September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, declared by the Federal Government in July 2021 in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action. In March 2023, British Columbia passed legislation to make September 30th a statutory holiday.
September 30th also marks Orange Shirt Day - Every Child Matters, a movement that started in Williams Lake, BC, and is now recognized nationally to commemorate the experiences of children forcibly removed from their families and taken to Residential Schools. Orange Shirt Day honours Phyllis (Jack) Webstad's story of her first day at Residential school as a six-year-old, when her new orange shirt, gifted by her Grandmother, was taken from her. The Orange Shirt now symbolizes the attempt to assimilate Indigenous culture, and strip children of their identity.
These events encourage us to reflect on the harms experienced by Indigenous people, contributing to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and inter-generational trauma. We are reminded that Indigenous Peoples' access, experience and outcomes of the current healthcare system are negatively impacted by the colonial history of segregation, racism and discrimination. Breaking the cycle of health inequity requires continued self-reflection, cultural humility, and learning, to enable a shift towards a holistic model of care that is culturally safe, strength-based, and embraces a two-eyed seeing approach.
Primary Care Physicians can access training and resources below to support culturally-informed practice:
- Alhgoh Together as One, Together as Community: Pathway to Indigenous Cultural Safety. UBC CPD self-paced E-Learning. Find out more and register here.
- JCC Experiential Learning Sessions. The sessions rotate through different Indigenous communities across BC, but in November, they will be held locally at Musqueam and Squamish First Nations. This is a great opportunity for Vancouver physicians to participate and network. The JCC will provide sessional time and dinner. Register for upcoming sessions here.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 5:00-9:00pm: Vancouver Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Community-Based Experiential Learning Session
- Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 5:00-9:00pm: West Vancouver (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) Community-Based Experiential Learning Session
- U&U Lab. Unlearning & Undoing White Supremacy and Indigenous-Specific Racism Lab for Population & Public Health. Find out more and access frameworks here.
- Harley Eagle Facilitation - Hillside Consulting. Videos and training on cultural safety, de-colonizing, and trauma-sensitive, values-based care. Find out more here.
- Len Pierre Consulting. Online School and Expert-Led Courses on Indigenous Cultural Safety and Equity Informed Practice. Find out more and access training courses here.
- Royal Roads University Truth and Reconciliation at Work. Micro-credential focused on the complexities of Truth and Reconciliation, the 94 Calls to Action, privilege and systemic discrimination, and Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews. Find out more and apply here.
- University of Alberta Indigenous Canada. A 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada. Find out more and register here.
- Kootenay Boundary Division. The KB Cultural Safety website has a helpful resource called Cultural Safety Toolkit: Cultivating Cultural Safety in Your Clinic. The toolkit has suggestions for providers to ask questions in a culturally safe way and take a strengths-based approach, which emphasizes Indigeneity as a protective factor rather than a risk factor. Find the toolkit here.