The Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) passed a resolution on March 19, supporting the Yukon government’s plan to create a territorial health authority.
Pauline Frost, the chair of the Chiefs Committee on Health and chief of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, announced the resolution’s passing at a press conference on March 20 alongside CYFN Grand Chief Peter Johnston and Stephen Mills, the co-chair of the Health Transformation Advisory Committee.
At the press conference, Frost said that Yukon First Nations’ leadership held a meeting on March 19 to discuss the importance of the Health Authority Act, or Bill 38. She said it was the first time they’d sat down to examine what the legislation means to Indigenous people in the territory and how critically important it is for the bill to pass in the legislature.
“As a result of our in-depth discussion yesterday, we had determined that we wanted to show solidarity and unity going forward […] So, we passed the resolution supporting the framework, supporting the concept of the Health [Authority] Act,” Frost said.
In his statements, Mills hailed the proposed bill as “innovative” and “such an important piece of legislation.”
Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee introduced the legislation behind the proposed health authority in the Yukon Legislative Assembly on March 11. On the same day, both McPhee and Frost addressed reporters at a press conference about the health authority in the government’s media room.
If the government passes Bill 38, the proposed health authority will oversee Yukon hospitals and provide health and social services. The authority’s Southern Tutchone name will be Shäw Kwä’ą, meaning “It is all well, it is all good.”
During her comments at the March 20 press conference, Frost, a former Liberal health minister, called the current health services system “fundamentally flawed” and “inequitable.” She specifically highlighted the various levels of government involved in delivering health care to Yukon residents and indicated the health system’s various layers make it easy for people to fall through the cracks.Frost gave the example of an elder from Old Crow being flown to Vancouver for heart surgery but not being provided with appropriate support after being discharged from the hospital.
“[The] elder is discharged from the St. Paul’s Hospital at six in the morning, and I get the call: ‘I don’t know what to do. I’m in a strange place, and I have to check out my room. And I have no medical travel home. What am I going to do?’ It’s a barrier and it’s not appropriate,” Frost said.
“It breaks my heart that we still, in this day and age, are still discharging elders who are not accustomed to travelling to large centers like Vancouver,” she added, indicating a shake-up of the Yukon’s health care system could help address such situations.
Frost also noted the “lukewarm” response to the health authority announcement from opposition politicians and she gave assurances that the process is intended to take down barriers—not impose new ones.
“We’re hopeful that the opposition parties will support the legislation and see how valuable it is for every Yukoner,” Frost said.
Asked what message she had for politicians opposed to Bill 38, Frost said, “We urge the opposition members, we urge members of the legislative assembly to support the legislation, to allow the work to begin. If there are concerns, in that case, I would encourage everyone to ask the right questions — participate.”
Mills was blunt in his assessment of hold-ups Bill 38 may face in the legislature, stating, “Politics can’t get in the way of health outcomes—and better health outcomes—for all Yukoners.”
On the day the legislation was introduced, McPhee stated that the health authority would be overseen by a board of directors headed by a chair appointed by the Health and Social Services Minister.
The minister will also appoint three of the board members, while the Chiefs Committee on Health will appoint three more. It is expected that involved parties will make “reasonable efforts” to reach a consensus on board members.
According to government officials at a technical briefing on March 11, the health authority is expected to take one to three years to set up if Bill 38 is passed.
—with files from Dana Hatherly
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com