Federal Parties Fail on Indigenous Mental Health and Addictions, Experts Say | The Canadian News

After a dark summer for Indian communities across the country, many in Saskatchewan are concerned about the level of attention Indian issues are receiving during the federal election campaign.

Indigenous leaders and academics agree that mental health is not talked about enough in their communities.

In addition to that, they agree that there does not appear to be a plan by either party that has a serious impact regarding the problems faced by indigenous peoples both inside and outside the reserves.

Mental health and addiction problems have always been present in their communities, but the pandemic has exposed them to another degree.

The Saskatoon Tribal Council said reserve services are not getting where they need to be.

“That is the number one result of why we have children in care, many of our men and women within incarceration institutions,” said tribal chief Mark Arcand.

Researchers agree that this is the reality for indigenous peoples in Canada.

Each topic is intertwined with the next, be it housing, education, crime, or mental health.

Based on the platform of each of the major political parties and what their leaders have said, many in the community are pessimistic about how the next federal government will address mental health and addictions.

“These problems have been going on for decades and continue. I’m not sure these issues are going to be adequately addressed, ”said University of Saskatchewan associate professor John Hansen.

He added that the platforms resemble what governments have been doing for the past 20 years.

Hansen, a member of the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, noted that while funding promises are good starting points, an approach that incorporates multiple factors of Indigenous life is what will create positive change.

“A holistic approach would include the mental, physical, spiritual and economic for indigenous peoples. Economically, indigenous communities are marginalized, ”he told Global News.

A May 2020 Statistics Canada report found that Indigenous peoples were generally more stressed, anxious, and had worse mental health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous people when the pandemic began.

Indigenous leaders have been left with a big test and are calling for a different approach to be taken when it comes to mental health as many are dealing with the intergenerational trauma caused by the residential school system as well as other government policies. previous.

“The only way to do that is by investing in mental health and addictions in our First Nations communities, but also by serving the gap when they leave our communities in urban settings and making sure that it is an indigenous leadership for indigenous peoples,” Arcand added. . .

He noted that the tribal council has had great success in the Saweyihtotan project and hopes that lawmakers in Ottawa can reflect this with other indigenous-led programs.

An assistant professor of health studies at the University of Regina said there has been a change in the way providers and experts view problems related to mental health and addictions.

Elizabeth Cooper investigates the impacts of colonialism on the health of indigenous communities and said that the focus on offering comprehensive services to indigenous communities must be considered by the next government for real change.

“True harm reduction consultation is not at the center of platforms for change, even though there is great momentum and momentum for mental health to be at the center of what we are doing,” he said.

Arcand, Hansen, and Cooper agree that there needs to be a comprehensive model with all parties and agencies at the table to ensure that treatment options are available regardless of whether someone lives on a reservation or in a city or town.