Tuesday September 1, 2009, 4:14 pm
The money, announced in the latest budget, is for building and renovating nursing stations and clinics in First Nations communities, Aglukkaq said in Winnipeg.

About 16 of the approximately 40 new construction projects are underway, with completion expected by March 2011. Another 230 or so projects are renovations to existing health services infrastructure, the government said in a release.

Aglukkaq was unable to explain specifically how the new funds will help in the fight against the H1N1 swine flu virus this fall.

She also responded to an editorial in Monday's Canadian Medical Association Journal that criticized the federal government's vaccine strategy for being too slow to help those at high risk, compared to licensing approaches in other countries.

"Canada is seen as world leaders in responding to a pandemic," Aglukkaq told a news conference.

"Of course, there's always ways to improve how we respond, and we'll continue to do that. But as we got to the fall, the vaccine will be available, and every Canadian who wants to be vaccinated will be able to be vaccinated. Again, that's very different from other countries."

Canada has also assisted the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization and Mexico and the U.S. in developing their pandemic plans, she said.

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Wednesday September 2, 2009, 5:07 am
Thank you Karen.

Wednesday September 2, 2009, 12:04 pm
Living in the US, where most of our Native Americans live in dire poverty, I do not feel in a position to make a comment on Canada's treatment of their First Nation peoples.

Thursday September 3, 2009, 10:45 am
Thannxxx. hopefully all pople will benefit from these clinics