Manitoba Metis Federation Prepares For COVID-19 Outbreak In Metis Households

Winnipeg – Today, the Manitoba Metis Federation’s (MMF) Health & Wellness Department announced it is working on a strategy to help protect its Citizens from a potential outbreak of the COVID-19 Virus.

“I firmly believe it is our responsibility to ensure the public health of our Citizens within the Homeland and elsewhere,” said MMF Minister of Health & Wellness, Frances Chartrand. “With that in mind, I am pleased to join President David Chartrand, in announcing that the MMF is actively assembling a team of experts to help us prepare our Citizens to take measures to protect themselves and their loved ones from this virus.”

Along with assembling a Metis-specific task force on the virus, the Health & Wellness Department will be performing extensive outreach to Citizens in particular Elders and those who are at higher risk of contracting the virus.

“As the Minister responsible for Health and Wellness, I cannot sit idly waiting for this virus to come into our communities,” added Minister Chartrand. “Our Citizens often have difficulty navigating and accessing the health care system at the best of times. I want to ensure they have the information and tools to properly manage a potential outbreak of this deadly virus. In all of our community-based research along with wellness workshops, we learned that the MMF is a trusted source of information for Metis Citizens, oftentimes, more so than their physicians or other health care providers.”

The team, led by Minister Chartrand, will be recruited to work on the preparation and construction of an emergency action plan in the case of a COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Canada. The goal is for the team to be on the leading edge of emergency readiness and preparedness and to ensure that prevention and early intervention strategies are in place.

The Métis Nation is a diverse people that live in both rural and urban areas throughout the country. When it comes to Manitoba Metis Citizens, they feel they virtually no health supports or programs in place and there has been no outreach from the provincial government when it comes to partnering with Metis Communities.

Once the committee is formed, it will work towards facing this and other potential health threats for Metis Citizens.