Advocacy and Accountability

The Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Taskforce

The Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Taskforce is a group of diverse faculty, residents and staff who are working to dismantle systems of oppression and to embed equity within postgraduate medical education. 

The Task Force is committed to the following 3 goals which help guide future activities: 

  1. The establishment of a nurturing, Anti-Racist, and Anti-Oppressive environment for all members of the PGME community where people feel safe, thrive, and feel they belong; 
  2. A diverse PGME community where learners, faculty, and leaders are a reflection of our community; and 
  3. A school that graduates actively Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive physicians who have and demonstrate Anti-Racist and structurally competent skills and practices that lead to health equity in patient care. 

Supports for Individuals

Do you need some support? Are you experiencing harm, violence, discrimination, or harassment? 

You can access supports from and report incidences to the following places:

Resource Recommendations

Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth (2019)
By Dàna-Ain Davis 

Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology (2017)
By Deirdre Cooper Owens 

Fatal Intervention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Recreate Race in the Twenty-First Century (2011)
By Dorothy Roberts 

Separate Beds: A History of Indian Hospitals in Canada, 1920s – 1980s (2016) 
By Maureen K. Lux 

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (2006) 
By Harriet A. Washington 

Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty (1997; 2017) 
By Dorothy Roberts 

Time to dismantle systemic anti-Black racism in medicine in Canada
Dryden & Nnorom (2021) CMAJ

Canadian doctors of colour offer a frank look at racism in medicine
Trinh (2020) CBC

Experiences of everyday racism in Toronto’s health care system: a concept mapping study
Mahabir et al. (2021) International Journal of Equity in Health 

Health and Health Care Implications of Systematic Racism on Indigenous Peoples in Canada – Fact Sheet 
Indigenous Health Working Group of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (2016) 

Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health
Reading and Wien (2009) National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health 

Code Switch (NPR)

Specific Episode Recommendations

1619 (New York Times) 

Specific Episode Recommendations

Colour Code (Globe and Mail) 

Race, Health & Happiness (Dr. Onye Nnorom) 

The Secret Life of Canada (CBC Radio)

Specific Episode Recommendations

Glad You Asked Season 2 (Vox) 

Specific Episode Recommendations 

  • Episode 5: Is Racism Making People Sick?
  • Episode 8: Is City Noise Making Us Sick?
  • Episode 9: Is Therapy for Everyone? 
  • Episode 10: How Should Doctors Consider Race? 

Access

 

The 13th (Documentary)

Access

  • Find on Netflix 

 

Origin of Everything: Health Disparities in the Black Community: Past and Present

Access

Indigenous Cultural Safety Collaborative Learning Series – Webinars 

Access

The Unforgotten – A five-part film exploring the health of Indigenous peoples living in Canada (CMA)

Access

Indigenous Health

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

HEALTH

  1. We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health in Canada is a direct result
    of previous Canadian government policies, including residential schools, and to recognize and implement
    the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the Treaties. 
  2. We call upon the federal government, in consultation with Aboriginal peoples, to establish measurable goals to identify and close the gaps in health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities, and to publish annual progress reports and assess long- term trends. Such efforts would focus on indicators such as: infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, chronic diseases, illness and injury incidence, and the availability of appropriate health services. 
  3. In order to address the jurisdictional disputes concerning Aboriginal people who do not reside on reserves, we call upon the federal government to recognize, respect, and address the distinct health needs of the Métis, Inuit,and off-reserve Aboriginal peoples. 
  4. We call upon the federal government to provide sustainable funding for existing and new Aboriginal healing centres to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harms caused by residential schools, and to ensure that the funding of healing centres in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories is a priority. 
  5. We call upon those who can effect change within the Canadian health-care system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices and use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients in collaboration with Aboriginal healers and Elders where requested by Aboriginal patients. 
  6. We call upon all levels of government to: 

i. Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health-care field. 

ii. Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal communities. 

iii. Provide cultural competency training for all health- care professionals. 

  1. We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care

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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

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Indigenous Health Dialogue

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