OTTAWA — Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the government will do whatever it can to support Indigenous communities, such as Bearskin Lake, facing COVID-19 crises.
At a news conference today, LeBlanc says fellow ministers are in frequent contact with their provincial counterparts to co-ordinate aid.
Bearskin Lake, a First Nation in northern Ontario, has declared an emergency after COVID-19 infected nearly half of its 400 residents.
The scale of the outbreak has meant that a large proportion of the community is isolating and there are not enough people to deliver essential services, including the distribution of food, water and wood to households.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says Patty Hajdu, minister for Indigenous services, is in daily contact with leaders of Indigenous communities to make sure they have enough rapid tests, tracing support and vaccines.
Duclos did not comment on whether military aid would be sent to Bearskin Lake.