Stop the Presses, breaking news: Feds finally do something right.

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Health Canada has decided they should speak to First Nations about H1N1 concerns and is hoping it will stop the F*** ups. What a revolutionary thought. They are so excited about this ingenious new idea, that they will hold a Press Conference all about it tommorrow. Well, it's not much, but it's a start. Hopefully the government will follow up with other super smart and clever ideas - like access to clean water, safe housing, schools, doctors and nurses, economic development.... Now that would be worthy of a news conference. The one bizarre twist in this story is INAC flack Ted Yeomans' insistance that the body bag incident had nothing to do with this announcement. Uh-huh. Christ Ted, just say your sorry and stop being an ass.

Full story below.


Tories reach out to First Nations after body bag blunder
By Sue Bailey (CP) – 1 hour ago

OTTAWA — The Harper government is reaching out to First Nations with a flu communications strategy after this week's body-bag fiasco was blamed on a misunderstanding.

Shawn Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, will join Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl for an unusual weekend news conference here Saturday.

Sources say chiefs of some of the most vulnerable communities across Canada will soon have a conduit to raise flu concerns with Ottawa health officials.

The ministers are expected to outline a plan for regular meetings between assembly and government staff. Federal willingness to ease the exchange of such information is seen by some as an olive branch to outraged chiefs.

Ted Yeomans, a spokesman for Strahl, said that's going too far.

"Tomorrow's announcement is not a result of what issues were dealt with this week in regards to H1N1. What will be announced has been worked on for a number of weeks and has been planned for some time."

There is also talk of a virtual summit to allow First Nations with online access to ask questions of flu experts.

Not all communities will be able to take part, said one source close to the planning. But it's a start.

Atleo has expressed frustration with how Ottawa deals with far-flung, often remote First Nations.

He reacted with "disbelief" when Manitoba reserves hard hit by the H1N1 flu received several body bags from Health Canada this week.

A department spokesman said the shipment was part of "routine restocking" - not linked solely to a potential new wave of flu.

Atleo said the badly timed blunder shows why native leaders have been calling since last spring for a new approach.

"This incident demonstrates the urgent need to ensure pandemic planning is developed in partnership with First Nations," he said in a statement.

"I am urging the responsible federal ministers to work with First Nations leadership nationally, regionally and locally to ensure effective communication, clear planning and full engagement and attention on this matter."

Aglukkaq has vowed to get to the bottom of the body bag deliveries as native reserves brace for a second outbreak of H1N1 this fall.

Starting last spring, the flu pandemic disproportionately hit native reserves grappling with lack of running water and overcrowded houses.

Chiefs from some of the most stricken Manitoba reserves accused Ottawa of abandoning them. Some leaders travelled to the nearest cities to buy hand sanitizer and other supplies in bulk after federal shipments were delayed over concerns residents would drink alcohol-based cleanser.

Aglukkaq has repeatedly insisted that the federal government has a pandemic response plan to help all communities should the flu return in force.

At least 76 Canadians across the country have died from H1N1, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Other posts on this topic:

September 16, 2009: Expecting flu assistance, native reserves get body bags from Ottawa
June 10: No Doctors, No Nurses, but emergency hand sanitizer is on its way
June 6: If it isn't racism, what is it?
June 5: Feds slow to respond to First Nation pandemic planning: Manitoba
June 4: Another update H1N1
June 3:More on H1N1 at St. Theresa Point First Nation
June 2: Please follow this story. Please write to your MP

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More on H1N1 at St. Theresa Point First Nation

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This is a follow up to my post: http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-follow-this-story-please-write.html

Manitoba Health authorities are expected to make an announcement at 3pm CT to speak to some preliminary lab results that and confirm if the H1N1 virus is present in any of the cases in St. Theresa Point thus far. I suspect they will confirm at least one case, since they would not yet have enough lab results back to know H1N1 is not present. It's worth mentioning that there was a Manitoba General Chief's Assembly held at St. Theresa Point May 26th and May 27th. I have not heard any reporting on whether or not people from that conference have become ill or if the virus has spread to other First Nations communities.


Other posts on this topic:
June 10: No Doctors, No Nurses, but emergency hand sanitizer is on its way
http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-follow-this-story-please-write.html
http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/follow-up-potential-h1n1-outbreak-at-st.html
http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-on-h1n1-at-st-theresa-point-first.html
http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/another-update-h1n1.html
http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/feds-slow-to-respond-to-first-nation.html

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Follow up: potential H1N1 outbreak at St. Theresa First Nation

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This is a follow up to my post: http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-follow-this-story-please-write.html
To date since H1N1 broke out in Canada, 11 Manitobans have tested positive for swine flu. By comparason, one week 12 suspected cases of H1N1 broke out in St. Theresa First Nation, a remote community with a population of 3,200. Two patients were pregnant, one lost her baby, the other (according to CBC Newsworld) had a emergency C-section both she and her son are in critical condition. The remainder of the cases are children, 5 of 10 are in critial condition.

From the Winnipeg Free Press today: Manitoba Grand Chief Ron Evans said St. Theresa Point is an example of what can happen when governments fail to address the poor social conditions that can help disease spread. Evans said the lack of health-care professionals and overcrowded homes make many communities prone to devastating effects of outbreaks, noting pandemic planning in many areas is still a work in progress.

"It gives you a good sense of how terrible and tragic will be when a community has to deal with an epidemic," Evans said. "No one expected H1N1 to surface at this time so the communities are caught off guard."

Full story

Other posts on this topic:
June 10: No Doctors, No Nurses, but emergency hand sanitizer is on its way
June 6: If it isn't racism, what is it?http://crazybitchesrus.blogspot.com/2009/06/please-follow-this-story-please-write.html
June 5: Feds slow to respond to First Nation pandemic planning: Manitoba
June 4: Another update H1N1
June 3:More on H1N1 at St. Theresa Point First Nation
June 2: Please follow this story. Please write to your MP

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The barely visible Leona Aglukkaq

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The H1N1 virus was the first time I've seen Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq quoted in the news since her appointment. For the most part she seems content to let her press secretary Josée Bellemare do her public speaking for her. I am not the only one to notice:

Rookie minister praised for quick, open response
Globe and Mail
OTTAWA — It is the first test for the rookie health minister: a flu, with early cases reported in Canada, that could evolve into the pandemic predicted by medical experts for so many years. Leona Aglukkaq has been one of the least visible cabinet ministers since her swearing-in last winter. She rarely gives interviews. She has made few national policy announcements. She has seemed content to let other ministers take the limelight.

So while I agree with the Globe and Mail that Leona Aglukkaq has been invisible, I fail to understand their interpretation that her behaviour is some how a cutesy/endearing/bashful/modest attempt to allow others to take the limelight. It's not cute at all. It's irresponsible, unaccountabile, and inept. She needs to step up and do her job and address the issues.

Allow me to give a few examples.

Ottawa leaves marijuana issue in limbo
The federal government is not saying when it is going to comply with a court ruling nearly 16 months ago that struck down a section of its regulations regarding the medical use of marijuana.The regulations restricted designated producers to growing cannabis for no more than a single approved user of marijuana.Federal Court Justice Barry Strayer ruled in January, 2008, that the restriction is "arbitrary," not "rationally related to legitimate state interests" and violates the principles of fundamental justice. It is estimated that more than 400,000 people in Canada use marijuana for medical reasons, according to evidence presented in a case in British Columbia. Less than 20% of the nearly 3,000 people approved to smoke marijuana for medical reasons access it from the government-approved supplier, because of complaints about the quality."Our government is now looking at a range of legal options and will come forward with a policy response very soon," said Josee Bellemare.

Chief begs Ottawa for better health care
Another infant from Garden Hill is fighting for her life in a Winnipeg hospital under similar circumstances that contributed to the death last month of a six-month-old baby from the northern reserve.The incident occurred less than a month after six-month-old Chace Barkman died of meningitis. His parents were sent home from the nursing station repeatedly with instructions to treat his fever with a cool bath and Tylenol. By the time he was finally medivaced to Winnipeg it was too late and he died eight days later, on March 27. On Tuesday, the parents of the year-old baby tried repeatedly to have their daughter seen by nurses at the nursing station in Garden Hill, but the overworked staff sent her home. Harper said he has repeatedly asked Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to visit Garden Hill and see for herself the poor state of health care delivery but the invitations have been ignored. He hoped to meet with her in Ottawa but instead met with Health Canada bureaucrats and Aglukkaq's chief of staff. Aglukkaq's spokeswoman, Josee Bellemare, said the government is committed to providing quality health care in Garden Hill.
"We are currently looking into Chief David Harper's concerns," she said.
She said Garden Hill has a new nursing station, built in 2004, which provides primary health care, public health and emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Toronto to host global meeting on fighting TB
...And the Inuit, their TB rate is 90 times higher The most recent numbers from Statistics Canada suggest at least 70 people died across Canada in 2004 of TB-related causes. Newly minted federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, who hails from Nunavut, knows the issue all too well. "She does recognize that tuberculosis is a big problem," said her press secretary, Josee Bellemare.

Wakey wakey Ms. Aglukkaq. Do your job or resign and gve your job to Bellemare. And while we're at it let's give the Globe and Mail a shake too. Since when did it become their job to write government press releases instead of news?

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