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

#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 Joyce TapaquonListen to article

Canada’s National Observer: Someone in the medical profession is finally listening to the longstanding pleas from Indigenous and Inuit people about systemic anti-Indigenous racism in the Canadian healthcare system.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) recently apologized for the harm done to Indigenous peoples.

CMA President Dr. Joss Reimer delivered the apology on September 18 in Victoria, B.C., for failing to address racism and discrimination, and not upholding “the highest standard of care.”

The CMA is a national advocacy organization that represents the medical profession of physicians, residents and medical students.

The term “medical colonialism” describes the social and structural determinants of health that Indigenous and Inuit people have had to live with since as early as the nineteenth century.

This treatment has been well-documented in reports, such as In Plain Sight and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report.

In a series called Surviving Hate, our team of journalists also investigated how racism, hate and discrimination affect Canadians in a national, multi-year collaboration with Canada’s National Observer, TVO, IndigiNews, Humber College and other media and educational partners.

During our time together, we published a series of stories, one of them solely focusing on the very reason why CMA delivered its apology: anti-Indigenous racism in the healthcare system.

In Surviving Hate, we analyzed 151 publicized allegations of anti-Indigenous discrimination in hospitals across Canada, with the oldest case dating back to the 1950s. Of those 151 incidents, 86 were confirmed.

Fifty per cent of the patients felt the physical or mental health issues they brought forward were either neglected, dismissed or not treated at all. A quarter of the incidents collected by Surviving Hate involved the death of a patient.

During this investigation, we looked into the case of Pearl Gambler, an Indigenous mother from Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta, who filed a lawsuit against Covenant Health, alleging she and her newborn baby, Sakihitowin, were neglected during Gambler’s premature birth. Sakihitowin passed away at the hospital in June 2020.

As part of our investigation, Surviving Hate also explored whether the Canadian healthcare system is monitoring incidents of racism in hospitals at a provincial or national level.

Our inquiries revealed that there is no federal initiative in place, and provincially, most regions rely on their health authorities to track such incidents.

One case in our data involved Sadie North, an Indigenous elder who was reportedly accused of being intoxicated by a medical clerk and doctor at a Winnipeg, Manitoba hospital in September 2020.

According to a media report, North sought help at Grace Hospital after feeling cold and having difficulty walking, only to later fall ill and lose consciousness in the waiting room.

She was subsequently diagnosed with sepsis from cellulitis, a severe bacterial skin infection on her leg. Days later, the doctor allegedly criticized North for drinking.

The family has since corresponded and met with officials from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, requesting a direct apology from the doctor.

But the doctor denied the allegations, and the college supported his decision; as Sadie’s daughter, Sheila North, wrote in a recent Instagram post. North explains in her post that the family appealed the college’s decision not to discipline the doctor, but that appeal was also denied.

The CMA asserts that they are committed to putting their apology into action. In line with this commitment, they have developed a ReconciliACTION plan that aims to advance reconciliation, promote Indigenous health, and combat anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare.

As part of this initiative, the CMA will adopt Joyce’s Principle, which seeks to ensure that Indigenous people have the right to healthcare without discrimination.

This principle is named after Joyce Echaquan, an Indigenous mother of seven and patient at a Montreal hospital, who recorded racist remarks directed at her before she passed away on September 28, 2020.

The CMA is committed to holding itself accountable and seeking knowledge and guidance from Indigenous partners. We understand that this is just the beginning and there is a lot of groundwork to be done.

Despite the careful approach to this work, we also recognize the urgency of the situation.

The lives of Indigenous peoples are at stake.

Martha Troian is an investigative journalist and producer who has worked with and contributed to media outlets across North America.

Martha Troian, @ozhibiiige