QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Indigenous Services
Maternal and Child Health
May 7, 2026
Minister, welcome to the Senate of Canada. As parliamentarians, we often speak with pride about Canada’s contributions to improving maternal and infant health around the world. Yet here at home, many Indigenous communities continue to face unacceptable disparities in their health outcomes. Infant mortality rates in Indigenous communities remain significantly higher than the national average, and at the same time, inadequate access to prenatal care, emergency services and maternal health supports continues to place Indigenous mothers at greater risk. Minister, shouldn’t we demonstrate the same commitment to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Indigenous communities here in Canada as we do internationally? What concrete steps is your department taking in coordination with Health Canada to address these inequities?
Thank you. I welcome that question. It’s one that I think is part of a larger dialogue. I’m one of the women who gave birth within the health care system. I understand very personally what it means to face those barriers. In terms of what I envision for the future delivery of that service at Indigenous Services Canada, I want to concretely state that investing in the education space to ensure that service delivery is offered by First Nations to First Nations, preferably also in First Nations language, is an objective I have directed to my department to ensure we’re moving forward with in this space. We’ve seen a significant investment this year in the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program of over $750 million to ensure that with the current system in place, Indigenous people are able to receive the health care that they need. I do want to also state that I believe there is the need for further room for improvement in this space. It’s my duty as a minister to ensure that I’m not trying to determine that in my own way but to also reflect the needs that people bring to me as part of their feedback in receiving the service. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with many health groups over the past couple of months to really refine in that space what it is that people are seeking. I’m a very strong believer and supporter in midwifery because I believe that women should be able to deliver their babies with their feet touching their traditional territories for the first time. I’m proud to come from a nation that offers that. I’m proud to see that many communities across the country are also offering —
Thank you, minister.
Minister, a further concern is the lack of timely disaggregated data on maternal and infant health outcomes in Indigenous communities. Statistics Canada’s latest published Indigenous infant mortality data only covers 2004 to 2016, and Indigenous-specific maternal health data remains limited. Will your government commit to improving the collection and publication of Indigenous maternal and infant health data so that policy-makers and communities can have a clear picture of these ongoing challenges?
I do believe it’s imperative for us to really be able to ensure that we work with our partners in that data collection because while we shape policy at Indigenous Services Canada, we also have to be very open to the contributions that communities make to us in shaping that policy. I think it is imperative that we collect data, but I think it’s also imperative that we create space for them to work with us in offering that service and redefining in that space as well. I believe that it is important for us to collect data, not just for ourselves but also to demonstrate how Indigenous communities are using data to shape the outcomes they seek to achieve.
