Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has ordered an inquiry into why the government sent body bags to Manitoba reserves. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Canada’s health minister still doesn’t know why dozens of body bags were sent to remote Manitoba First Nations a week ago in preparation for a second wave of swine flu.

“I had said before it’s deeply regrettable. What I have also said is I need to evaluate what happened,” Leona Aglukkaq said.

She was in Winnipeg on Thursday to meet with Manitoba First Nations leaders.

First Nations chiefs were shocked when the bags arrived with a shipment of hand sanitizers and face masks in Wasagamack First Nation and God’s River First Nation.

Body bags were sent to some Manitoba First Nations communities last week along with flu preparation kits.

Health Canada quickly apologized, explaining the bags are part of a routine restocking of supplies for remote nursing stations before the winter season. It just so happened they arrived at the same time as the flu supplies.

The bags were not intended to suggest the government anticipates high mortality rates from the expected resurgence of swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.

Jim Wolfe, director of First Nations and Inuit Health for Manitoba, also issued his own apology and took the blame. Usually, shipments deliver enough bags to nursing stations to last for six weeks but this time they shipped a lot more, he said.

Wolfe’s apology isn’t enough for some native leaders, who called for him to resign. Aglukkaq came to Winnipeg in part to explain that she is still looking into why the over-supply occurred.

“Whether this is an isolated case, or it’s a case happening across the country, it’s important for me to ensure I have all the facts to discuss and review,” she said. “If you’re going to make change to make things better to how we deliver health care to First Nations communities, I need to have that information before me.”

Several chiefs said they were satisfied with her comments but would want to hear the answers once Aglukkaq got them.

Aglukkaq said last week, in the wake of the controversy, that she has ordered her deputy minister to do a “thorough and immediate” inquiry into the body bag report.