Companion resources

July 22, 2020 CCHL and HSO Webinar

Health systems and organizations increasingly use a people-centred approach to improve patient safety and outcomes. Knowing how to be prepared to engage is key to success.

Below is a list of recommended readings when preparing to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada:

1. The Indian Act was first passed in 1876 and has largely retained its original form. Bob Joseph’s book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act explains how the Indian Act governs the life of status Indians and has important ripple effects on First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

2. The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) (1996): The RCAP was mandated to investigate and propose solutions to the challenges affecting the relationship between Aboriginal peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), the Canadian government and Canadian society as a whole.

3. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the General Assembly in 2007. The Declaration is a comprehensive statement of the rights of Indigenous peoples.

4. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (2015) has published 94 Calls to Action for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians to come together in a concerted effort to repair the harm caused by residential schools and move forward with reconciliation. The specific calls to action relating to health are 18 to 24. (French)

5. The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) (2019) looks into the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women and girls, including sexual violence. It examines the underlying social, economic, cultural, institutional, and historical causes that contribute to the ongoing violence and particular vulnerabilities of Indigenous women and girls in Canada. It reports on existing institutional policies and practices to address violence, including those that are effective in reducing violence and increasing safety.

What is your organizational context?

You are invited to reflect and/or take action on the following to increase your readiness to engage:

1. Which land can you acknowledge?

2. What is the closest settlement in your area? How much do you know about the history of Indigenous people in your area pre-contact?

3. What are the names of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups your organization serves or collaborates with?

If you haven't already, you are invited to review the complimentary July 22, 2020 webinar recording Engaging with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, communities and organizations “Are You Ready?”

Prepared by Heath Standards Organization