Question Period Note: Preparedness and Response Plan in First Nation Communities

• ISC’s Preparedness and Response plan in First Nations Communities, released in April, highlights ongoing COVID-19 response efforts.

• The evergreen plan builds on the 2009 Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan as well as lessons learned from past health outbreaks such as H1N1.

• The plan does not replace the critical need for updated and tested First Nations community pandemic plans. Nationally, 94% of First Nations communities have a pandemic plan.

• We recognize that an effective community response depends on controlling infection by physical distancing, identifying infected individuals and conducting effective contact tracing.

Background:
Since 2009, a specific Annex to the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan on planning considerations for First Nations On-Reserve has been the foundation for First Nations health pandemic planning. The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Indigenous Services Canada is a member of the Canada Pandemic Influenza Plan Committee which plays a critical coordinating role in the national pandemic response. The National Health Emergency Network focused on First Nations public health on-reserve was established as a result of the new First Nations health emergency funds of close to $80M over five years from Budget 2019.
Indigenous Services Canada has continued to work with First Nations partners, key federal departments, and their provincial and territorial counterparts, to protect the health and safety of First Nations communities in responding to the public health crisis resulting from COVID-19. Since Canada was notified by the World Health Organization of outbreaks of respiratory illness in Wuhan, China, FNIHB has been linked into national communications, preparedness and response efforts led by the Public Health Agency of Canada. On January 2, 2020, ISC’s Chief Public Health Officer sent a communication to the National Health Emergency Network about the emerging information on the novel coronavirus. Indigenous Services Canada has proactively kept informed the National Health Emergency Network specific to First Nations On-Reserve of emerging information on COVID-19. Since issuing briefings on the core components of Indigenous Services Canada’s response efforts in early March, regional offices have activated their emergency command centres and ensured First Nations partners were kept informed of preparedness and response efforts. National communications have also been issued consistently, including weekly briefings to the Assembly of First Nations’ Chiefs Committee on Health and Executive.

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