The First Nations Health Ombudsperson Office has officially opened in Saskatchewan.
Situated in Saskatoon, the newly formed office will investigate, document, and report on health system complaints from First Nations people in the province.
Diane Lafond will take up the inaugural position as the first-ever First Nations Health Ombudsperson.
“This office has been something we have worked on for many years,” said Lafond at an event celebrating the opening of the office. “This has been something we have needed for many years for our people.”
Lafond spoke on how discrimination in health care has affected her own family how she had to lobby and fight for a liver transplant for her son.
“Why do we have to fight these unnecessary fights… why?” she asked.
“We need to do better, Saskatchewan and Canada need to do better for us. We matter, not just on Reconciliation Day, not just on Orange Shirt Day, every single day we matter in this country,” said Lafond to applause.
Lafond was praised as the choice of the first ombudsperson by a few dignitaries in attendance.
“Today we are standing here with the first First Nations Health Ombudsman,” said Cowessess First Nation Chief Erica Beaudin. “ I stand with you and will always stand with you as you do this important work.”
“People didn’t know where to go with these problems that’s why this office needs to exist,” added FNHOO Chair Person Dr. Veronica McKinney. “We are looking for transformational change for these systems that aren’t working for us.”
The First Nations Health Ombudspersons Office will be located at the FSIN Head Office building at Kahkewistahaw Crescent in Saskatoon. The Office will have communication tools such as social media, a help line, a website, and education staff who will visit communities.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations provided a list of the many objectives of the Ombudsperson Office:
- To ensure that First Nation individuals, regardless of language, culture, geographic location, age, or gender, know about the Ombudspersons Office’s existence, role, and function.
- Prospective service users are provided with a regular flow of information.
- To ensure that First Nation individuals, regardless of language, culture, geographic location, age, or gender, know where, how and with whom to make a complaint.
- Service users know the quality of services they should expect and what is expected of them.
- Service users have the right and opportunity to express their needs.
- To ensure that First Nations Chiefs, Councillors, and staff, regardless of language, culture, geographic location, age, or gender, know about the Ombudsperson Office’s existence, role, and function.
- Chiefs, Councillors, and staff are provided a regular flow of information.
- Chiefs, Councillors, and staff have the right and opportunity to express their needs.
- To ensure that First Nation Chiefs, Councillors, and staff, regardless of language, culture, geographic location, age, or gender, know where, how and with whom to make a complaint.
First Nation individuals or entities with complaints can call the Toll-Free number 1-833-512-0651 or our direct line 1 306 986 7299.
(TOP PHOTO – Saskatchewan’s first-ever First Nations Health Pmbudsperson Diane Lafond. Photo by Joel Willick)