First Nations and Métis Leaders need more Support from Ottawa to combat COVID-19

Thursday, 9 April 2020 15:21

First Nations and Métis leaders say they need more from Ottawa to combat COVID-19 in their communities, including more money, assistance with security and help acquiring protective equipment.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde says the amount of money earmarked for First Nations for the COVID-19 response so far does not reflect the needs of their communities.

He is calling on Ottawa to immediately make available 10 per cent of the future funding that will be allocated to Indigenous COVID-19 response to help First Nations deal with the health and social impacts of the pandemic.

He says First Nations must also be part of all decision-making when it comes to deciding how resources are allocated.

Métis National Council vice-president David Chartrand said he's been forced to order personal protective equipment like masks and hand sanitizer directly from China himself.

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