Ottawa – The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) recognizes that community-driven initiatives are fundamental to understanding the roots of vaccine hesitancy and fostering confidence in vaccination. As such, PHAC has partnered with community organizations to support increased access to credible and culturally appropriate information and education on vaccines, helping individuals make informed vaccination choices for themselves and their families.
Through the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF), PHAC invested $200,000 in a project led by Métis Nation-Saskatchewan: Improving Métis-specific Immunization Access and Promotion in Saskatchewan. This project supported COVID-19 vaccine confidence, education, and uptake among Métis people in Saskatchewan. It did so by:
- developing vaccine promotion and awareness activities;
- hosting educational sessions, such as Tea & Talks, an online speaker series focused on issues related to vaccination; and
- building greater understanding of barriers to vaccination within this population.
These initiatives helped to bring resources to Métis communities in Saskatchewan, providing individuals with unique opportunities to learn about vaccination in comfortable and accessible settings.
The IPF is a key component of the Government of Canada’s approach to advancing population health protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, supporting vaccine equity, and improving vaccine uptake and access through public outreach and community mobilization.
“Vaccines save lives. Métis Nation-Saskatchewan played an important role in supporting Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts. This funding helped to share valuable information about COVID-19 vaccines and provided culturally safe spaces for Métis communities in Saskatchewan to ask questions and learn about vaccination. Through our IPF partnerships, we will continue supporting vaccine equity to increase uptake and protect everyone from vaccine-preventable diseases.” – Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health
“The Improving Métis-specific Immunization Access and Promotion in Saskatchewan project helped people to make informed COVID-19 vaccination decisions. By increasing vaccine confidence, this initiative worked to protect the health of individuals, communities, and our healthcare system as a whole.” – Dr Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada