Aboriginal Senator Slams Tories For Body Bags

Aboriginal Senator Slams Tories For Body Bags

Friday, September 18, 2009 at 13:24

A Liberal senator from a Saskatchewan First Nation says the federal government has to explain how it plans to deal with the H1N1 flu virus on reserves.

Lillian Dyck says the Conservative government has done a poor job of explaining what it plans to do when the illness strikes reserves.

She says the shipment of body bags to a Manitoba reserve sends a terrible message to all First Nations people.

“It was a heartless act which dehumanizes First Nations people. What kind of flu pandemic planning is this? As a First Nations woman, and a senator, I was in a state of shock after hearing the news. I was overwhelmed with grief. It was as if someone had taken a knife and driven it into my heart,” says Dyck.

She says the government also needs to recognize that poverty is the main reason why First Nations reserves are so vulnerable to this crisis.