Quebec minister under fire from First Nations groups for comments on air ambulances
MONTREAL — Quebec’s Health Minister apologized Thursday for comments about intoxicated parents on air ambulance flights, but insisted that he wasn’t talking about Indigenous families when he made the remarks a few weeks ago.
The apology came after several prominent Indigenous leaders called for Gaetan Barrette to resign or be demoted in reaction to comments that were deemed offensive toward Inuit parents.
An audio recording of Barrette obtained by Le Devoir and CBC Montreal has him saying in English that within six months, there will be at least one case of a person who will not be allowed to board an air ambulance plane because they are agitated, drugged or under the influence.
Barrette was referring a decision taken by the government in February that reversed a policy forbidding parents or guardians from accompanying their children on emergency flights from northern communities to medical facilities.