Canada’s swine flu shame
by Special Correspondent Jessica Yee, originally published at Comment is Free
For Canada’s First Nations communities, being denied our basic and fundamental human rights is, sadly, not at all a surprise. So after last week’s report that the Canadian government had postponed the delivery of much-needed alcohol-based hand sanitisers to reserve communities with massive outbreaks of the swine flu virus out of apparent “fear” of theft driven by alcoholism in the community, I stopped to think about it for a second. “Same old stupid government perpetuating the colonisation of our people,” I thought. But there’s more going on here that needs to be addressed.
Let’s review the facts. In the two and a half weeks that the government deliberated over whether to send hand sanitiser to reserve communities, this is what happened:
• More swine flu cases developed
• Chiefs, community leaders, nurses and community health representatives scrambled to deal with the escalating outbreak without help from a non-responsive government
• Families, children, elders and community members in these areas had no choice but to wait and see if they were going to get any type of diagnosis or care as conditions worsened
• The wider Canadian population heard occasional reports of the virus developing more in First Nations communities but not enough to warrant a national outpouring of support.
Access to necessary healthcare services is an ongoing problem for many indigenous people around the world, and Canada is no exception. But universal healthcare and non-insured health benefits (which First Nations and Inuit individuals receive in Canada) don’t mean anything if you live somewhere you still cannot get household plumbing, let alone a visit to the doctor.
The statistics are everywhere: this month, a report from a Senate subcommittee on population health highlighted the inadequacies and inequities of First Nation health systems and services that contribute to “third-world health conditions”. This is what the report says:
Canada is generally perceived as one of the greatest countries in the world in which to live. It has a vast and diverse geography rich in natural resources, clean air and a vast territory. When it comes to health, however, we unfortunately have serious disparities. Some Canadians live their lives in excellent health with one of the highest life expectancies in the world; paradoxically others spend their life in poor health, with a life expectancy similar to some third world countries. The unfortunate Canadians who suffer poor health throughout their lifetime are frequently less productive, adding to the burden on the healthcare delivery system and social safety net. We cannot correct this inequity through the healthcare delivery system itself, regardless of the expenditure we devote to it.
This is not even to mention that First Nations nurses get paid about 20% less than nurses who work for Health Canada. But I want people to start talking about why and how the Canadian government oppresses First Nations communities.
Canada is still a colonial state. The country operates under colonial-type laws that undermine the self-determination of First Nations people – and means we have to see if it’s okay with the government to get services to people who need them. There is promising legislature in British Columbia: a tripartite agreement between governments and First Nations healthcare services, and similar legislation under way in Saskatchewan and other provinces. But we nonetheless have to tiptoe around policymakers while our people perish mentally, physically and spiritually every day in both big cities and remote northern territories.
It doesn’t matter that the government thought it had “legitimate” reasons for withholding alcohol-based hand sanitisers from communities desperately seeking help – the truth remains that even if chiefs were saying they didn’t want them, it didn’t have non-alcoholic sanitisers ready anyway. During this entire waiting period it let people suffer, panic and scream in frustration – alone. But I guess it’s something they’re used to doing.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
billy wrote:
WHATEVER YOU DO DONT TAKE THE SWINE FLU VACCINES. SERIOUSLY. DONT DO IT.
sorry about the caps buts its important. Look at infowars.com for VITAL information regarding the swine flu and very many other important things.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 1:02 pm ¶
Kaonashi wrote:
This is absolutely horrifying. Apparently Canada is a great place to live…unless you’re First Nation.
Eff hand sanitizer; how about getting some doctors on the reserves to check people? Some medicine? Some tips to stop spreading?
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 2:19 pm ¶
Persia wrote:
Kaonashi, hand sanitizer is actually one of the best ways to stop spreading swine flu and other diseases– hand hygiene is the biggest tool we have, especially with something as new as swine flu. If people don’t get it in the first place, there’s less need for antivirals or other treatments.
This puts the whole ‘North American peoples would be better off in a US that was more like Canada’ debate from last week in a new light, huh?
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 3:04 pm ¶
Alden Habacon wrote:
For all the amazing things about Canada, especially in the experience of diversity, this is absolutely shameful. It did spark a huge response from the Canadian public. It’s hard to argue that Canadian’s attitudes towards Aboriginal Peoples has positively changed when you read about this kind of response to communities in dire need. The real challenge is that most Canadians do not ever see, or know, Aboriginal Peoples as “everyday people.” That’s not the image we see in media. Rather they’re perceived, with much respect for their heritage, but not like neighbours, or the people on your street. Until Canadians are able to see Aboriginal Peoples as everyday Canadians (in their minds), there will never be that emotional connection with aboriginal communities, especially the more remote Reserves. That said, poverty amongst aboriginal communities is a complicated issue because of the millions of dollars involved; moreover, there are a lot of Canadians that care deeply about this issue.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 5:18 pm ¶
RCHOUDH wrote:
This is a dirty secret that both the Canadian and US governments don’t want their citizens to become aware of. I’ll admit prior to Racialicious I had no idea how life was like for the First Nations/Native American peoples here in North America. Besides this post about the plight of Indian health care in Canada I recently came across another disturbing article about the terrible conditions of Indian health care here in the US:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_go_ot/us_health_care_s_forgotten;_ylt=AqIzDXMJChquClwQQPW.ICB0fNdF
To think that there are people receiving medical services akin to the developing world right here in the advanced West…simply shameful.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 7:26 pm ¶
m. wrote:
I knew swine flu would spread to our reservations/reserves and that it wouldn’t be pretty. Already, people in both of my communities have died from it. I felt so sick when I found out about the Canadian government’s actions; no matter what some people will say, hand sanitizer really is a godsend. Basic hygiene is what our local radio has been stressing, carrying around hand sanitizer is what a lot of people have been doing – you do not turn to doctors or nurses, it just isn’t an option most of the time. Those living on the rez have to worry about staying healthy year-round, because treatment is a privilege we do not have access to at certain times of the year. Most Canadians and Americans aren’t aware of this, though.
“Being denied basic rights” is nothing new for Indigenous people, that’s for sure. What I find funny about proud Canadians is that they think they are living in a bastian of progress. And because they benefit from the *fabulous* social policies (due to their privileges, of course), everyone else does. It is funny down here in the US, too. People get the opposite idea – they think they are the ones getting the short-end of the stick while all of us are getting “free handouts”. It is horrifying how wrong, how oblivious, how mislead so many non-Native people in both of our countries are.
Seriously, though? I hope this post helps put to rest some of those ‘rah, rah Canada’ attitudes expressed on the steampunk post (which I enjoyed, and was smart and well-written – the comments were just so damn depressing). There is nothing “amazing” about a colonial project.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 7:48 pm ¶
Jha wrote:
I remember watching a newsbit on CTV about this issue, and a spokesperson saying, “This is really close to racism” and I just totally sputtered – IT IS RACISM! I was totally shocked that it simply wasn’t called out for what it is.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 8:09 pm ¶
Adrianna wrote:
As someone living in a third world country. The spread of the swine flu worries me immensely, cause we don’t have basic anything. so it will do a lot of damage and hygiene is almost impossible here. I hope that The people of the First Nation get this thing settled . I hope it won’t do to much damage. I hope that Canada recognize what it’s doing cause it’s truly shameful.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 9:44 pm ¶
karak wrote:
The rage I feel is giving me a headache. I can’t even do an intelligent post.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 9:55 pm ¶
Daantaat wrote:
This is absolutely ridiculous! How many people have to die before the government decides to be proactive? If reserves aren’t given decent sanitation systems in the first place then there is no alternative but to provide other ways (i.e. hand sanitizer) to prevent the spread of germs in order to help save lives. It is so true that non-native people are just oblivious to the truth about living conditions on reserve land, be it in Canada or the U.S. Third world conditions exist smack in the middle of first world nations and the privileged white ruling class doesn’t care so long as the third world conditions don’t spread to their precious suburbia. The blatant racism I see every day in the city I reside in really disgusts me, but this treatment by the government disgusts me even more. Colonialism rears its ugly head yet again.
Posted 07 Jul 2009 at 10:21 pm ¶
ashlynn wrote:
I read this post this morning and I couldn’t even formulate words. Something that I can literally walk across the street and buy handful of right now, WHOLE NATIONS do not have access to. The stifling of the swine flu of late has left me more worried than when it first broke…reading this truly frightens me, how if this continues in this manner, before long, one by one, we will tear ourselves and each other apart.
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 1:30 am ¶
dersk wrote:
Hand sanitizer is no better than soap and water. The flu is a virus, not a bacteria, so it’s just a matter of getting the virus particles off your hands, not killing them.
In fact, I saw an interview with Mexico’s Minister of Health while he was handing out Purell on the Mexico City metro, and he admitted it was purely a physchological move.
@billy: that site’s blocked where I work. I sincerely hope it’s not an antivax site. Antivaxers have personal responsibility for every child who dies of measles, smallpox, or any other vaccine-able disease. Jenny McCarthy is the worst of them.
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 7:22 am ¶
Sobia wrote:
Not surprising. Canadian governments at their best ignore our First Nations people, but this current Conservative government, with it’s inherent racist ideology, makes it worse.
@Halden Habacon:
“Rather they’re perceived, with much respect for their heritage, but not like neighbours, or the people on your street. ”
Not the Canada I live in. In Canada, from my experience, they are perceived as lazy drunks. The women are viewed as lazy, drunk prostitutes. The avg Canadian holds a very negative stereotype/belief of them.
The “noble Native” stereotype is limited to movies, TV, and stories.
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 9:03 am ¶
Persia wrote:
dersk, hand sanitizer is indeed no better that soap and water for killing germs, but it’s much more convenient– you can put a bottle right next to the door and people will squirt it on, rather than walking over to the bathroom and washing their hands. And in cases where it’s hard to get clean water, of course….
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 9:20 am ¶
prvlgd cdn wrote:
@Sobia:
Which part of the country do you live in? I get the feeling that around my hometown (T.O.) HH’s view is a little accurate, but that yours is closer to the truth further west.
Those are both problematic–Southern Ontario is media centre for the country basically, and “regional” i.e. everywhere else gets ignored–Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax pop up some times, smaller places less so, and “fly-in communities” are almost conceptually alien. So for some First Nations communities, there’s all that on top of the mean-hearted racism and kind-hearted, bone-headed paternalism (which seemed to be operating in this case).
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 10:17 am ¶
victoria wrote:
dersk wrote:
Hand sanitizer is no better than soap and water. The flu is a virus, not a bacteria, so it’s just a matter of getting the virus particles off your hands, not killing them.
What if you don’t have access to clean water (as many people living on reserves do not)?
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 12:43 pm ¶
victoria wrote:
er, only the quote from dersk was meant to be italicized.
Posted 08 Jul 2009 at 12:44 pm ¶