The College Stands with The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc and Ktunaxa First Nations and All Indigenous Communities in Canada Jun. 30, 2021 Cultural Safety and Humility

The College Stands with The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, and ktunaxa First Nations and All Indigenous Communities in canada

This past month, we were disheartened and appalled to learn of the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, as well as the more recent discovery of the remains of 182 children on the site of the former St. Eugene's Mission School. We stand with the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc, and Ktunaxa First Nations and all Indigenous People in BC as they continue to process this news. 

We call on all health professionals to practice vigilant cultural humility and safety. To learn about and understand the impacts of residential schools on First Nations Communities in Canada; to acknowledge and reflect on the social issues faced by Indigenous Peoples; and to understand the historical contexts from which these issues originate. 

Like many British Columbians, we have no words to describe the sorrow we feel for those children, their families and communities, as well as for all residential school survivors in the wake of recent discoveries. To all Indigenous People in BC, we offer our unwavering support, and will continue to look to our First Nations Leaders as we determine a way to honour and remember the lives of these children. 

We recognize that this news is likely to trigger significant pain and sadness among First Nations Communities in BC, especially those with personal or family history of attending residential schools. News like this presents a significant setback in the healing journey of residential school survivors and can take a serious and unexpected toll on the mental health and wellbeing of members of these communities and their families. It is vital that we acknowledge this pain and do everything we can to support the First Nations communities we serve through these trying times. 

This discovery further underscores our pledge as a health profession regulator to become anti racist, provide culturally safe care and to support the health professionals we regulate to do the same. We must take specific actions, as individual leaders, within our organizations, and as partners in the wider health system. 

• Learn More About Our Pledge to Be Anti-Racist

As stewards of public health and safety in Canada, we have a responsibility to recognize and address the power imbalances inherent in our health care system, and work to ensure that the environments in which we practice are free of racism and discrimination, and that Indigenous people feel safe when receiving care. 

To Indigenous Peoples and residential school survivors in Canada, we share in your grief and recognize that there is so much work to be done in order to eradicate the racism, and heal the wounds left by our colonial history. We remain committed to taking this journey with you and working to ensure that the atrocities of our past, and the resulting patterns of trauma, are respectfully acknowledged and appropriately addressed in the decisions that we make today.