Treaty 2 Territory – The Policy Helper for the Health and Wellbeing Circle is preparing for the upcoming August 23-24, 2022 Grand Council Gathering being held in Kakakwekejeong/Ebb and Flow First Nation. The Health and Wellbeing Circle is on the Grand Council Agenda to provide a progress update to reinitiate the Mino-Bimaadiziiwin (Health and Wellbeing) Onankonehkawin (law) development process; and to also begin the engagement process with the Grand Council and members of Treaty 2 Territory.
Much of the Policy Helper’s preparation for the upcoming Grand Council gathering has focused on re-orientation to the Health and Wellbeing (HWB) Circle and reviewing past work materials including the 2021 HWB Workplan. This also includes reviewing the engagement sessions held with both the Women’s Council and the Local Nation Health Directors in 2021.
An Overview of the draft Law, a fact sheet, and engagement questions has been prepared and ready for review by the Lead Keeper that will be shared at the Grand Council Gathering.
To re-initiate the health and wellbeing engagement process, Treaty 2 Territory will ask the following engagement questions to the Grand Council on August 23-24, 2022:
Please share your knowledge and ideas to the following questions:
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- What dialogue or teachings do you remember or recall from your Elders and/or Knowledge Keepers on what mino-biimadiizwin – the good life (health and wellbeing) meant as an Anishinaabe member? How has it changed?
- What do you envision health and wellbeing to be?
- What will the health and wellbeing law look like if Treaty No. 2 was fulfilled by Canada?
- How and who do we engage with to develop the health and wellbeing law?
This upcoming work and engagement is to carry on and implement previous Frist Nations in Treaty 2 Territory Resolutions, particularly 2021-11-18-007 that approved the mandate for the HWB Circle to develop a process and implement a Mino-Bimaadiziiwin Onankonehkawin.
This includes:
1.0 Develop a Mino-Bimaadiziiwin Onankonehkawin
2.0 Approve the Health and Wellbeing Terms of Reference
3.0 Approve the Strategic Multi-year Workplan and budget
4.0 Provide the mandate for First Nations in Treaty 2 Territory to participate in the co-development of federal Indigenous health legislation
5.0 Request permission from the Local Nations to share their community data, health plans, research, and asset mapping with FNT2T to support law development priorities such as a FNT2T health data sovereignty framework and establish wellness centres and
6.0 The Health and Wellbeing Circle continue to a direct relationship with the Government of Canada to uphold the government-to-government relationships and secure fiscal arrangements to support the law-making development and engagement processes
The Mino-Bimaadiziiwin (health and wellbeing) Onankonehkawin Framework will be a foundation to restore the health and wellbeing of the Treaty 2 Territory Local Nations, restore jurisdiction, and address duplication and ambiguities in the delivery of health and health services.
Timeline: The goal is to present a Mino-Bimaadiziiwn Law Framework for review and ratification at next year’s Grand Council gathering in 2023.
Registration for the Grand Council and Treaty Gathering can be be done at fnt2t.com/grandcouncil2022/register
Submitted by: Kim McPherson, Policy Helper, Intergovernmental/ Health and Wellbeing
Last modified: August 12, 2022
