Urban-based Indigenous populations matter, let’s start acting like it

When I was finally able to leave residential school and then high school, I moved from place to place for many reasons. I no longer had a physical residence on the reserve. I had very few job prospects and a non-existent support system. I ventured out, as a very vulnerable young woman, taking odd jobs which included working in a fish plant in Co-op Point, as a nurse’s aide in The Pas, and finally as a chambermaid in Winnipeg, where I had arrived in 1971. These limited opportunities, including access to education, are some of the reasons why many First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and non-status peoples continue to migrate to the urban settings, in search of a better life. It is important to dispel what is false about us as First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and non-status peoples: that we were meant to be poor; that we are weak; that we are stupid or lazy; that we are victims. On the contrary, we know the reach of our stories—across time and distance—and across generations. Stories like ours don’t end, they only grow. That is part of our resilience. In light of the current pandemic, these stories now speak to the determination, perseverance, love, and commitment made by our Indigenous leadership, specifically in the urban settings, and done in the face of incredible adversity. COVID-19 exposed the serious underlying conditions that continue to exist with the First Nations, Métis, Inuit and non-status peoples in urban settings. One of the major chronic and inter-jurisdictional problems is the inability of urban-based peoples to have their identities and benefits recognized, thereby ensuring they receive appropriate resources and supports. This has manifested in a concerted effort to ignore the treaty rights for these groups. Society, including Parliament Hill, has learned to live, uncomfortably but quietly, with the symptoms of this deliberate exclusion and power imbalance. As the current pandemic has demonstrated, the municipal arena is where many federal public policies and laws continue to play out for many First Nations, Métis, Inuit and non-status peoples. While all four orders of government play a part in their lives, none of them provide seamless and uninterrupted support and resources as their responsibility dictates. Rather, they continue to use jurisdictional issues as an excuse. Without the benefit of the blatant responsibility that the federal government has with the on-reserve population, the inequity rears its head much more clearly with the lack of supports for the burgeoning urban-based population. The effects we see in light of COVID-19 are even more skewed because this inequality has been tolerated for so long. It is time this long-standing inequity and inequality is redressed, thereby ensuring that public health supports be grounded in the assurances of equality, safety and security as noted in the Canadian Charter. The consequences of the current, and historical, lack of guaranteed support for urban issues are well-known and documented. These consequences include: social exclusion, marginalization and lack of portable rights of identity and benefits. These issues are not merely the byproduct of misguided policies and laws—they have become human rights violations in a country which prides itself as a global champion of human rights. The government had 10 years to prepare for this pandemic following H1N1 in 2009. Yet the conditions in the urban areas remain the same. Why would we expect COVID play out differently if actions to address the underlying inequalities, including those that especially disadvantage women and girls nationwide, were not corrected? The COVID-19 crisis has served to highlight cracks in the existing system and the disproportionate risks to the most vulnerable in the urban settings—it is now time we do something about it. I have spoken directly with Indigenous women in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario who have taken a lead role in their communities in addressing homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence, health-care access, and many more connected issues. They do this with what limited funds and human capital they have, oftentimes going beyond the scope of their service provision mandates. Some have not been refunded for the pandemic-related out-of-pocket expenses they have incurred to deal with new challenges that have arisen. This is despite an appeal to be reimbursed for shouldering responsibilities that should have been undertaken by the government. These advocates and their organizations are determined to change the system because accepting the status quo means a continued negative outlook in what has become a life-and-death situation for some of the individuals and families that they serve. As Parliamentarians, we have researched and highlighted the many gaps that exist for Indigenous populations. These persistent gaps are rooted in the social determinants of health, but come into focus more publicly in the midst of crises or pandemics, such as H1N1 and COVID-19. We have an extraordinary responsibility to ensure that this structural violence does not continue to play out in lives of the urban-based First Nations, Métis, Inuit and non-status peoples. They matter. ISG Mary Jane McCallum (Manitoba) is a First Nations woman of Cree heritage and an advocate for social justice. The Hill Times