(Ottawa) Federal Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc promises his government will do everything in its power to help Indigenous communities hit hard by COVID-19 like Bearskin Lake, Ontario.
The Oji-Cree community of Bearskin Lake in northwestern Ontario declared a health emergency last week; nearly half of its 400 residents have contracted the coronavirus.
Due to the scale of the outbreak, much of the community is in isolation and there are not enough workers to provide essential services, including the distribution of food, water and food to households. firewood.
At a press conference on Friday, Mr. LeBlanc assured that his fellow ministers were in frequent contact with their provincial counterparts to coordinate federal aid.
Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said for his part that his colleague Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, was in daily contact with the leaders of indigenous communities to ensure that they have enough resources. rapid screening tests, support for contact tracing and vaccines.
Mr. Duclos did not want to comment, however, on the possible deployment of soldiers to Bearskin Lake to give a hand to this remote community.