You are currently viewing An open invitation to address anti-Indigenous systemic racism

An open invitation to address anti-Indigenous systemic racism

I am always surprised when a health-care practitioner says, “I don’t need to take cultural safety training, I am not racist, and besides I took all that in my professional training”. Such statements are puzzling for me. I have not seen meaningful improvements in the health status or experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples or a reduction in complaints of anti-Indigenous racism in the health-care system. In fact, the enduring impacts of colonialism in Canada have yet to be adequately addressed. I temper my thoughts by knowing that the true full history of this country has yet to be told. For most Canadians, the history they learned in schools did not include the story of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Instead, they were taught a story of discovery by western Europeans. Many Indigenous scholars and knowledge keepers are adding to that story from their own histories, places, and perspectives. These voices are gaining attention. However, many Canadians are still unaware that they live in an unjust society and that the colonial institutions they work in systematically marginalise and exclude First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.