Ontario opposition politicians are demanding an apology from Premier Doug Ford for accusing an Indigenous NDP legislator of ``jumping the line'' for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Sol Mamakwa, who represents the northern Kiiwetinoong riding, had publicly discussed his vaccination when he received his first dose last month.
He said he was invited by community elders to take the shot to help combat vaccine hesitancy among Indigenous residents in Ontario.
He said on Thursday that Ford's comments demonstrate a lack of respect for Indigenous people, their leadership and their historic challenges in accessing health care.
`It's a lack of compassion for Indigenous people, and the indifference that exists within the system,'' Mamakwa said in an interview Thursday. ``Those comments that he made totally undermine and damage the vaccination efforts that we're doing.''
Ford made the remarks during debate in the provincial legislature on Thursday, after Mamakwa asked about the government's plan to distribute vaccines to Indigenous people in urban areas.
Indigenous people are a priority under the current phase of the province's vaccine rollout.
Ford pointed in response to vaccinations ongoing in fly-in Indigenous communities and alleged that unnamed Indigenous leaders were upset that Mamakwa received a dose.