Millbrook First Nation, Traditional unceded Mi'kmaq territory, Nova Scotia - Indigenous Services Canada
Today, Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, and Lindsay Peach, Executive Director of Tajikeimɨk, reaffirmed their support and partnership for the transformation of the design and delivery of health services that serve Mi'kmaw communities in Nova Scotia through Tajikeimɨk and the communities themselves.
Minister Hajdu has announced that Indigenous Services Canada is committing $8.96 million in federal funding over the next two years to continue to support the partnership between the 13 First Nations Chiefs in Nova Scotia and Tajikeimɨk-a new and developing health and wellness authority working on behalf of the Mi'kmaw communities.
As the first federal investment to support health transformation in Atlantic Canada, this funding will help sustain and enhance the important work of health surveillance, which has already proven valuable for the well-coordinated management and delivery of health services. Throughout and since 2021, Tajikeimɨk has demonstrated leadership in coordinating between the 13 First Nations, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada to assist First Nations communities in their COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccine roll out.
First Nations health transformation is a collaborative process between First Nations partners, the federal government, and provinces and territories. The intent is to create a more coordinated health system in which First Nations-led health organizations assume greater control of the design, administration, management and delivery of health services and programs that support community wellness and address their health needs and priorities.
With this funding announcement, five federally funded health transformation initiatives are now underway-in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Tajikeimɨk is leading the health transformation process for the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia to eventually take control of the design and delivery of health and wellness services, ensuring a high-quality, culturally safe and holistic approach to programs and services. The shared goal by all partners is to improve health outcomes and the well-being of the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia.
The paths to achieving health transformation vary considerably across different regions as First Nations identify and design service delivery solutions that are tailored to meet their communities' needs. These planned health models-each in their own way-will aim to foster a more accessible health care system for the communities they serve, ensuring that health services are high quality and culturally safe.
