Untitled - Phoenix Sinclair Inquiry

These responsibilities of governments and communities also translate into necessary
determinants of health and social wellness. Health promotion and population health research
has taught us that empowering communities and individuals to become involved in the
politics of their lives is essential for wellness. Opportunities for engagement in education and
employment and ongoing capacity development are critical both to individual and community
health. These notions move from theory to action in the development, implementation and
evaluation of the Maternal Child Health Project.
Other events also prepared the stage for the foundation of the Maternal Child Health Project.
Both the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, in the mid-1990s, and the Romanow
Commission, 2001, were significant national initiatives that raised implications for the federal,
provincial and territorial relations in the areas of health care. Both recommended greater
consolidation of funds targeted to First Nations, allowing greater flexibility in addressing
community and regional priorities. As well, the initiatives recommended the development
of partnerships among all involved in First Nation health. Ultimately, the benefit of the
recommendations envisioned was an improved continuum of care for First Nation individuals
and communities.
The historic Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable held April 19, 2004, elevated
the profile of First Nation interests all over Canada. The Roundtable represented an
unprecedented opportunity for members of the Federal Cabinet, Senate and House of
Commons to engage with Aboriginal leaders from across the country. At the Roundtable,
the federal government strongly committed to the development of a new relationship
with First Nations based on a principle of collaboration that will to real transformation.
The Prime Minister made four key commitments revealing a change in the process of
engagement with Aboriginal peoples:
A Report on the Roundtable: Strengthening the Relationship, Canada-Aboriginal Peoples
Roundtable (released May 2004);
Sectoral discussions on six priority areas with Aboriginal groups, provincial and
territorial governments, sectoral experts and practitioners;
A policy retreat with members of the Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs,
Aboriginal leaders, and;
The development of an Aboriginal Report Card to track progress
In September 2004, for the first time, Aboriginal leaders were invited to a Special Meeting
with the First Ministers to discuss health priorities. While the notion of transformative
change is still essentially a relatively abstract concept, it refers to changing the Canadian
political system in general, and the health system in particular, at its core so that the root
causes of social injustices and health inequities are corrected. By way of contrast, the
policy of affirmative action is regarded as a band-aid solution that did not look deeply
enough into the processes that create and aggravate the problems in the first place.
In March 2005, a Special Chiefs Assembly was held in British Columbia that helped secure
an implementation of transformative change. This meeting moved forward work on the
recognition and implementation of First Nation governments. The Assembly of First Nations
Women’s Council Statement on the responsibility of governments and community to women’s
14 | Manitoba First Nation Strengthening Families Maternal Child Health Pilot Project