Increasing Health Human Resources

This section provides information on the Aboriginal Health Human Resources Initiative (AHHRI), which aims to ensure that First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have access to the health care providers that they need both now and in the future.

The need for more Aboriginal health care providers has been identified as far back as 1996, when the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended that government and educational institutions train 10,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis health and social services workers by 2006.

Moving forward on this goal, the federal government committed $100 million over five years (2005-2010) towards the creation of the AHHRI at the Special Meeting of First Ministers and Aboriginal leaders in September 2004. The AHHRI builds on efforts initiated under the First Nations and Inuit Health Careers Program and the Pan-Canadian Health Human Resource Strategy and its First Nations and Inuit components.

Health Canada is working with provincial, territorial and Aboriginal governments, as well as other key health-related organizations to improve the health care delivery system for Aboriginal people in Canada. The AHHRI is guiding this effort by focusing on three key areas:

• Increase the number of Aboriginal people working in health careers;
• Retain health care workers in Aboriginal communities; and
• Change educational curricula to yield health care providers that are culturally competent in providing health care services to Aboriginal people.

Links and Resources

Some of the hyperlinks provided are to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the  Official Languages Act. The material found there is therefore in the language(s) used by the sites in question.

Federal Departments

• Canadian Institute for Health Information
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Human Resources and Social Development Canada
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
• Nursing with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
• Statistics Canada

Health-related Associations

• Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada
• Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada
• Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing
• Canadian Medical Association
• Canadian Nurses Association
• Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

National Organizations

• Aboriginal Canada Portal
• Actua
• Assembly of First Nations
• Canadian Aboriginal Science and Technology Society
• Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
• Métis National Council
• National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
• National Aboriginal Health Organization
• National Indian and Inuit Community Health Respresentatives Organization
• Native Women's Association of Canada
• Pauktutiit

News and Announcements

Contact Us

For more information on the First Nations and Inuit Health Careers Program or the Aboriginal Health Human Resources Initiative, please contact your nearest regional office.