A salute to Indigenous nurses in Manitoba

On Wednesday May 11, I gave a salute to Indigenous Nurses. My comments from Hansard are below.

Indigenous Nurses Day

Mr. Gerrard: Madam Speaker, Indigenous Nurses Day, today, is a vitally important day for our province. I've been to many First Nation and Métis communities in Manitoba and met many Indigenous nurses. I recall, as an example, visiting Cross Lake-Pimicikamak and meeting four nurses there running a very busy health clinic.

When Judy Klassen took us to visit a community on the east side of Lake Winnipeg–I believe it was Berens River–the MLA for St. Boniface and I met a nurse who was trying to do an almost impossible job. In St. Theresa Point, we visited a health centre where the power had been out for many, many hours and staff had to meet challenges beyond what most health professionals would have to deal with.

Yesterday, I gave a ride to an Indigenous nurse who currently has to use a wheelchair. Her initial injury resulted from an accident at work at a location not covered, so far, by workers compensation. I'm also concerned, from her story, that with her, sometimes the health care being provided to her in Winnipeg may not be as good as it could be because she's Indigenous. Part way through her healing, she was assaulted on the street and reinjured. Are there still residues of the attitude we saw towards Brian Sinclair? I hope not, but I fear so.

We need to be sure that all Indigenous people are treated well. The Indigenous nurse I met yesterday is absolutely dedicated to her profession and very much wants to be back working in her home community as soon as possible. Indigenous nurses in Manitoba are making a tremendous contribution, in particular with respect to ensuring culturally appropriate care, in their visibility and their connections to community.

We salute them together, today, but we need to remember that they're making their contributions every day, every week, every month, every year.

Speaking on behalf of Liberal MLAs, I say miigwech. Thank you to all Indigenous nurses for all you are doing for Manitobans, for our province and for communities throughout our province.

Merci. Miigwech.

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