More than 100,000 federal workers are on strike, impacting the capacity of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), but the Kanesatake Health Center (KHC) is not seriously affected – for now.

“For the time being, it is causing mild inconvenience and delay, but it is not impacting our operations,” said Teiawenhniseráhte Tomlinson, executive director of KHC.

“The KHC has solid financial solvency, which allows us to continue to operate. The most major impact would be in terms of financial agreements and amendments should the strike continue for a long time.”

While ISC is not functioning at full capacity, First Nations and Child and Family Services (FNCFS) is among the services being maintained, according to ISC’s website.

“Time-sensitive matters such as Jordan’s principle are still being looked after, which minimizes serious impacts felt by clients,” said Tomlinson.

While the strike poses no imminent threat to KHC services, Tomlinson worries about increased political pressure on the government to cut spending if an agreement is reached that raises costs.

“In the event of spending cuts, there’s always worry that financing to Indigenous communities could be impacted,” he said.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) strike began on April 19 after more than two years of negotiations on issues such as wages and working from home. It is one of the largest strikes in Canadian history.

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Eastern Door