Close to 100 people died this year from drug addiction in the Pelly-Kamsack area, according to the head of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nation’s Senate.
Senator Ted Quewezance made his comments during the citizen’s forum at the Treaty 4 Gathering in Fort Qu’Appelle on Wednesday.
Last month, Quewezance lobbied doctors in Halifax during the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) annual meeting.
He attended the meeting to get support for a health strategy for The Key, Cote and Keeseekoose First Nations, the bands are located about 200 kilometres northeast of Regina.
“This year for 2015, we had about 98 deaths, all of them in regards to prescription drugs, methadone and also hard drugs,” said Quewezance. “Out of all those deaths we only had one natural death, which was an Elder.”
Quewezance says the CMA passed five resolutions supporting their community strategy.
Before lobbying the CMA, Quewezance got a resolution passed by the Assembly of First Nations to approach doctors. The resolution is based on the health recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“And the reason they (the CMA) supported us is the story they heard,” says Quewezance. “And also we had a strategy for them, and we also got a process set up to follow.”