AMC Calls on Manitoba to Allocate More Money to Healthcare After the Canadian Institute for Health Information States Manitoba Has the Third Lowest Healthcare Spending Per Person in the Country
November 5, 2022
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
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Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) issued the following statement in response to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) projections that Manitoba will have the third lowest healthcare spending per person in the Country.
Manitoba Health has chronically underfunded First Nations in Manitoba, especially those living in northern and remote locations of the province. Chronic underfunding and recent budget cuts in healthcare put fiscal constraints above the needs and rights of First Nations citizens. First Nations in Manitoba are continually told that there is no funding for sovereign health initiatives and are getting denied for First Nations treatment centers and hospitals. Meanwhile, the government is projecting saving more than other provinces in their healthcare budget. This strategy further compounds First Nations’ lack of accessible health care and human resource issues, such as retaining nurses and doctors that will create additional barriers to treatment and prevention for those already at risk.
“This projection from CIHI is troubling as Manitoba has the highest population of First Nations citizens in Canada,” Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said. “Due to the ongoing cumulative damage done from colonization, First Nations have the highest rates of premature morbidity and mortality. The province and federal government continually claim to be doing all they can to provide health care services to remote and northern First Nations, yet this proves that Manitoba can do more.”
For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of 62 of the 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 151,000 First Nation citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe (Ojibway), Nehetho / Ininew (Cree), Anishininew (Ojibwe-Cree), Denesuline (Dene) and Dakota Oyate (Dakota) people.