As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with First Nations and Inuit, take immediate action to formally recognize the important role of traditional Indigenous counsellors and healers as part of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program; and that they work together to determine the best way to compensate traditional counsellors and healers as part of the program.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit experts and community members to review the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch’s 2020 policy mandating cultural competency training; and that the results of this review be used to improve the policy, and to ensure that the training is also trauma-informed and gender‑based.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with Indigenous health organizations, and while respecting provincial and territorial jurisdiction, work with the provinces and territories, and their health professional regulatory authorities, to require health care professionals, where necessary, to participate in cultural safety training as part of continuing professional development requirements.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada take feedback from Indigenous health professionals and organizations on the effectiveness and cultural understanding of Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) bureaucrats, and work within the NIHB offices to improve their awareness about the First Nations and Inuit communities that they serve, and to identify and eliminate barriers the NIHB office has created that impede Indigenous Canadians from accessing basic, standard care by providing training for NIHB employees.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners to undertake an urgent review of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program’s medical transportation policy framework to clarify the eligibility criteria for client escorts; and that compassionate accompaniment be accepted as an eligibility criterion for client escorts.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners to recognize the role of client escorts in the context of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program, for example, by considering compensation mechanisms for lost wages and other expenses, such as those incurred for childcare, due to travel.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with First Nations and Inuit, conduct a review of comparable private and public group health plans in Canada to identify and promptly implement ways for the Non‑Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program to modernize and digitize its services to improve efficiency and compensate service providers and NIHB plan members in a timely and efficient manner that matches or exceeds comparable private sector standards; and specifically, that the Government of Canada’s digital modernization create secure digital communications that inform patients and medical professionals, track progress, and provide a digital audit trail.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit experts and community members to: modernize the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program and streamline the approvals process by introducing automatic approvals for certain procedures; take further steps to simplify, for example, by streamlining the application and approval processes and workflows; make use of the most up-to-date technology available in an effort to digitize the program and reduce administrative burdens; and that any efforts at modernization be patient-centred and patient-engaged, focused on providing adequate and timely medical benefits to NIHB members while, at the same time, ensuring that modernization does not become a technological barrier to accessing services.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners to undertake a review of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program to ensure that it provides medical benefits that meet the health needs of First Nations and Inuit, including ensuring that medical transportation benefits are comparable to those of other groups that receive similar benefits from the Government of Canada, such as veterans.

Recommendation 10

That the Government of Canada work with Métis governments and organizations to ensure Métis people who are currently not eligible for Non-Insured Health Benefits have access to health services comparable to that of other Indigenous people; and that the Government of Canada do so while continuing to close the gap in services between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada, in partnership with First Nations and Inuit, and in compliance with Joyce’s Principle, implement measures to address systemic racism within the Non-Insured Health Benefits program, and that the issue of systemic racism be considered at all phases of their review and reform of the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners to review the Non-Insured Health Benefits program for the purpose of expanding medical transportation benefits to individuals in urban centres.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners to review the Non-Insured Health Benefits program to ensure that, rather than having medical devices such as sensor-based glucose monitoring systems approved on a case-by-case basis, coverage for medical devices is comparable to that of the provincial or territorial program that provides the broadest coverage.

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners and relevant stakeholders to review dental benefits provided under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program to ensure that coverage for procedures is comparable to other dental programs, such as the federal public service dental care plan, and that the approval process for procedures is also comparable to similar programs.

Recommendation 15

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners and relevant stakeholders to develop an oral health investment strategy to improve the oral health of Indigenous communities.

Recommendation 16

That the Government of Canada increase the vision care benefits provided under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program to reflect actual costs incurred for eye exams and glasses, and that coverage include contact lenses and, where appropriate, laser eye corrective procedures.

Recommendation 17

That the Government of Canada immediately reinstate Canadian certified counsellors in unregulated provinces under the Non-Insured Health Benefits program.

Recommendation 18

That the Government of Canada work with First Nations and Inuit partners, health professional regulatory authorities, and health professional associations to increase awareness of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.