I should never look at the paper

[trouble]

I know Canada is a post-racial utopia where we all hold hands and sing about wanting a Coke, but it seems like only yesterday when the Government was behaving incredibly poorly in regards to the health needs of First Nations people.

Unless that really was yesterday. I've been a bit busy.

[These are selected-for-outrage quotes. Read Expecting Flu Assistance, Reserves get body bags from Ottawa for all context.]

Aboriginal leaders said they were outraged and confused when dozens of body bags were delivered to remote Manitoba reserves after native communities demanded federal resources to fight a second wave of the H1N1 flu outbreak.

...

The federal government was left scrambling late Wednesday to explain the shipments, which also included hand sanitizer, masks and gloves.

Each bag contained full post-mortem kits that included a chin strap, five tie-straps and three identification tags.

...

“Is Canada giving up on the first nations?” Mr. Harper asked in an interview. “We're very offended. It looks like Canada is giving up on us. Or is this the flu preparedness that Canada talks about?”

In many First Nations cultures, to prepare for death is to invite death, he said.

...

The mild flu outbreak in the spring erupted into a full-blown crisis on several of Manitoba's remote reserves. At one point, aboriginals comprised two-thirds of Manitoba flu patients on respirators. Health Canada came under fire for hesitating to send hand sanitizer to native towns because of concerns that people would ingest the alcohol-based gel.

The comments are a crapshoot - there are mods at the G&M, though, and many comments simply say "This comment has been removed because it does not meet our commenting guidelines."

*sigh*

Comments

[From: trouble]

*nodnod* That's a good idea.

Now with proper coding

[From: zingerella]

I'm wondering (and researching) whether there's any way to send a personal flu kit to a First Nations household in some remote place.

Because if this is a problem in Manitoba, it's probably also a problem in every other province, only Manitoba at least sent flu kits to families on reserves. I've heard nothing of Ontario doing so.

ETA: Of course the government should be doing this. And one kit will help at most one household. But it will also mean that household may not need to strain communal resources, and I can't afford to outfit an entire reserve.

[From: awils1]

Hrm - I'm under the impression that flu preparedness does include having morgue facilities (even the expansion thereof), but I'd have to do some research to be completely sure.