Its been a good week for a Alberta First Nations..A longstanding land claim with the Siksika First Nation East of Calgary has been settled and the Enoch Cree First Nation West of Edmonton announced the construction of a charter surgical facility on their land..Starting with the Siksika financial settlement; while many modern interpretations of treaty obligations have been dubious, one thing that was crystal clear within treaties has been the delineation of the borders of the reserves. Treaties are usually pretty simple documents and they are all online to be seen. Canada changed the terms after the fact with the Siksika reserve and took a large chunk of their land away from them. The citizens of that band deserved compensation..Hopefully the announced settlement will lead to some final resolution so folks can start looking forward instead of back. One of the Siksika elders said precisely that during the press event on the reserve and it was heartening to hear..Now on to the fantastic new venture announced by the Enoch Cree First Nation..Chief Billy Morin has been heading the Enoch Cree since 2015 and he's hit the ground running. He is a pragmatic young leader and he intends to diversify the economy on his reserve, predominantly through health care services..Morin has spoken of setting up things from birthing centres, to addictions treatment retreats to research facilities for diabetes. He sees an opportunity for his people in the field of health due to the rigid regulations hindering the development of private facilities off reserve land. The first big health care facility on his reserve is set to be built next year..The Enoch Cree Nation has partnered with Surgical Centres Inc. to open a facility that can offer up to 3,000 publicly funded knee and hip replacements per year. It would work in conjunction with Alberta Health Services and the provincial government appears eager to help the project along. .Waiting lists for health care in Canada’s socialized health care system are terrible and have been growing. In Alberta it takes an average of 26 weeks just to get a surgical consultation for a knee or hip replacement. Then it takes nearly a year on average to actually get the surgical procedure done. Meanwhile, patients are in a painful and debilitated condition. They often are out of work while waiting for surgery and taking painkillers. The new centre on the Enoch Cree reserve will be a godsend for thousands..Facilities providing private care within the public system are vulnerable in Canada’s ideologically driven environment. While the Cambie clinic in BC was a great success, it was under constant legal attack from an NDP government that opposes all private care, even when it benefits patients and taxpayers alike. It makes Canada a difficult and risky place for health care investments. .With Canadian First Nations getting in on private provision of health care, we could be seeing a game changer..First Nations exist in a semi-autonomous state within Canada. Reserves are largely self-governing and they are exempt from many local laws. That’s why one can still smoke indoors at a First Nations casino for example. If a First Nations health care facility faces legal challenges from leftist governments, the challenges will likely lose. Even if the challenge wins, a reserve can be inclined to tell the courts to get stuffed and there likely won’t be a repercussion..While many on the left would apparently have people die on waiting lists rather than reform the health care system, they also would rather walk on hot coals barefoot before getting into a battle with First Nations. How would it look if Rachel Notley became premier again and she tried to shut down the health care facility on the Enoch Cree reserve? How many people on reserves would she be willing to put out of work? She wouldn't touch that facility with a 10-foot pole, nor would any other premier. .Most major cities in Western Canada have First Nations reserves either near or abutting them. I imagine the Tsuut'ina nation West of Calgary is watching the Enoch Cree project with interest and the Siksika reserve could be considering health care centres as a place to invest the $1.3 billion they recently were awarded..A private imaging clinic offering MRI and CT services owned by the James Smith Cree Nation has been operating with success in Saskatoon since 2020 and may expand..Medical centres on First Nations land are a win-win-win. Revenue and skilled jobs are brought to First Nations reserves. Waiting lists for medical procedures in the public system will be reduced and the system will likely save money in the process..Let’s hope the Enoch Cree surgical centre is just the first among dozens we will see on First Nations reserves across Canada. It will be great for First Nations citizens and other Canadians alike.
