The Third National Dialogue on Indigenous Health – Federal Government announced specific funding allocations of $126.7 million over three years, first announced in Budget 2021, to support efforts to address racism in Canada’s health systems.

This includes:

• $33.3 million to improve access to culturally safe services, with a focus on services for Indigenous women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups who may experience intersecting discrimination. This includes expanding support for Indigenous midwifery and doula initiatives and strengthening funding for national Indigenous women’s organizations, as well as regional and grassroots organizations.
• $46.9 million to support the changes to health systems through the integration of cultural and patient safety at all levels, as well as through increased Indigenous representation in health professions.
  This includes $14.9 million, which will be used by Health Canada to establish a program that will provide funding to Indigenous organizations and health partners to support projects that can implement distinctions-based solutions to address anti-Indigenous racism. This funding will also support much-needed capacity for Indigenous partners to undertake meaningful engagement on the development of policy and programs for health priorities.
• $37.8 million to improve supports and accountability by providing distinctions-based funding to Indigenous organizations for new Indigenous patient advocates that will allow Indigenous patients to more safely navigate federal and provincial health systems.
• $8.7 million to provide federal leadership, which includes convening national dialogues like this one today to advance concrete actions to address anti-Indigenous racism in Canada’s health systems, and leading by example by evaluating and improving Indigenous Services Canada’s programs and practices to ensure