Current Problems: Health (18-24)

Exploring Theme: "Systemic Racism"

Updates on this page: 69 (Filtered by Indigenous Group "Métis")
 

November 7, 2024


Systemic Racism in Canadian Healthcare: The Tragedy of Brian Sinclair and Joyce Echaquan | NDN POV

NationTalk: Credit: TVO Today This episode of NDN POV delves into the systemic racism faced by Indigenous peoples in the Canadian healthcare system, as well as the longstanding inequities caused by colonization. Indigenous peoples in Canada suffer disproportionately from poor health outcomes, including higher rates of chronic disease, mental health challenges, and lower life expectancy compared...

November 1, 2024


Indigenous advocates hope a new national registry can help prevent more women from being forcibly sterilized

Senator Yvonne Boyer, a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario, said coerced sterilization is not only a historic problem in Canada but a current concern. Boyer arrives for a news conference on July 14, 2022 in Ottawa.ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS The Globe and Mail: Ottawa – A non-profit group is compiling a new registry...

October 9, 2024


An investigation into anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare: Why the CMA’s apology is only the beginning

By Martha Troian – Opinion #6 of 6 articles from the Special Report: Surviving Hate “Juliette was a dying little woman. She was only 88 pounds,” Joyce Tapaquon says of her daughter, a cervical cancer patient who was escorted out by the police during a stay at Pasqua Hospital. Juliette died in 2014. Photo courtesy of...

October 4, 2024


The health of Indigenous people’s isn’t an Indigenous problem, it’s Canada’s responsibility

IMAGE BY: ELLA THOMAS NationTalk: The Queen’s University Journal – The declining life spans of the Indigenous community is a cry for Canadian healthcare systems to change their ways. However, their solution is a bit too simplistic for an issue that runs generations deep. The British Columbia First Nations Health Authority recently reported a six-year drop in life...

October 2, 2024


First Nation treatment centres delay implementing Alberta’s addictions plan

Province took ‘colonialistic approach,’ to developing policy says Blackfoot doctor. Five Indigenous treatment addiction centres are delaying using a program designed by Danielle Smith’s government. Photo: Todd Korol/The Canadian Press. APTN News: Indigenous-led treatment centres in Alberta are not implementing the province’s addiction treatment policy according to records obtained by the Freedom of Information Act,...

September 30, 2024


Opinion | Health care for Indigenous people in Canada is failing. It’s time to give us the power back

By Dr. Suzanne Shoush, Contributor Dr. Suzanne Shoush is a Sudanese/St’atl’imx physician, and the Indigenous Health Faculty Lead for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. It’s been nine years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made 94 Calls to Action urging all levels of Canadian government to address the ongoing impact...

September 26, 2024


‘Not much has changed’: Indigenous physicians reflect on health care in Canada

Dr. Michael Anderson clearly remembers a First Nations child flown into the Toronto pediatric ward where he was working 30 years ago. Toronto Star: The Canadian Press – Dr. Michael Anderson clearly remembers a First Nations child flown into the Toronto pediatric ward where he was working 30 years ago. Standing in front of the...

August 12, 2024


Oilsands whistleblower says federal pledge is ‘bittersweet’

Dr. John O’Connor, pictured in the Fort McKay medical centre. File photo by Andrew S. Wright​​​​ Canada’s National Observer: John O’Connor recalls when Indigenous harvesters brought in crates and crates of deformed fish that were kept on ice piled high in the band office. That was decades ago, when O’Connor was fresh in the region...

May 20, 2024


Two Indigenous nurses pave the way to overcoming a colonial past to lead in health care

Up until the 1930s, Indigenous women were ‘largely barred’ from attending nursing school in Canada. Lisa Bourque Bearskin of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation is an associate professor for the School of Nursing at the University of Victoria.UVic photo NationTalk: Times Colonist – Prior to colonization, Indigenous healers and midwives held significant roles in their...

April 22, 2024


Racism, discrimination may lead to First Nations patients leaving emergency rooms: Alberta study

A Siksika Nation councillor says the study reflects community members’ experiences CBC Indigenous: Systemic racism and inequity in health care may be contributing to why First Nations patients in Alberta disproportionately leave emergency departments without being seen, or against medical advice, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The peer-reviewed paper builds...

April 18, 2024


Ontario Human Rights Commission announces development of policy to address Indigenous-specific discrimination in Ontario’s healthcare system

NationTalk: TORONTO — Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced its commitment to work with Indigenous partners to develop human rights policy guidance to address and combat long-standing and widespread Indigenous-specific discrimination in Ontario’s healthcare system. The OHRC’s policy guidance will: To inform this guidance, the OHRC will meet with Indigenous health professionals, organizations,...

March 20, 2024


‘I Am on a Path of Discovering My Own Racism’

Returning to her home province, a settler physician seeks to improve healing approaches for her Indigenous patients. An excerpt. The Tyee: [Editor’s note: Though Dr. Jarol Boan grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, she spent 20 years treating patients and working in academic institutions south of the border before deciding to return to her home province....

February 26, 2024


Indigenous youth want more Indigenous-led models, support to access health care in Winnipeg, report says

Discussion with 26 Indigenous youth highlights ‘deep mistrust’ of health-care system CBC Indigenous: Some Indigenous youth in Winnipeg say discrimination in the province’s primary health-care system is pervasive — and they want more Indigenous staff and fewer barriers to accessing care in order to help fix that problem, a new report says. The project OurCare...

December 12, 2023


Open Access: Exploring paramedic care for First Nations in Alberta: a qualitative study

John G. Taplin, Lea Bill, Ian E. Blanchard, Cheryl M. Barnabe, Brian R. Holroyd, Bonnie Healy and Patrick McLane CMAJ Open: December 12, 2023 11 (6) E1135-E1147; DOI: https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20230039  Abstract Background: Prior work has shown that a greater proportion of First Nations patients than non–First Nations patients arrive by ambulance to emergency departments in Alberta. The objective of this study was to understand First Nations perspectives on...

November 1, 2023


Advocates say Calgary shelter no longer run by Indigenous women

APTN News: In the early ‘90s, Elder Ruth Scalplock founded Awo Taan Healing Centre which means shield in the Blackfoot language. The centre was created to meet the needs of Indigenous women in a traditional and spiritual way. But Scalplock says only one Indigenous person is in a decision-making role at the centre. “Women need a place...

October 5, 2023


FSIN appoints ombudsperson to investigate racism in health care

Dianne Lafond selected for the first-of-its-kind position in the country CBC Indigenous: The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has selected a health ombudsperson to work against racism and discrimination against Indigenous people in the health-care system. Dianne Lafond, who was born and raised on Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, has been selected for the job....

September 12, 2023


Racism partly to blame for unequal health care provided to Indigenous women: PHAC study

Indigenous communities are still deeply affected by the 2020 death of Atikamekw woman Joyce Echaquan in a Quebec hospital, where she filmed staff insulting her as she lay dying, Lee Clark said. The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson NationTalk: Racism and the lack of primary care providers mean off-reserve First Nations, Metis and Inuit women and girls...

August 28, 2023


Barriers like racism, distrust may be main cause of health-care disparities for Indigenous women, study says

National study quantifying health-care inequities is 1st of its kind, lead author says Brishti Basu · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2023 4:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29 CBC News: Just before Tina Campbell had a minor medical procedure recently, she remembered the discrimination she says she felt while trying to access health care nearly two decades...

June 22, 2023


Dr. Deena Hinshaw was hired by the AHS Indigenous health team, then removed against their wishes

Dr. Esther Tailfeathers resigned as team lead after saying she felt ‘disposed of’ CBC News: On June 2, a screengrab of an announcement welcoming Dr. Deena Hinshaw to her new position began circulating on social media. Hinshaw was Alberta’s chief medical officer of health until she was fired last November by Danielle Smith, shortly after...

June 5, 2023


Indigenous coalition urges Canada’s healthcare system to ‘Rise Above Racism’

NationTalk: themessage. Who: A coalition of Indigenous health organizations (First Nations Health Managers Association, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Thunderbird Partnership Foundation); with NationTalk for strategy, creative and media (supported by Cleansheet Communications). What: “Rise Above Racism,” a new government-funded awareness campaign highlighting the issue of anti-Indigenous racism within the Canadian healthcare system. This is the second...

June 3, 2023


Juliette Tapaquon’s tragic story exposes health-care inequality

NationTalk: Canada’s National Observer: Juliette Tapaquon spent her final months in unimaginable pain. It’s the thought that still keeps her mother, Joyce Tapaquon, up at night. A cervical cancer patient at Pasqua Hospital’s palliative care unit and a member of Carry the Kettle First Nation, Juliette was escorted out of the southern Saskatchewan hospital by...

May 9, 2023


Misprescribed and ‘Dumped’ at the Hospital’s Doors

Marilyn Johnson says she faced health-care discrimination because she is Indigenous and lives in the Downtown Eastside. Here’s what needs to change. The Tyee: Marilyn Johnson, a Gitxsan woman, is full of energy. The ends of her hair are dyed blue. She sips her Tim Hortons coffee and smiles from ear to ear when talking...

April 11, 2023


Analysis of anti-Indigenous racism in hospitals reveals pattern of harm, no tracking mechanism

Canada’s National Observer: “Sakihitowin means love,” Pearl Gambler says, recalling the day she gave her daughter her name.  It was the day Sakihitowin was born — and died. From Bigstone Cree Nation, Gambler entered Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital on June 11, 2020, and experienced a series of events that she can only characterize as traumatic and...

April 4, 2023


Anti-racism policies in health care should be led by Indigenous staff: report

Federal report blasts anti-Indigenous racism in health care CBC News: More Indigenous practitioners are needed to address systemic racism, but that can’t happen without a supportive education system that also envisions them in leadership roles, says a report commissioned by Health Canada and touted as the first comprehensive review of the health-care workforce. The report, released...

March 27, 2023


Alberta has 8 Métis settlements. None of them have full-time doctors

Health board pushing for more doctors, nurses and other health-care providers CBC News: Every Wednesday, a registered nurse travels 39 kilometres from the northeastern Alberta city of Cold Lake to see patients on the Elizabeth Métis Settlement. Alberta Health Services rents an office inside the settlement’s community hall for appointments. A counter near the door...

March 24, 2023


An Rx against racist behaviour in Alberta emergency departments

After years of studying systemic racism in hospital emergency care, a team of researchers and First Nations organizations will create ways to ensure all patients are treated equitably and with dignity. Nation Talk: University of Alberta: For the last six years, First Nations organizations have supported a team of researchers including Bonnie Healy and Patrick...

March 5, 2023


‘Really worrisome’: Survey suggests some Alberta doctors have anti-Indigenous biases

Toronto Star: Two University of Calgary researchers weren’t surprised when their survey of Alberta doctors showed biases against Indigenous patients, but they were shocked by some of the comments. Pamela Roach and Shannon Ruzycki sent a survey in September 2020 to every licensed doctor in the province to determine their biases following high-profile deaths of...

February 22, 2023


Provinces lag behind Ottawa in offering crucial supports to those who’ve been switched at birth

The Globe and Mail: A man who was the first known switched-at-birth case in Manitoba says if it weren’t for the independent review and mental-health support ordered by the federal government, his life would’ve fallen apart. Luke Monias of Garden Hill First Nation said he would likely be unemployed and struggling with addiction. “I wouldn’t be...

February 8, 2023


Indigenous man furious after mother put in ‘storage room’ after being discharged from Calgary hospital

NationTalk: Global News – An Indigenous man is furious after his mother was put in a “storage room” after she was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Bradford Mistakenchief’s mother was only given 18 months to live with the diagnosis. She was immediately put into palliative care at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre at Foothills Medical Centre in...

February 2, 2023


Manitoba medical group apologizes to Indigenous people for racism

NationTalk: CHVN – 95.1FM – The organization that regulates medical care in Manitoba has apologized for racism directed toward Indigenous people when accessing health care. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba says it recognizes its failure to effectively regulate the medical profession to prevent racist and substandard medical care to Indigenous peoples. Grand...

December 20, 2022


Province releases “Health Status of Manitobans Report”…the gap in health between Indigenous communities and other people is widening”

The life expectancy for First Nations people is 11 years lower than average and this gap is growing As of March 31, 2021 there were 9,8501 children in welfare service: 91 per cent of these children are Indigenous Premature Mortality Rate (PMR) for all First Nations in Manitoba is three times higher than for other Manitobans....

December 9, 2022


Panel to assess Indigenous patient care after the death of a young woman in St. Catharines

Heather Winterstein was only 24 years old when she felt ill and went to the emergency department at St. Catharines General Hospital for help, only to die from a treatable illness. One year later, Niagara Health announced it is beginning an external assessment of the emergency department (ED) to improve patient care and experiences for...

December 2, 2022


Bill on cultural safety in health coming, Quebec says, following forced sterilizations study

Report is latest to scrutinize treatment of Indigenous people in Quebec health-care services Verity Stevenson · CBC News · Posted: Dec 02, 2022 7:30 PM ET | Last Updated: December 7 Update: This story has been updated following a ministry spokesperson’s assertion the bill would be introduced in early 2023, not during the current session as Indigenous Affairs Minister...

November 17, 2022


Medical advice shouldn’t be different for Indigenous kids

The Globe and Mail: Tony Talaga – When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck, remote and northern Indigenous communities – which already lacked doctors, properly stocked and supplied health clinics and clean running water – had to scramble. First Nations leaders had to create public-health systems out of thin air. And in Northern Ontario, it seemed...

November 3, 2022


Cree woman suing Edmonton hospital for ‘failing to provide medical care’ in birth of her daughter

Said the hospital failed that racism and malpractice led to the death of her newborn baby APTN News: A member of Bigstone Cree First Nation in Alberta says she gave birth in an Edmonton hospital while a nurse watched and did nothing to help. In a statement of claim filed in the Court of King’s Bench in...

November 2, 2022


Northern health leader says language test is a barrier to Indigenous nurses

First People’s Law: CTV News – An English proficiency test for prospective registered nurses in Manitoba, even those who receive all their education in English, is a racial barrier that disproportionately affects Indigenous people, a health official in northern Manitoba said Wednesday. “They trained in English, they saw patients in English … and then suddenly...

October 13, 2022


How stereotypes led to the deaths of two Indigenous men in Thunder Bay police custody: expert

CTV News: A physician with expertise in Indigenous health care told a coroner’s inquest Wednesday that she heard stereotypes kick in from the first 9-1-1 call that led to a man being arrested for public intoxication before he died from medical conditions in Thunder Bay police custody hours later. Dr. Suzanne Shoush testified as an...

October 5, 2022


New Reports Reaffirm Trends of Poor Health Outcomes and Under-Funded System for First Nations

Under the direction of the Chiefs-in-Assembly, Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) has released its Diabetes and Childhood Vaccination Coverage reports. The reports highlight the disproportionate burden of health outcomes and health inequities within northern First Nations. SLFNHA calls for improved resources to support diabetes and vaccination programs. “We are calling on the Federal...

September 29, 2022


Death of Joyce Echaquan: Family files $2.7 million lawsuit against Quebec public health agency

APTN: The family of  Joyce Echaquan, the Atikamekw mother of seven who was mocked by staff as she lay dying in a Quebec hospital in September 2020 has filed a lawsuit seeking nearly $2.7 million. Echaquan, 37, filmed herself on Facebook Live as a nurse and an orderly were heard making derogatory comments toward her at...

September 28, 2022


Ministers Honour Joyce Echaquan and Re-Affirm Commitment to Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada’s Health Systems

Indigenous Services Canada: Ottawa, Ontario (September 28, 2022) – The Minister of Indigenous Services, Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Marc Miller, and the Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, issued the following statement today: “Health care is a human right, and should be free of racism and discrimination. But the systemic discrimination and racism that...

September 26, 2022


‘We are truly sorry’: Leaders, health officials acknowledge Indigenous-specific racism in northern Manitoba’s health-care system

CTV News: Indigenous leaders and northern health officials in Manitoba say Indigenous people continue to face racism in the health-care system, and have signed a declaration committing to eliminate it. On Monday morning leaders from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin (KIM), and the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA), met in Thompson to sign...

September 26, 2022


Quebec’s Indigenous sensitivity training falls short, say health-care workers

Training sparked by Joyce Echaquan’s death called ‘superficial’ and ‘cringe-worthy’ CBC: As the second anniversary of Joyce Echaquan’s death approaches this week, Indigenous health professionals say the measures taken by the Quebec government to address racism and discrimination in medical facilities have been inadequate.  Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw mother of seven, died in a Joliette,...

September 22, 2022


Human Rights Tribunal Rejects Attempt to Derail UBCIC’s Challenge to Liver Transplant Discrimination

NationTalk: (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C. – The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) has rejected an attempt by BC health authorities to dismiss UBCIC’s representative complaint against discriminatory access to liver transplants for Indigenous patients.  The Provincial Health Services Authority, the BC Transplant Society and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority are...

September 13, 2022


Niagara Health: Signs part of commitment to Indigenous community

Toronto Star: Visitors to Niagara Health sites across the region will notice signage on the health system’s properties in St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls meant to show support for the Indigenous community. The signs include a variety of messaging that are geared to mark Niagara Health’s second Indigenous Inclusion Month. The first was marked...

July 22, 2022


CMA condemns forced and coerced sterilization

In response to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights’ report The Scars that We Carry: Forced and Coerced Sterilization of Persons in Canada – Part II Opens in a new window, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) unequivocally denounces the practices of forced and coerced sterilization. As the report details, forced and coerced sterilization have...

June 27, 2022


Reproductive control of Indigenous women continues around the world, say survivors and researchers

Survivors of forced sterilization and coerced contraception from Canada, Peru and Indonesia will meet with researchers to share stories, heal and advocate for change. University of Alberta: The full extent of reproductive control practices around the world is not known, but they have been historically — and continue to be — targeted at Indigenous, poor...

May 27, 2022


Manitoba First Nations leaders declare State of Emergency in Health Services in the north

NationTalk: (Brokenhead Ojibway Nation) – Late afternoon May 24, 2022, the Keewatinohk Inniniw Okimowin Council (KIOC) of elected leaders unanimously declared a state of emergency on health services. The elected leaders are Chiefs and Councilors who collectively represent 23 First Nations in Manitoba’s north. The motion calling for the declaration came about during a two-day...

May 25, 2022


Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition report finds systemic racism in Ontario Health Care

“The conclusions in this report are horrific but unfortunately, not surprising. Indigenous-specific racism is embedded in Canada’s colonial history, and only by taking responsibility can we achieve better health outcomes for Indigenous peoples in this country,” says Wabano’s Executive Director Allison Fisher. “And the time to take responsibility and swift action is now.” The findings...

February 3, 2022


“Remembering Keegan – a BC First Nations Case Study Reflection”

Feb. 23, 2022: First Nations Health Authority – FNHA today announced the public release of its report titled “Remembering Keegan – a BC First Nations Case Study Reflection”. Keegan Combes was a 29-year old First Nations man who died in hospital in 2015 following delayed diagnosis and clinical management of a treatable accidental poisoning. “Remembering K​eegan” is part...

December 1, 2021


In Plain Sight Report

Victoria Times Colonist – Fewer than half of the 24 recommendations to address Indigenous-specific racism in the province’s health-care system have been fully implemented on the one-year anniversary of the In Plain Sight report. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond said she’s been “closely” monitoring progress: apologies issued by health system leaders and regulatory bodies, a critical amendment...

April 23, 2021


In Plain Sight Report

Budget 2021 invested $45 million over three years to respond to the recommendations of the “In Plain Sight” report on systemic anti-Indigenous racism in the healthcare system: Expand First Nations cultural safety and humility training and Indigenous liaisons within each regional health authority Address systemic racism against Indigenous people in the health care system through...

February 26, 2021


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Montreal Gazette – Québec Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière, Health Minister Christian Dubé and interim Lanaudière health authority director Caroline Barbir announced along with Atikamekw chief Paul-Émile Ottawa announced the following changes: * the creation of a reconciliation committee * the addition to the health authority’s management of a liaison officer responsible for relations with...

February 11, 2021


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Indigenous Services Canada – Minister of Indigenous Services, the Honourable Marc Miller, highlighted funding of $2 million to the Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw and the Conseil des Atikamekw de Manawan, Joyce’s community, to advance their work and advocacy for the implementation of Joyce’s Principle. With this funding, the Atikamekw, including the community members of...

February 5, 2021


In Plain Sight Report

Toronto Star – Health Minister Adrian Dix provided an update on his government’s progress on implementing the original 24 recommendations. He said his government is providing funding for 32 Indigenous health liaisons in health authorities across the province, of which nine are already in place. It has also ensured that each health authority board has...

February 4, 2021


In Plain Sight: Supplemental Report

Toronto Star – Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond released a supplemental data report Thursday that shows Indigenous people in B.C. are much more likely to feel unsafe in health-care settings, to feel they are never included in care decisions and to feel they receive poorer service than others. “Taken together, these … reports clearly demonstrate the need...

January 28, 2021


Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health

Assembly of First Nations – AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde reiterated recommendations and called for urgency in addressing systemic racism in Canada’s health care systems at a two-day virtual meeting with federal, provincial and territorial ministers and Metis and Inuit leaders that ended today. The meeting, convened by Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller, Crown-Indigenous Relations...

December 15, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Release of “Racism in Québec: ZERO TOLERANCE. Report of the Groupe d’action contre le racism” by the Québec government that had no Indigenous representation. The Atikamekw nation says the 25 recommendations to counter racism raises more questions than answers. “Concrete proposals were offered in the brief for Joyce’s Principle to achieve changes with an impact...

December 1, 2020


In Plain Sight Report

Métis Nations of BC is calling on the B.C. government to urgently implement all the recommendations found in Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s report…and its 24 recommendations in an expedited timeframe. This includes implementing the recommendation, “that the Ministry of Health establish a structured senior level health relationship table with MNBC, and direct health authorities to enter...

December 1, 2020


In Plain Sight Report

Toronto Star – The independent investigation – touted as the first complete review of racism in a Canadian health-care system – released its report “In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care“. The investigation has found pervasive systemic racism against Indigenous people in this province based on the following findings: Widespread...

November 16, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan – Joyce’s Principle

The Council of the Atikamekw of Manawan (CDAM) and the Council of the Atikamekw Nation (CAN) –  have submitted a brief for “Joyce’s Principle” to Francis Legault, the Premier of Québec and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Québec Government has rejected adopting Joyce’s Principle “a call to action and commitment to governments to facilitate the transition...

November 10, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Québec Government – is investing $3.1M in Joliette “to enable the relocation and enlargement of the Centre d’amitié autochtone de Lanaudière (CAAL), an Indigenous community organization founded in 2001. Its mission is to improve the living conditions of Indigenous people living in or passing through the Joliette region by providing a number of support services, assistance...

November 6, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

The Québec government will invest $15 million to implement targeted actions to enhance cultural safety for members of First Nations and Inuit in the health and social services sector. This announcement follows several calls to action by the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec....

October 16, 2020


Emergency Meeting on Indigenous Health

Emergency meeting on racism in Canada’s healthcare system. AFN recommendations to all levels of government: Work directly with First Nations to ensure that Indigenous Peoples feel safe accessing health care services. Quebec needs to work with First Nations to fully implement the Viens Commission Report’s recommendations. Canada must conduct an immediate review of the Canada...

October 16, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Emergency meeting on racism in Canada’s healthcare system. AFN recommendations to all levels of government: Work directly with First Nations to ensure that Indigenous Peoples feel safe accessing health care services. Quebec needs to work with First Nations to fully implement the Viens Commission Report’s recommendations. Canada must conduct an immediate review of the Canada...

October 2, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Québec government announced the launch of a public inquiry under the coroner’s office....

September 30, 2020


Death of Joyce Echaquan

Montreal Gazette – “In her last moments, while tied to a hospital bed, Joyce Echaquan, a 37 year-old Atikamekw woman, pleaded for someone to help her. Instead, a video she recorded shows she received disparaging and condescending remarks — at a time when Québec continues to grapple with the larger question of systemic racism.” The...

July 9, 2020


In Plain Sight Report

Government of BC – An independent investigation into Indigenous-specific racism in British Columbia’s health care system was launched today by former judge and provincial child advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond. Appointed by Health Minister Adrian Dix on June 19 after highly disturbing allegations of racism in B.C. Emergency rooms came to light, Turpel-Lafond has now assembled...

June 19, 2020


In Plain Sight Report

NationTalk – First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients seeking emergency medical services in British Columbia are often assumed to be intoxicated and denied medical assessments, contributing to worsening health conditions resulting in unnecessary harm or death. This is according to information obtained by Métis Nation BC and the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres. Additionally,...

September 17, 2017


Ignored to death: Brian Sinclair’s death caused by racism, inquest inadequate, group says

Brian Sinclair, 45, was found dead in Health Sciences Centre ER 34 hours after arriving without being treated CBC: A group of doctors and academics from across Canada say an Indigenous man who died while waiting for care in a Winnipeg emergency room in 2008 was killed by racism, and say the subsequent inquest into his...