Self-Government: Aboriginal Community Empowerment

Self-government is a means of Aboriginal community empowerment by providing the opportunity for Aboriginal peoples to plan and manage their own health systems, as well as managing their own resources and making their own laws (Kent, 2014). Self-governance developed from the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in order to promote healing, enhance self-determination, reduce health inequality and remove barriers and challenges in access and utilization of health care services. Health transfer policy is a step towards self governance and increases Aboriginal peoples control over health policies decisions, programs and services including environmental health, prevention programs, nursing and community health representatives thus, Health Canada since 1989 has offered Aboriginal communities transfer arrangement opportunities for some health services (MacIntosh, 2008).
278).