigns, but it’s not a vaccine, he continues. That won’t fix everything. There are other steps that must be taken.
In this regard, the Minister mentioned the establishment of new mechanisms for receiving complaints from Aboriginal people who are victims of mistreatment in the health care system. For example, in Manawan, near Joliette, community members were given a specific mandate to receive complaints from their peers.
We have increased the possibilities to file a complaint. Will it fix everything? No, Ian Lafrenière was identified. Of course, there is more to be done and we know this very well.
The Minister also mentioned the establishment of clinics that incorporate the Aboriginal approach to health care. The said clinic is already in place in Val-d’Or, and two more are expected to open in Trois-Rivières and Quebec.
However, Manon Massé denounced the fact that four years after the Viens report, there is still no data to determine how many Aboriginals have gone through Quebec’s health system. Without this data, it would be difficult, according to him, to really change things.
When asked about access to housing and education, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs emphasized measures aimed at providing affordable and larger housing for Aboriginal families. Placing optical fiber in indigenous territories to facilitate distance education is also one of the priorities of his ministry.
The issue of youth care was also addressed by the opposition. Manon Masson lamented that none of the amendments proposed by Aboriginals to Bill 15, on child protection, have been retained.
Aboriginals are required to create their own youth care programs. They believe that services in the area are not adapted to their culture and are discriminatory.
Source: Radio-Canada
