TW: Mistreatment of Indigenous people in healthcare, Indian hospitals, Sixties Scoop, and residential schools.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is an organization that represents medical doctors in Canada. The organization prides itself on advancing “the needs and interests of Canada’s physicians to maximize professional fulfillment and optimize patient care.”[1] However, Canada’s healthcare has often played a negative role in patient care for Indigenous peoples.
In a ceremony on September 18, 2024, the CMA formally apologized to Indigenous peoples for the harms the medical profession has caused them and their communities.[2] This apology came out of a review the CMA conducted of their records relating to the treatment of Indigenous peoples.[3] The review validated the abuse faced by Indigenous people at the hands of the medical system and its workers.[4] The ‘Indian hospital’ system, the unethical experiments conducted in residential schools, and the medical negligence attributing to the Sixties Scoop, are just a few examples of the role played by the healthcare system in the perpetual mistreatment of Indigenous people.[5] The CMA found that healthcare workers continue to uphold paternalistic and colonial perspectives, which are historically rooted in racism, thereby continuously contributing to the wrongful treatment of Indigenous persons.[6]
In October 2023, Statistics Canada found that less Indigenous people are going to doctors’ offices for their usual place of care as compared to non-Indigenous people.[7] The statistics show a pattern that Indigenous people are receiving less, and often substandard care compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. The rightful distrust Indigenous people may feel within the healthcare system goes to show that more than an apology is needed. The CMA pledged to continue reconciling harms by regularly updating the public on the headway made by their Indigenous health initiatives.
It is hard not to think about Stephen Harper’s 2008 federal apology[8] and the 2022 Papal apology[9], when Truth and Reconciliation Day is fast approaching. Both apologies were felt by Indigenous peoples, and many had polarized opinions on it. For some, the apologies felt disingenuous and they were left needing more than formal acknowledgements of their trauma. But for others, the accountability taken by the people in positions of power and the institutions they represent was validating and represented a start towards reconciliation.
The latter was displayed by Cree lawyer, residential school survivor, and commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Wilton Littlechild, when he gifted Pope Francis with a headdress.[10] This sparked lots of controversy, but Littlechild defended his action in an interview, stating that the Pope’s apology was Call to Action No. 58.[11] He expressed on behalf of the thousands of survivors who testified before the TRC that many just wanted a true apology from the Pope.[12] Wilton Littlechild relayed his teachings as a reason why him, and others in his Cree community felt gifting a headdress was appropriate. These teachings were to “never criticize anyone else’s beliefs”[13] and the gift was rooted in spirituality, healing, and reconciliation.[14]
When we watch these apologies from people in positions of power, it is easy to be skeptical because of the many centuries of harm against Indigenous people. However, we must remember to be gracious and understanding of the different nations and their varied teachings, as each nation has a unique history and a distinct culture. Though at its root, it is crucial to ensure that those who are grieved, and the target of such apologies, are empowered to find meaningful healing and reconciliation – whatever that may look like for their individual journey.
Citations
[1] Canadian Medical Association, “What we do” online: <https://www.cma.ca/about-us/what-we-do>.
[2] Simon Little, “’Deeply Ashamed’: Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous peoples” (18 September 2024), online: <https://globalnews.ca/news/10762460/cma-apology-indigenous-harms/>.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Statistics Canada, “Primary health care access among First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit, 2017 to 2020” (6 October 2024) online: <https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/41-20-0002/412000022023005-eng.htm>.
[8] Government of Canada, Statement of apology to former students of Indian Residential Schools, by The Right Honourable Stephen Harper (Ottawa: Government of Canada, 11 June 2008) online: <https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100015644/1571589171655>.
[9] Government of Canada, Papal apology for residential schools in Canada, (2022) online: < https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1689770368923/1689770422117>.
[10] Daniel Paradis & Chris Stewart, “’It was not about religion’: Littlechild defends gifting headdress to Pope Francis”, APTN National News (5 August 2022) online: <https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/it-was-not-about-religion-littlechild-defends-gifting-headdress-to-pope-francis/#:~:text=Wilton%20Littlechild%20shocked%20many%20people,our%20spiritual%20beliefs%20are%20OK.”>. [APTN].
[11] Ibid; Government of Canada, Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, (2022) online: <https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1524504325663/1557513116819>.
[12] APTN, supra note 6.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
Comments