Harper 'very concerned' about H1N1 spread

The prime minister addressed questions on the impact of the H1N1 virus on aboriginal communities and new legislation that is in progress regarding mandatory minimum sentences in the criminal justice system.

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Thu. Jun. 25 2009 12:31 PM ET

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday he is "very concerned" about the spread of H1N1, especially among native groups in Manitoba.

The prime minister said the virus continues to confound health experts.

"We really don't know why the H1N1 is more severe among some populations, rather than others," Harper said in Halifax.

He mentioned similar patterns in Mexico where the virus originated, noting that "some populations seemed to be significantly more vulnerable than others."

Harper said he's spoken with his minister of health about the situation, and said the department of health is working with the communities affected to try and address the situation.

Health officials in Manitoba have confirmed almost 460 cases of H1N1, with more than one quarter of those from remote northern communities.

Native leaders are demanding the federal government do more.

"There needs to be an organized plan," said Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. "Someone needs to be responsible. Right now, no one wants to accept responsibility for the First Nations."

Manitoba aboriginal leaders declared a state of emergency in their communities because of H1N1.

That allows reserves to redirect funds from other programs to help fight the flu virus.

Some are calling for the army to be sent in.

"We need help," said Chief David Harper of the Garden Hill First Nation, "if Canadian Forces are being sent all over the whole world to help out, why not in our communities?"

"Most of the First Nations that are in Manitoba are not even prepared. They don't even have sanitizers," Chief Harper said.

That issue hit the headlines this week when it was revealed Health Canada hesitated in sending hand sanitizers to flu-stricken reserves because they contained alcohol.

Nationally, the death toll from swine flu rose to 21. A 68 year old man from Durham Region, east of Toronto, died after testing positive for the H1N1 flu virus.

Comments are now closed for this story

rob walker
said
0 0

Having spent time in native communities it was common to see people die from ingesting too much lysol or shoe polish etc.
It is understandable that Purell is not sent in.
There are not enough jobs out there for the rest of us right now so it's a good thing they do have government checks sent to the door. They would risk getting quite sick if they had to go out and work.

Doug BC
said
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The issue of First Nations people,and our history with them is not the issue here.I know everyone has opinions on how to deal with the way we interact,but the fact remains,that there is a huge diversity of opinion about what exactly is the best way to do that.That diversity is present among both Forst Nations people,and non First Nations people.
Complicating that,is the fact that First Nations people are not a monolithic group either.I doubt there will ever be a "one size fits all" approach that will suddenly elevate the living standards of all First Nations people.Our struggle to provide equality of opportunity could go on for a long time.Mainly because we will need to find dozens and dozens of different solutions,depending on the needs,and the aspirations of hundreds of different cultures among the First Nations community.
The issue today,is a health issue.This virus,and what it takes to contain it's damage,seems to be not well understood.Government should be pro-active in working with other nations in seeking remedies that work,and making sure they are available to Canadians in ALL communities.If there are helpfull solutions,we should all get on board and do our part.While remote First Nations communities with little access to clean water are disadvantaged,we need to be sure everything that can be done,is being done.BY ALL OF US.
Spitballing along racial lines,or lumping all First Nations issues in with this "swine flu" pandemic is not the right way to help.
It's a virus.These are people.What can we do right now that will help? PERIOD.
The political rhetoric from the Harper Haters is a waste of time,and suggests to me that they don't have any HELPFUL solutions either.

KMC (Markham, ON)
said
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Apparently some reserves don't have running water and demand that "the Government" provide them with hand sanitizers...

How did they wash BEFORE the outbreak of this virus? Or did they not bother to wash?

Are "hand sanitizers" so expensive that the reserve chiefs, who "manage" the finances, provided by the Canadian taxpayer, cannot afford to buy "sanitizers" themselves?

As far as Stephen Harper being blamed for this issue (like everything else), the matter is dealt with by the Department of health which is run by bureacrats under the Minister responsible.

The Federal bureacracy, top-heavy with French Canadians, from Quebec, as a result of the Official Languages Act, has been politicized by the Liberals. Many of the issues, for which the present Government is blamed, are caused by the, largely Liberal-supporting Federal bureaucracy intent upon making life difficult for the Tory Government.

Wild One
said
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H1N1 is a concern to all people and is being considered a priority to the government and the WHO.

First Nations have insisted for years that they want the right to self govern and do not want government intervention in their affairs. They receive billions in federal dollars and are tax exempt. If the government tries to impose its wishes in other realms (guns for border guards, Oka, etc.) there is always major backlash from the aboriginal communities impacted.

A decision is required from First Nations on government involvement. They are involved with First Nations as with everyone else, or they are not involved and First Nations self govern. It is not fair to always blame the government when it's suits First Nation purposes to do so, and demand autonomy at other times.

Raj
said
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Why are we in such a panic?! It was one of the chiefs that was upset , and said that he wondered about the alcohol, because this has happened before, so before you blame Harper, maybe check out who said what! thousands are not dying, we are not talking Africa here where we need set up hospitals in tents The more we panic the more it gets distorted.

Jim in Ottawa
said
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The spread of this illness is very concerning indeed. I urge everyone to be viligant in their handwashing and stay home from work if there are any signs or concerns of contagion.

CYL
said
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It is a little disturbing to know that in this day and age of technology, our first nation natives are without the essentials ie: water. This is a disgrace. Our taxes rise and rise, and money is spent on what ? is any of it going to providing for these people.

Alysha Ont
said
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I agree with Sherry and Prarie Boy... your point is well taken also.

Why is Mr Harper expected to do it all? Why can people not taken responsibility for themselves and their own actions? Wash your hands with soap and water or use sanitizers, don't cough without covering your mouth, be careful and be cautious! Why must someone else always be expected to take responsibility for anything and everything? I guess we live in a world of gimme, gimme.

Beth
said
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Wow!.. Some of the comments are more disturbing than the topic of this conversation. Billions of dollars?.. get your facts straight...

Poverty, alcohol problems... hmmm.. maybe if we didn't rip their children out of their homes away from their culture and families... we wouldn't have such a mess on our hands today, with proverty, culture and self-sustaining issues...

Just imagination the government knocking on your door and ripping your children out of your arms... how many generations would it take to heal....

We are ALL Canadians and deserve the same treatment whether it be medical, social or just plain respect.

Jaime
said
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It is surprising that after all of the research done to determine that Aboriginal communities are more at risk in the area of health issues in general because of a link to poverty, that Canada's head official would be baffled is...baffling in itself.

I was wondering...what if the Swine Flu began to overtake rural towns and communities - what would happen then?

Or maybe this is just another incident of Aboriginal peoples blowing the situation out of proportion?? I doubt it.

Hopefully this thing gets fixed fast otherwise, neighboring towns and cities WILL feel the effects of this virus on the same scale as Aboriginal people.

Concerned Canadian
said
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The government of Canada has a responsibility to ensure the health of all citizens, whether they are on reserves or not.

Complaining about "billions of dollars" spent on reserves may be a good point in a different argument, but this is about an emerging crisis that must be dealt with now, now at some other time under different circumstances.

I'm glad to see that Mr. Harper is now considering his options in this regard. But where was he two months ago? Perhaps he was reading some of the posters on this site, telling us all not to worry about this.

Remember them?

They look rather foolish now, don't they, as the death toll begins to mount here in Canada. And around the world.

And if the professionals are right, then things could get a whole lot worse in the Fall if the virus mutates. Perhaps we should take measures to mitigate the danger now, not wait for it to really hit home.

The reserves would be a good place to start.

robert manuel
said
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I think that all the people that claim that native peoples are getting FREE monies, should step foot on a reserve and offer to help since they clearly think they know better. I also believe that abstaining from giving the reserves hand sanitizers because of the alcohol content is absurd. If the reserves have no running water to use to wash their hands, what do you expect them to do? Use the lakes/streams/rivers...now would you expect white Canadians to use lake water to wash their hands as well? I doubt they would even consider it. Should we not help eachother instead of bashing one another down? The government needs to step it up.

Robert
said
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"Someone needs to be responsible. Right now, no one wants to accept responsibility for the First Nations."

How about natives taking responsibility for themselves? Instead of waiting for the "government" to provide hand sanitizer why can't natives use some of the 9 billion dollars Canadian taxpayers provide every year to buy their own.

I'm sorry but can somebody provide me with a "reasonable" explanation why natives won't take responsibility for their own problems?

Overcrowding, bad water, lack of proper medical services, poor educational services and abuse are all endemic to native reserves in Canada. Yet natives refuse to leave these reserves to pursue a better quality of life for themselves and their families. Governments can't solve these problems.

I would move.

A Guenther
said
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Sherry, imagine being forced into a wedding with somebody that just showed up on your door one day.. prenuptial to be decided 100 years or so from now. Then imagine that your husband takes over your house with his friends, and assigns you a room where you are to stay. He gives you an allowance to live on but he tells you penny for penny, exactly what you are allowed to spend that money on. One day you get sick but he tells you no way are you allowed to buy medicine because the last time you tried to kill yourself on it and he didn't want to bother with the inconvenience of getting rid of the body. He's sure that you'll just get better and to stop bothering him.
Shall I go on?

Belle
said
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I thought the 1st nations wanted to be their own government? I'm sure all that can be done is.

Dave T
said
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Chief says nobody wants to take responsibility for first nations....

Well if it was my family, I can think of at least one guy that would want to take responsibility for the situation... regardless of what the government does.

People...all people... need to take personal responsibility for their own situations. Can't rely on government or anybody else for your own situation. At the end of the day everybody is responsible for themselves and their family.

We seem to be losing that concept as a society and want to complain that nobody is taking care of us. Well guess what people... you're on you own. Mommy isn't around to take care of you anymore.

Roger T
said
0 0

Alittle too late now that the death toll is climbing. The health minister said that it's nothing to be over worried about when it first started and the Gov't certianly didn't do much to restrict the spread but yet keeps telling the public it's nothing big too worry about while other countries have taken serious measures to combat the spread. Looks like to me that our Gov't is more keen on the economy over Canadians health.

And for the record, I find it VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SO FAR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE DIED THE HEALTH OFFICIALS KEEPS TELLING THE PUBLIC THAT THEY HAVE MEDIAL CONDITIONALS. Hard to believe that each and everyone of them have health problems which resulted in their deaths.

Sometimes trying to mask the truth only sparks wonders and doubts in people's minds.

My predictions is that before the end of summer the number of people infected will rise to over 5K and the death toll will be over 25.

Lets see how long it will take our Gov't to take serious response before this happens.

Darkitty
said
0 0

Some Reserves get more money and luxuries because of the treaty that was signed for that region. There are many treaties that were signed and each one was slightly different in what it "gave" the native peoples. It's a bunch of politics and stuff and very messy due to the language used. I'm not saying more b/c it can become a heated discussion, but that's the basics as to why some reserves get more then others. There are prolly are other reasons, but i'm just not aware of them or the process it self!

Eastern Eagle
said
0 0

Many Canadians who are travelling these days find themselves in a bad situation. The authorities in many countries treat Canadians as possible H1N1 carriers!. In some countries, Egypt for example, Canadians were forced upon arrival to go to hospitals where the minimum level of medical care is not there. Actually, you are likely to contract something more deadly than H1N1 in these hospitals!. I hope that Mr. Harper can do something to protect the rights of travelling Canadians and ensure their well being.

The Guy who needed a Rant
said
0 0

The reserve system does not work they sit there and complain about the stereotypes when the main problems are on the reserves where they are given the most?!?! weird i think, but the H1N1 needs to be dealt with but we should be worried about how sever the virus is and not how far its traveled.

Now i have plenty of native friends who are not on the reserves and are doing great and they love the free post secondary... now a bit off topic they have First Nations awards of excellence, and African american awards of excellence...imagine if there was a white man award of excellence all hell would break loose.

Prairie Boy
said
0 0

It's quite interesting that the Native society has always been looking to have more responsibilty in it's own ability to govern itself. But now "Native leaders are demanding the federal government do more." and "Someone needs to be responsible. Right now, no one wants to accept responsibility for the First Nations." Just saying.....

Sherry
said
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As a tax paying Canadian I am always amazed at how reserves always blame the government. They get billions and I mean lots of billions of free money. How hard is it not to use this money to make your reserve a functioning one. The bad ones always want more money and blame the government. Please, use the money you get for free and buy some talent to get your medical system worked out in order to manage this crisis yourself.

observer Natty,ON.
said
0 0

Alcohol content of Sanitisers is a SILLY argument.

Mystifying HOW virusses from abroad consistently find their way to Remote Native Reserves?

Abhorrent living conditions existed long before Swine Flu broke out in Mexico.

Those who resent Canada's Treaty Obligation to it's First Peoples should consider the alternative of vacating 98% of this Country taken by Force.

One thing every Govt has in common is the Failure to settle Native Land Claims for a paltry 2% of their Country & Honour Treaty Obligations.

A Koster - BC
said
0 0

Harper's too busy I guess waiting for the economy to go into recession.
I don't know what is so confounding to him but, according to a couple of sources including WHO, the easy spread of the more serious virus among First Nations in Manitoba is most likely due to poverty. Get hand sanitizers to them and other supplies, and some field hospitals with personell, and there'll be a whole lot better chance of holding the virus in check.. duh... why isn't it done already? Instead the sick get kicked out of hotels where they would have been contained, and get flown into Winnipeg where it can get spread even more.
This isn't about Harper and his slim to none chance of winning another election... It's about the lives of real flesh and blood men, women, and children. This government needs to get with the program.

Ben
said
0 0

I note that Health Canada hesitated to sent sanitizers because they contained alchohol, but it seems to me a better option than letting a bunch of people risk death (remember, remote and without proper health care). This virus may be overblown, but it still needs to be dealt with. I'm not sure what good the army would be in this situation though. Let's just make sure that if somebody keels over after ingesting this sanitizer, that is their own individual responsibility.

Charlie
said
0 0

Dont' even have sanitizers? Surely they have soap and water? And what he heck would the army do? Get sick too?

Honestly this is alot of nonsense, he's not helping his people with this kind of talk. I'm sure the medical authorities are doing everything possible and if they need help the government will back them up.

Red X
said
0 0

That means he is not that concerned. Since it has been many weeks and the problem lies within the Aborignal community. Had Harper allowed the Kelowna Accord to proceed; there would have been funding for preventative health care.

Another case study is Harper's handling of the Listerosis outbreak deaths last year...

jjaycee98
said
0 0

Why is it that some Reserves have comfortable housing, modern schools and top notch sports facilities and others have poor sanitation and poluted water? Who decides, and with what criteria do they decide; as to which Reserve gets money? Is there a follow up to see the results?

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