First Light is welcoming the appointment of Lela Evans as the minister of both health and community services and Indigenous relations and reconciliation.

The organization says Premier Tony Wakeham’s decision to have Evans lead both portfolios represents a “long -overdue recognition that Indigenous health equity must be a provincial priority.”

They call Evans’ dual appointment a “rare opportunity to bridge health policy with action on reconciliation,” and that it signals an understanding that better outcomes can come from a “fundamental shift toward Indigenous-led models of care that are culturally safe, trauma-informed, and community-grounded.”

First Light says that approach has proven to be successful in other parts of the country and is “essential” to relieving the strain on the system.

The organization encouraged by what they call government’s “apparent willingness to make Indigenous health a matter of shared responsibility across portfolios,” arguing that the province could become a “national leader in advancing equitable, rights-based healthcare for all.”