Thread by @MarcMillerVM

We all have a role to play in finishing the fight against Covid-19. The Premier’s misunderstanding of his own healthcare system and the role it plays together with the Athabasca Health Authority & Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority is alarming & unproductive. #cdnpoli

https://twitter.com/PremierScottMoe/status/1441073468129222665

The facts are that the vaccination rates in First Nation communities in Saskatchewan are low: approximately 60% among persons 12 and older. We should absolutely not seek to place blame on those communities.

There are many reasons for this, including high youth populations, coupled with the fact that Saskatchewan did not prioritize Indigenous communities as per NACI guidelines. We are also seeing hesitancy in certain communities.

Throughout the pandemic, Indigenous Services Canada has worked tirelessly with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and local health authorities to keep people safe and to ensure a culturally appropriate approach to vaccine distribution and respect for public health measures.

As of September 22nd, a total of $237,870,074 (including on and off-reserve) funding has been allocated to Saskatchewan to support Indigenous communities’ response to COVID. This funding is based on direct allocation to communities as well needs based assessments.

This is in addition to, as of September 16th, a total of $143,213,826 having been allocated to Saskatchewan in public health funding. COVID-19 Public Health funding is proposal based and expended throughout the fiscal year.

Clearly hasty reopening has driven the spread of this new Delta variant wave, principally among the unvaccinated. Indigenous communities face odds that are 3 to 5 times greater than non-Indigenous communities when faced with Covid-19. They have consistently beaten those odds.

This is due to the amazing work that’s been done through Indigenous led responses, by Indigenous leadership and Indigenous pandemic teams. We must be there for them in partnership to beat this current wave.

Early on in this pandemic, the community of La Loche faced a devastating spread of Covid but we worked cooperatively, despite jurisdictional complexities, with Saskatchewan and local Indigenous leadership to crush the curve. This early lesson has guided our approach since then.

Stating that all this work is “exclusive” federal jurisdiction is not only inaccurate but undermines the spirit of Indigenous self-determination that has guided our cooperative approach and must continue in order to overcome this current wave.