Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President, Tony Belcourt and Federal Health Minister, the Hon. Tony Clement, made presentations on Sunday, April 15, 2007 to 4 of 30 Métis Students in Ontario who have been awarded scholarships and bursaries through the Métis Nation of Ontario Health Careers Support Program. A total of $210,000 is being awarded through this new program. The presentation took place at the Annual Meeting of the Moon River Métis Council at the MacTier Memorial Community Centre, 9 Haig Street, MacTier, ON at 4:30 pm.
“It is with great pride that the Métis Nation of Ontario is in a position to make these awards to Métis people who are studying to enter the health profession”, said MNO President, Tony Belcourt. “The awards are the first of their kind for the MNO Health Career Scholarship Program and give Métis people an incentive to pursue careers in this field, but they also give the Métis Nation an opportunity to showcase the depth of professional capability that is now coming forward from our communities. These awards are a significant addition to the existing MNO Scholarship and Bursary Program and add greatly to our ability to support our people in their pursuit of higher education, which will result in untold advantages to the Métis Nation and to Canada in the future”, Mr. Belcourt concluded.
Provincial Secretary for Health for the MNO, France Picotte, added, “I am very pleased that the MNO and Health Canada have come together to increase the number of our people who will now be able to pursue careers in the health care field. This is an important first step towards working with Health Canada in the future through the MHHRI to address the many health issues facing the Métis people, including in areas of diabetes, cancer, youth suicide, obesity and early childhood development. ”
The awards are the first tangible outcome of the Métis Health Human Resources Initiative (MHHRI) recently signed between Health Canada and the Métis National Council. The total value of that agreement for the period of 2006 to 2010 is $10 M, to be delivered through the MNC and its five Governing Members from Ontario to British Columbia.
The Métis are a distinct Aboriginal people with a unique culture, language and heritage, and with an ancestral Homeland that centers around Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, parts of the Northwest Territories, as well as the northwestern United States. The Métis played an instrumental role in the shaping of Canada, and work tirelessly to share their culture, music, traditions and knowledge of the environment with their fellow Canadians. Today, the Métis live, work, raise their families and pay taxes in communities all across Canada. |
