Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu sidestepped questions last week about her department’s plan to tackle tuberculosis across First Nations communities, calling housing a “critical ingredient” to doing so but offering little detail about any forthcoming plan.
Speaking to the Indigenous affairs committee, which is studying the effects of the housing shortage in FN communities, Hajdu was pressed on the matter by Conservative MP Gary Vidal, whose Saskatchewan riding folds in Black Lake, Fond du Lac and Pelican Narrows — all of which have been hit hard with tuberculosis in recent months.
Pelican Narrows became the third to declare a TB outbreak in February, with the other two highlighting their situations in October.
“We’re talking about dozens of outbreaks and over 100 cases, and that’s nearly double what it was a few years ago and much higher than it's been in over a decade,” said Vidal.
He pressed the minister why “in a developed country like Canada,” there remain outbreaks of a disease that has largely been eradicated in western countries, questioning when an action plan will be released and if it will fold in “targets.” He also asked whether the blueprint would address steps to limit overcrowded housing in the communities.
Hajdu trumpeted a recent visit to the province where she met with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 communities in Saskatchewan, noting “a lot” of the discussion was about housing.
