SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Mary Jane McCallum

  • Senator
  • Non-affiliated
  • Manitoba

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum: I wanted to go back to the suggestion about consultation and defining it. When we look at consultation, it’s defined by the groups that they consult with. That group defines what it means to them. To have a pan-Canadian approach hasn’t worked, and it will never work.

We live with the reality that there’s very little to no consultation that happens, and First Nations are continuously left to struggle with the legislation that we pass here, such as Bill C-91 and Bill C-92. I was talking to the Assembly of First Nations about that today. There are limited time resources, so I think this consultation —

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  • Feb/9/22 2:00:00 p.m.

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum: Tansi, Minister Duclos, and welcome. During the peak of the Omicron wave, First Nations communities enacted states of emergency and protective measures that extended beyond provincial public health orders to keep their members safe. Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, or MKO, represents 30 Northern communities. MKO and other members of the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team have reprofiled human resources from each of their partner organizations to meet the challenges arising from the current pandemic, including the deployment of rapid response teams into First Nation communities facing rising positive case counts. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated ongoing First Nation collaboration between governments and service providers.

Will Health Canada provide ongoing funding to support First Nations in addressing systemic change in the health care system, and are you agreeable to meeting with MKO?

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