Some Manitoba First Nations are asking for military help to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic. Global News has confirmed a report first published by CBC News on Tuesday morning that two First Nations communities in Manitoba — the Cross Lake Band of Indians and Norway House Cree Nation — sent their requests to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in the form of a letter.
However, that’s not the normal route for making such asks. [ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ] Communities requesting military help generally need to go through their provincial governments, so it’s unclear at this point what will happen next and how those requests will be addressed.