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CISSS reminds the population of its obligations
Press release – translated
The Gaspé Peninsula Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSS) is reminding the general population that it has an obligation to respond to calls from Public Health.
Although positive results are now confirmed via email, it is important to respond if you receive a call from the Regional Directorate of Public Health in the hours following this result. These calls are used to carry out epidemiological investigations and to minimize the transmission of the virus.Even if you are not positive for COVID-19, it is still important to respond to calls from the Regional Directorate of Public Health, you could have had a contact with a positive case and there are steps to follow, including getting tested at a testing centre.
Rapid tests are a good way to quickly know if a symptomatic person is positive or not for COVID-19. If you test yourself with a rapid test and it appears positive, you must go and confirm this test at one of the testing centres.
As soon as symptoms appear, you are to go get tested. You can make an appointment by calling 1 877-644-4545.
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Truth and Reconciliation Week: The Future
“This road started well before Indigenous children were forced to attend these schools, when Indigenous Nations flourished, their laws and languages were intact. Despite the recent history of racism and cruelty, today our path is focused on healing and resurgence – on the Land and in our Homes,” National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, 2021.
Indigenous people are revitalizing their traditions, languages and their culture. An example of this is world recognized Stephen Jerome who makes traditional, ancestral black ash baskets in Gesgapegiag. He learned this skill from his father, and he is passing the skill on to the next generation. Indigenous artists create their works with pride of their culture and history.
The preservation and resurgence of Indigenous culture, including languages, art and ways of life are increasingly being steered by community-level decisions and the active participation of that community.
Educational settings, including the teaching of Indigenous culture and worldviews is being developed and adapted. This includes post-secondary degree programs that have been Indigenized and are taught in the home community.
In all areas of Canadian society, Indigenous people are promoting their identities and their rights.
Some Indigenous communities are making great progress towards reaching social, economic and cultural goals by developing local entrepreneurship. The Pow Wow Pitch is a pitch competition for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island (North America). This year more than 1,600 Indigenous entrepreneurs pitched their businesses, including Gesgapegiag resident Christianne Jerome Bernard, for an opportunity to win prizes from $500 to $25,000.
First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples are making greater strides toward self-determination. This includes the right to pursue “Their economic, cultural, and social development and to govern their affairs.”
In the future, decision-making will be more collaborative and participatory and led by Indigenous communities.
“As First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities access and revitalize their spirituality, cultures, languages, laws and governance systems, and as non-Aboriginal Canadians increasingly come to understand Indigenous history within Canada and to recognize and respect Indigenous approaches to establishing and maintaining respectful relationships, Canadians can work together to forge a new covenant of reconciliation,” Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015
“Because when you’re robbed of your childhood, and you’re not connected to your parents, which many of the survivors — all of the survivors — went through, you lose that connection around parenting and family. Those things must be rebuilt with each generation. So, we’ve got to find a way to heal that and have families become healthy and strong again and reach our vision of happy, healthy children surrounded by love and care of their families in safe and vibrant communities. That’s what we want. Everybody wants that across this country. And I really believe that an Indigenous-healing fund is one mechanism to contribute to that healing. … and make sure that we’re creating a society, and a country, where this thing never happens again,” RoseAnne Archibald, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, 2021
“We welcome this “Sacred Day of Reconciliation” and we appreciate all the support demonstrated by the people. It is sacred because we believe that all life is sacred and especially the lives of our children. The policy of assimilation and extinguishment of our culture, languages, spiritual beliefs, and dispossession of our territories, should never be forgotten and needs to become mainstream curriculum. This day of remembrance should be used to learn from the past so that these ongoing policies by federal and provincial governments come to an end and that our people and our rights be recognized and that we establish a true government to government relationship based on the truth. Reconciliation also means reparation,” John Martin, Chief of Gesgapegiag