RCAP 159 contains a transcript of the sitting of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples at the Cherrywood Inn, Edmonton, Alberta. Subjects discussed are health care, Metis and women's issues, business and economic development, and Aboriginal law education. Presentations can be viewed individually on this site.
File contains an individual presentation by Ken Ward, an Aboriginal man from Enoch First Nations who is living with AIDS. He asks how can Aboriginals have a strong economic base "when these employed people are hurting." He calls for an after care program for Aboriginals leaving the correctional system, which includes elders.
This file contains a presentation by Anne-Marie Hodes relating to the Native Health Care Careers Program at the University of Alberta. Hodes examines the barriers affecting admission and retention of Aboriginal students to professional health facilities. The mandate of the Program focuses on encouraging Aboriginal students to consider a career in medicine in order to correct the under-representation of Aboriginal physicians in Canada. A question-and-answer session with the Commissioners follows the presentation. Everett Lambert acts as facilitator.
File contains a presentation by Dr. John Butt, Chief Medical Examiner for the Province of Alberta. Butt's duties include the investigation of sudden death in the province, and he relates that he has statistics showing high incidence of alcohol related violent death within Aboriginal communities across Alberta. Butt states that his wish is not to sensationalize the problem but to fill in a gap in social science literature which has not adequately addressed this issue and bring it to the concern of the Commission. He then introduces the next presenter his colleague, Mary Ellen Arnup.
File contains a presentation by John Loftus on behalf of the Action North Recovery Centre. Loftus discusses the challenges his organization (which treats drug and alcohol abuse, as well as family violence cases) deals with in High Level. Foremost among his concerns are a lack of professional staff and resources. Following the presentation is a discussion between Loftus and Commissioners Dussault and Robinson on these issues.
File contains a presentation by Maggie Hodgeson discussing the Nechi Institute's purpose and goals. In the last 18 years this Aboriginal training institute has trained 2500 counsellors to work in the 15 Aboriginal treatment programs and 30 prevention programs in Alberta. Hodgeson calls for the Commission to ensure funding for the Nechi Institute continues because its graduates are contributing to the decline of substance abuse among Aboriginals in Alberta.
File contains an individual presentation by Marlene Poitras expressing her frustration with poor housing and living conditions for Aboriginals. She states those conditions are directly related to the rate of illness and disease among Aboriginals. She says that off-reserve Aboriginals particularly suffer with poor housing conditions. Poitras calls on the Commission to ensure that adequate funding is given to lifestyle and health programs for all Aboriginals. Following the presentation is a question-and-answer session with the Commissioners.
File contains a presentation by Mary Ellen Arnup, Research Officer, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Province of Alberta. Arnup presents statistical information on the prevalence of unnatural deaths in the Aboriginal communities of Alberta due to alcohol or drug abuse with relation to the rate in the non-Aboriginal community. Arnup presents her findings. Following the presentation Arnup and preceding presenter John Butt discuss their findings with Commissioners Blakeney and Chartrand.
This file contains a presentation by Melanie Omeniho that first describes her organization's mandate as being a political activist group that continues to develop and/or improve social structures to meet the needs of Metis women. The group assists in developing economic bases for Metis women, as well as developing educational and culturally sensitive opportunities to better the lives of Metis women.
File contains a presentation by Tom Erasmus who is a community development worker for the Alberta Mental Health Association located in the northeast region of Alberta. He is also a co-ordinator of native services for the northeast region of Alberta.
File contains volume 3 of the transcript of the National Round Table on Aboriginal Health and Social Issues of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples at Vancouver, British Columbia. This portion of the volume contains a presentation of Discussion Paper I by Brenda Sinclair on behalf Aboriginal people with disabilities on Day 3. Questions concerning this paper are found after the presentation of Discussion paper K.