PAGC Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte spoke at a press conference in Ottawa Wednesday morning urging the government to 'prioritize lives, not seats.' (CPAC screenshot)

By Teena Monteleone

demanding urgent action

Prince Albert Grand Council leaders in Ottawa demanding help for housing and health care crisis

Oct 9, 2024 | 11:57 AM

“We are in a state of crisis in our communities.”

Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte made his message clear.

“Our people are struggling to survive with basic health care and proper housing or safety in their communities and lives are being lost – lives that could be saved.”

Hardlotte was speaking as part of a press conference in Ottawa. He is among a group of PAGC leaders representing 12 First Nations across northern Saskatchewan, who travelled to the nation’s capital to demand urgent action from the federal government. They want members of Parliament to stop worrying about the next election and start worrying about the lives of their people.

“We can’t wait for another election cycle to fix these issues. Lives are on the line right now. They all have the power to make a difference, but they need the political will to act,” Hardlotte said in a PAGC news release.

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During the 20-minute press conference, Hardlotte spoke of overcrowded homes which he said spreads diseases like tuberculosis. He pointed to a lack of mental health care and elder care.

“There are absolute Treaty obligations. Treaties are sacred agreements, not just words on paper,” Hardlotte said. “So, we need action – our communities can’t wait any longer.”

Chief Marcel Head of Shoal Lake Cree Nation said his people have long desired and envisioned a lifestyle that would accommodate and meet the needs of their people based on the land and resources.

“Today, I stand here along with my fellow chiefs and say that we will take back what is rightfully ours and this is our land and resources, but this time, we’ll do it right. We’re not ones to break Treaty, but we are here to convince the government of the day to implement Treaty in such a way that it honours and respects Treaty and the promises that went with it,” Head said.

“If you had honoured and respected the Treaty, we wouldn’t be standing here asking for resources to build houses,” he said.

Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson spoke about mental health issues affecting some of the more than 44,000 people in the North, where she said the population is 85 per cent Indigenous.

“We have the highest rate of mental health issues in northern Saskatchewan, so we’re dealing with many issues that are intergenerational trauma as a result of Indian residential school,” she said.

She said members are still waiting for the federal government to recognize and compensate survivors who attended Timber Bay Children’s Home which was not included in the federal Indian Residential School Settlements.

Cook-Searson wanted to make sure the Ottawa contingent was conveying all the trials and tribulations their communities face. She too touched on overcrowded and deplorable housing.

“We have multiple generations living in one home – homes that have mold and we do get funding for housing, but its always lacking because it’s based on a formula from the 1980s and it’s 2024,” Cook-Searson said.

Leaders also highlighted safety in their community in addition to more addictions, detox and mental health facilities.

Hardlotte requested more funding in emergency management since he said traditional territories and ancestral lands are being burned by wildfires.

“I know we’re dealing with climate change, but more can be done from the provincial and federal government that can prevent the stress on our Elders when they have to evacuate,” Hardlotte said.

And as First Nations work towards self-administered policing, Hardlotte urged politicians to make Indigenous policing an essential service so the funding is guaranteed.

The PAGC said the meetings in Ottawa are meant to advance reconciliation through action, not just promises.

—

teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @princealbertNOW