PoPulationand Public HealtH etHics
PoPulationand Public HealtH etHics
PoPulationand Public HealtH etHics
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practice<br />
Questions for discussion<br />
1 All people in Canada have a right to safe drinking water and adequate<br />
sanitation and housing. Yet First Nations often have no access<br />
to these basic necessities. What are the ethical issues raised by these<br />
inequities?<br />
2 The federal government funds First Nations water and sewer services<br />
on-reserve, but only a portion of health care-related expenses for First<br />
Nations individuals who become ill, are hospitalized or need to be<br />
air-lifted out of communities for treatment when these services fail<br />
(the rest of the expenses are covered by the relevant province/territory).<br />
What are the ethical issues raised by this jurisdictional divide?<br />
3 What ethical issues should be considered in targeted public and population<br />
health interventions for First Nations, particularly for those<br />
in remote communities?<br />
4 The Walkerton tragedy in 2000 which resulted from E. coli contamination<br />
was a motivation for meaningful improvements to that<br />
community’s water management. If similar changes do not arise<br />
when Aboriginal communities experience water quality problems,<br />
what are the ethical issues? What are the relevant ethical principles<br />
that apply?<br />
reFerences<br />
1 Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living,<br />
Resolution 6/27 (Dec 14, 2007). Retrieved from: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/<br />
HRC/resolutions/A_HRC_RES_6_27.pdf<br />
2 The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation: resolution, Resolution 16/2<br />
(Apr 8, 2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,459d17822<br />
,,4dc108202,0.html<br />
3 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Resolution 2200A<br />
(XXI) of 16 December 1966. Retrieved from: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/<br />
cescr.htm<br />
4 Health Canada. (2012). How many First Nations communities are under a drinking<br />
water advisory? Ottawa, ON: Health Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Aboriginal<br />
Health. Retrieved from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/promotion/publicpublique/water-eau-eng.php#how_many<br />
PoPulation anD <strong>Public</strong> <strong>HealtH</strong> <strong>etHics</strong><br />
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