Ontario First Nations leaders are demanding federal politicians commit to reforming what they call a failing national program to support mental health in their communities.
In a report released Tuesday, the Chiefs of Ontario — which represents the leadership of 133 First Nations across the province — outlined federal election priorities which include pressing all parties to review the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program.
The NIHB program, administered by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), is designed to cover the health-care costs for First Nations and Inuit people who face some of the highest rates of suicide in the world. It provides benefits including counselling, dental care, medication, optometry services and medical devices, to those who would otherwise not be able to access critical care.
A groundbreaking Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) investigation published in the fall found therapists with serious criminal and disciplinary histories were approved to treat First Nations clients in the NIHB system.
They include therapists with offences such as murder, sex with a former client, and abandoning a vulnerable patient who became suicidal as a result. A Toronto therapist with two disciplinary actions also posted articles that referred to bodies buried at residential schools as a “hoax.”
Ontario First Nation leaders are now pressing federal parties vying for the votes of Canadians for stricter qualifications and oversight, including a formal complaint system for patients relying on mental health services, and a process to flag, track, and potentially remove problematic service providers.
Regional Chief Abram Benedict of the Chiefs of Ontario says the IJB’s findings “have raised new and serious concerns…The system is broken.”
He is calling for the “immediate removal of providers identified by journalists and clients who have criminal backgrounds and disciplinary records.”
More than 5,000 government-approved mental health counsellors are enrolled in the program, according to data obtained by the IJB through a federal access to information request. However, only about a quarter of those approved by the NIHB self-reported having cultural competency or prior experience working with First Nations or Inuit clients.
The IJB’s investigation also found the program ensnared in red tape, months-long wait times for therapy, and cultural insensitivity that often does more harm than good, according to interviews with more than 60 current and former clients, therapists, physicians, and Indigenous mental health advocates.
Following the IJB’s reporting, the federal government vowed to investigate concerns about therapists with troubling backgrounds.
In a statement this week, ISC officials said Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu met with Benedict and other First Nations leaders in December and are committed to improving the program.
“Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) takes these concerns seriously,” the statement reads. “ISC welcomes recommendations from (Chiefs of Ontario) on specific cultural safety resources for providers working with Ontario First Nations.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) echoed calls for NIHB reform, calling on ISC to ensure providers are trained to deliver care that meets the needs and upholds the dignity of First Nations people.
“First Nations need to know that when they seek mental health services, they are met with professionals who are culturally competent, accountable, and have the qualifications necessary to provide safe, respectful care,” said Acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy in a statement.
In addition to fixing the NIHB program, First Nations leaders are lobbying for a dedicated strategy to expand and strengthen local mental health services in their communities, part of a broader response to the ongoing mental health crisis facing Indigenous people across Canada.
Carol Hopkins, an Indigenous therapist with over 20 years of experience in addiction and mental health, says the program is failing to ensure culturally safe care because of a lack of governance and oversight.
With a federal election on the horizon, Hopkins says party leaders must show they’re serious about reconciliation by making Indigenous health care a priority.
“It’s time for Canada to hear the truth about First Nations experiences trying to access supports,” says Hopkins. “Simple things that can make significant change, like ensuring people on the NIHB list of service providers are not racist. That’s not difficult.”
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