Manitoba senator blasts Liberals over Indigenous issues – Winnipeg Free Press

OTTAWA — A Manitoba senator appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in December gave a scathing dressing-down Tuesday of the Liberals’ approach to Indigenous issues, in her first major comments since taking office.

Sen. Mary Jane McCallum is commonly cited as Canada’s first female First Nations dentist, and is temporarily continuing treatments in Manitoba’s north.

“When I look at what has eroded in our relationship with government, it’s been the trust,” she told the Senate committee on Aboriginal issues Tuesday, saying First Nations people get second-class dental treatment while grappling with a multitude of social issues.

Her comments came as auditor general Michael Ferguson detailed his assessment of the Children’s Oral Health Initiative (COHI) program, which aims to prevent dental issues among Indigenous children by providing them annual checkups, temporary fillings and applying fluoride varnish to their teeth.

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