What level of funding is being invested in the MCH program?
At the September 13, 2004 Special Meeting of First Ministers and Aboriginal Leaders on Health, the Government of Canada undertook to provide funding in key areas to promote Aboriginal health. An additional $700 M over five years was announced including $400 M over five years in upstream investments that focus on diabetes, suicide prevention and MCH, which includes Early Childhood Development (ECD). Of this, $110 million will be directly invested in the new MCH program and a further $35 million for Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve. Will every First Nations community have a Maternal Child Health program? The initial funding is not sufficient to provide an effective MCH program in every First Nations community. A phased-in approach will be used to introduce the program. Dividing up the funding on a per capita basis would allow only the largest communities to offer a program. Instead, funding in the first year will be provided to communities that have capacity to provide an MCH program, ba
