The Chiefs and leaders of the First Nations Summit, who are meeting this week in North Vancouver, are encouraging the governments of BC and Canada to work together in addressing the alarming condition of Aboriginal health in Canada following the release of the Romanow Commission’s Report on the state of health care in Canada.
“The Romanow Commission underlines what we already know; there are deep and continuing disparities between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians both in terms of their health and their ability to access health care services”, stated Grand Chief Edward John, a member of the First Nations Summit political executive.
“We agree there needs to be action on improving the health of Aboriginal people across Canada. The British Columbia Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, recently released a report on the state of Aboriginal health in BC. We applaud Dr. Kendall’s report for taking a solutions oriented approach and for providing specific targets for action in a number of specific areas”, added Chief John.