Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault faced criticism from his political rivals over the weekend after he said members of an Indigenous community want to reopen a semantic debate rather than fix racism problems at a nearby hospital.
Advocates working with Black and Indigenous communities say a proposal to make unvaccinated adults pay a financial penalty risks further entrenching inequities in Canada's pandemic response, and adding another burden to those who are marginalized.
Two Quebec nurses have been suspended without pay after allegedly mocking an Indigenous woman at a public clinic in Joliette, Que., northeast of Montreal.
The high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines in Indigenous communities might show a level of trust in the government but it remains "thin," Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Thursday as he outlined next steps to tackling racism in health care.
The federal government will work with Indigenous leaders to co-develop legislation aimed at giving First Nations, Metis and Inuit people control over the delivery of health care in their communities.
The call to action, known as Joyce’s Principle, aims to ensure that Indigenous people have equal access to "the highest standard" of government-run health services. First Nations have for years complained about discrimination in hospitals and other institutions.
The idea is simple, says Jennifer Brazeau, executive director of the Native Friendship Centre in Quebec’s Lanaudiere region: provide “a culturally secure space” where Indigenous people can get health care without feeling afraid.
The federal government is ready to use its financial leverage over the health system to fight anti-Indigenous racism in health care, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says.