Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 29th, 2010

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

We're not talking about the same kind of service that people currently have through the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. That's clear. There will be more steps involved. There will be more back and forth; it just isn't going to be the same kind of service.

With the evaluation that was done, it seemed that the program was highly regarded. I wonder why we would replace a service that was working with something that may not work. I don't understand that.

The Aboriginal Healing Foundation, in this report, indicated back in 2001 that there were 1,500 individual communities and approximately 60,000 individual participants, and by the time 2009 rolled around, there were 140 contribution agreements. Clearly there were large numbers of people who were being adequately provided service under this program. Why would we can it?

[Aideen Nabigon]

Mr. Chair, the healing foundation was never intended to be a permanent organization.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

I understand that. I think most of us here understand that it was a sunsetted program. By the government's own putting forward of additional moneys to deal with some of the dispute resolution processes, it acknowledged that in terms of the residential school situation the participants and their families had not fully gone through healing processes--because there was more money.

So we all understand that the program was sunsetted, but the question is, why would we not have extended the funding for a program that was working in dealing with the residential school survivors, their families, and their communities? What's the rationale? I don't understand.

[Aideen Nabigon]

Mr. Chair, the parties to the settlement agreement negotiated funding for all parts of the settlement agreement, including the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. It was through that negotiation process by the legal counsel for the churches, for the students—

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Again, I understand all of that. I understand the legal negotiations and the residential schools settlement, but I still am not clear why we would sunset a program that was working.

[Aideen Nabigon]

Well, the healing foundation continues to exist until 2012.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

For 12 projects only.

[Aideen Nabigon]

For 12 healing centres.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

That's right.

I'm just looking for an answer, because when we had the emergency debate in the House, everybody got up and said what a wonderful program it was, so I can't find a good reason to not extend it.

[Aideen Nabigon]

The obligation under the settlement agreement for the Government of Canada is to provide health and healing services, which it will continue to do. The Government of Canada will continue to fulfill its obligations under the settlement agreement through the resolution health support program.

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Thank you, Ms. Crowder.

Now we'll go to Mr. Rickford for seven minutes.

Mr. Rickford, go ahead.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses. I want to say that you do great work.

As somebody who was involved in this as a signatory for more than 900 survivors, from the outset of this process, what we have seen overall is a fully integrated process, from the largest class action settlement in the history of the western world, to say the very least, the common law.

And in the implementation, it's worth pointing out that this government has, in many instances, gone above and beyond what they actually agreed to as signatories to that agreement. Certainly we saw in the last budget an infusion of resources into a couple of key areas, and binding on that agreement, people were fully aware of some of the programs that were going to come to an end or sunset. I think it's important to point out that there are a number of healing centres that do important work through the AHF that will continue.

I know I don't share the views of some of my colleagues that the Aboriginal Healing Foundation necessarily got to all of the communities or constituents that it intended to. That may be somewhat overinflated, but I do know, with more than 25 isolated and remote first nations communities, that I have a tremendous respect for the work of the resolution health support program, because it's actually intended to deal more uniquely with survivors and their families, and it's delivered through elders, which is an underlying community concept or component to it.

Furthermore, with respect to the future care plan, I want to revisit an issue that you did very well at describing for one of my colleagues here. The four overarching components of the agreement were: the common experience payment; the individual assessment program, which has been called something different previously--ADR; the Aboriginal Healing Foundation; and truth and reconciliation.

As a component of the IAP, I think it's worth pointing out that the future care plan--and I've written hundreds of these--was actually intended to, again, deal with specific emotional and psychological needs of the survivor. That did in fact involve, at times, the participation of family members and the broader community, providing, within the criteria of the future care plan, that the emphasis was on the healing of the survivor.

Would that be a fair statement, Aideen?

[Aideen Nabigon]

Absolutely.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

To that end, I think the health committee has looked at some important work around the resolution program. There was a 2006 mid-term evaluation of the Indian residential school national resolution framework. It found that 90% of claimants who responded to a survey utilized one or more of the health support services that were in fact funded by Health Canada.

Can you confirm that, Kathleen?

[Kathy Langlois]

Yes, I can.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

It also found that “93% of the survey respondents indicated that their experience was safer and more supportive as a result of the health services provided” and that, furthermore, the participation of elders in those programs was key to its success.

[Kathy Langlois]

Absolutely.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I think it's more important, or as important, that 89% of the claimants who received counselling indicated that the resolution process was a positive experience.

So quantitatively and qualitatively, we have data here, driven by our own health committee, that support unequivocally, in fact, that many of the programs Health Canada was offering and were integrated into this agreement at one point or another are quite complementary to the work that the Aboriginal Healing Foundation has done.

In fact, I understand, Kathy, that you are doing a best practices approach in terms of how you're refining some of the programs that you're going to deliver in communities across Canada. Is that true?

[Kathy Langlois]

We are always looking to base our programs on evidence, so we continually do an evidence-based review and amend our programs as necessary. For example, with regard to the item you cited there, when we did the mid-term evaluation in 2006, we heard from former students that elder support services and traditional healing were key, so we ensured that in future funding we would build in significant amounts for that.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I think it is important here for everybody to understand that in addition to what the Aboriginal Healing Foundation was intended to accomplish during the time span that was indicated in the agreement and signed on to by all stakeholders--and most importantly, the survivors, as they may have been represented by legal counsel and of course the AFN--the work that Health Canada is doing is going a long way to address one of the things that I saw first-hand we were missing out on through the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, which was that our isolated communities, ones that were not accessible by road, had a mechanism.

You mentioned the nursing station. I spent a number of years working in more than 30 of them across Canada as a nurse, prior to my legal career.

We understand that this was an important link for survivors and their families. Many of them deal with the nursing station almost every day in some way, shape or form to get connected to a different kind of service that may be focused on their specific needs or the specific residual needs of their family with respect to the residential school survivor legacy. Is that a fair statement?

[Kathy Langlois]

Yes. In fact, that is why we ensured that the information on our program is available in many of the community sites, including the nursing stations.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Thank you.

How much time do I have?

[The Chair, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

You still have about 40 seconds. I know you're not used to the seven-minute time spot.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Because we have 40 seconds, Aideen, could you just build on your perspective as director general on what the future care plan activities have historically intended to accomplish? Maybe you could give us a couple of examples for the benefit of the members here to show what an important part of the healing recovery legacy we're engaged in.

[Aideen Nabigon]

Sure. The future care award, which is paid out through the independent assessment process and negotiated as part of that process, includes $10,000 for counselling or treatment and up to $15,000 if it includes psychiatric care. The average payments to date have been about $8,200. The average IAP payment is $125,000.