pdf download - First Nations Health Council

DAY TWO: THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008
OPENING SPEAKER: TINA KEEPER
Tina Keeper
member of Parliament for Churchill, manitoba
“This is not a time of emergence of a new
generation of Indian leaders. We are the
culmination and product of our ancestors.
Canada is now ready to deal with us because
our leaders of the past have been saying for so
long that there is a need for change. We are
seeing the fallout of all the years of policy and
legislation in which Indian people had no selfdetermination.”
“There is opportunity in this partnership model
for First Nations to share their incredible gifts
with the world, and with Canadians, because
they need it too. It is an important piece to
remember in your work.”
“It is despicable that this great country should
be having these failings for any sector of the
population, and in particular for First Nations for
which there are no guiding principles or policies.”
the urgency in Aboriginal health, noting that
Indigenous peoples around the world suffer similar
health and social issues as here. She spoke of the
opportunities she had enjoyed throughout her
career to work with renowned researchers on
the issue of Indigenous peoples and suicide. The
opportunity to seek solutions in a different way, as
with the Tripartite First Nations Health Plan, is very
important. What was in place was not working.
ms. Keeper referenced the difficulty of making
systemic changes, noting that this was about the
very life of First Nations people, and the lives of
their cultures, heritage and communities.
ms. Keeper discussed the opportunities she has
as a parliamentarian, and as an actor, to travel the
country meeting people and hearing them speak.
She had found that there is a common myth among
Canadian people, that because of new emerging
leadership First Nations were beginning to work
in partnership with government. It is important to
deconstruct that myth because First Nations are
aware that they have been struggling for decades.
The leaders of today exist because of the strength
of their ancestors. The partnerships of today are
possible because of the work done in the past.
In speaking about health, self-determination is
a critical factor. ms. Keeper shared that she was
raised in the north at a time when there was little
intrusion of Canadian policy and legislation and
when the magnitude of the trauma of residential
schools was unknown. There was no CmHC
housing then. First Nations built their own homes,
had a traditional lifestyle, and spoke their own
language. Being raised as one of a people of the
land, ms. Keeper knew that her way of life was
good, and that people were gentle, kind, strong
and resilient.
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ms. Keeper expressed how she was honoured
to participate in the conference, and acknowledged
ms. Keeper commented on what had happened
in one generation due to Canadian policy, due to
the intrusion of natural resource development
within communities in manitoba, and because of
VANCOUVER, bC • mAY 20 - 21 , 2008