Chiefs of Ontario deeply concerned about mental health providers enrolled in the Non-Insured Health Benefits program

Trigger warning: This press release contains sensitive subject matter, including mental health challenges and Indian Residential Schools, that could be triggering for some readers. Resources are available below.

(Toronto, Ont. – November 1, 2024) Chiefs of Ontario are demanding urgent changes to the federal Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) mental health program after concerning revelations in recent media reports. Government-approved mental health counsellors enrolled in the NIHB mental health program have disciplinary and legal histories that call into question their ability to provide care for First Nations, according to an investigation by the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star.

Journalists conducted background checks on thousands of government-approved mental health providers, digging into their professional backgrounds, disciplinary and court records and social media profiles.

Among the government-approved providers is a psychologist in Ontario who has posted articles stating the ultimate goal of residential schools was to educate children and lift them out of poverty, and praised articles which called unmarked graves which could contain First Nations children “a hoax.” The same psychologist has also run afoul with professional regulatory bodies in the province, collecting several disciplinary decisions on his record for “disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional” behaviour.

“The findings of this investigation are deeply troubling and call into question the very foundations of a program that is meant to heal, not hurt, First Nations people,” said Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict. “When the government approves a provider, they are effectively endorsing them and saying, ‘This person can help you.’ But it’s clear that this is not always the case. How can someone who appears to believe—or at least entertains the idea—that residential schools were implemented with noble intents, provide mental health care to someone suffering from the ongoing trauma of those very institutions?”

The NIHB program is a federal program designed to provide First Nations and Inuit people access to health care that is not covered by provinces and territories. It is administered by Indigenous Services Canada and provides access to things like mental health counselling, medical travel, dentists, optometrists, medication and medical devices. NIHB is a primary means of access for those who would otherwise be unable to access these critical types of health care. There are about 5,000 government-approved mental health counsellors enrolled in the program.

Other government-approved mental health counsellors identified by reporters include those who have been found guilty by provincial regulators to have had sex with clients, a convicted murderer, and one who allegedly drove a client to consider suicide after abruptly ending their counselling relationship and ignoring repeated pleas for help. All of these providers are on a list that First Nations people seeking mental health care receive from the federal government.

Reporters also found that experienced Indigenous providers are not able to get enrolled in the program.

“The fact that they let murders, people who appear to deny the reality of residential schools and counsellors who have sex with their clients and not Indigenous therapists says all you need to know,” said Shawanaga First Nation Chief Adam Pawis. “The federal government, according to the reporting, does not consider itself responsible for vetting or disciplining the providers it recommends to First Nations patients, leaving that paramount responsibility to provincial regulators or private companies. Frankly, that’s bogus. We have Treaties with the Crown that must be honoured.”

The Chiefs of Ontario demand the federal government to immediately review the providers it has approved to counsel First Nations and remove those with questionable histories. Reform is desperately needed and must happen now. Indigenous Services Canada cannot sit idly by while this broken mental health system does further damage to vulnerable First Nation communities.

“It’s a broken system. First Nations have been saying it for years and this investigation amplifies the voices of those who have been living this reality for decades. Now maybe our calls for change will be met with action. Urgent reforms are needed to address the serious and harmful faults in the program,” said Regional Chief Benedict.

“We will continue to monitor this file and will be lobbying the government and politicians over the coming weeks and months. This cannot be ignored any longer. We encourage all First Nations people and organizations to join us in this effort. The ones who are suffering the most are our children and our most vulnerable. We owe it to them to do everything we can to fix this broken system.”

Resources are available online at https://988.ca/ or you can connect to the national suicide prevention helpline at 1-833-456-4566, or the Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.The Hope for Wellness Help Line is available 24/7 to all Indigenous peoples across Canada at 1-855-242-3310 online at www.hopeforwellness.ca. You can the national 24-hour crisis line for residential school survivors and their families at 1-866-925-4419.

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The Chiefs of Ontario supports all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction, and their chosen expression of nationhood. Follow Chiefs of Ontario on Facebook, X, Instagram, or LinkedIn @ChiefsOfOntario

Media Contact:

Isak Vaillancourt

Communications Manager

Chiefs of Ontario

Telephone: 416-819-8184

Email: isak.vaillancourt@coo.org

NT4