The government will fail to implement a cultural safety approach to Indigenous peoples unless it first acknowledges systemic racism in the health network. This is the warning from the College of Physicians of Quebec, as the study of Bill 32, which aims to force health facilities to adopt such “safe practices”, begins on Tuesday.

The profession also believes that it will certainly be necessary to adopt the Joyce Principle in the National Assembly, a call to action aimed at ensuring equal access to the network for all Aboriginal people. Without these two preparatory steps, community distrust will remain and the government will only perpetuate it paternalistic and colonialist approach.

In order not to be criticized again, the College of Physicians says it has passed a law Decolonization methodology to write his dissertation in collaboration with indigenous representatives. We didn’t do it for them, but with them. We suggest that the government do the samesays the President of the College, Dr. Mauril Gaudreault, to.

This is provided for in Bill 32, which the government introduced at the very end of the last parliamentary session Indigenous peoples must be differentiated from other users. Once adopted, it will require health network entities to take into account the cultural realities of Indigenous populations in all interactions with them. They will also have to adapt if possible Offering services by employing local employees.

Quebec had committed to enacting cultural security legislation following the death of Joyce Echaquan at Joliette Hospital in September 2020. Before her death, the 37-year-old Atikamekw woman had posted a video on Facebook in which we learned about racist insults against him by hospital staff.

In her investigative report, coroner Géhane Kamel recommended that the government recognize the existence of systemic racism in institutions and commit to eliminating it. The Legault government repeats that it does not agree with the word systemicwhich, in his opinion, does not prevent him from taking action against racism.

Indigenous thought is ignored in the bill

Last spring, the Association of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (APNQL) and the Native Women of Quebec opposed the cultural security bill altogether.

I was in Kuujjuaq at the beginning of the year. I have noticed that there is really a lot of mistrust in our emergency room consultations and the medicine we practice.says Dr. Gaudreault out.

Although the College of Physicians recognizes that bridges are being built, it believes the legislative document continues to be ignored indigenous thinkingfirstly, because it was not co-written with them. Consultation with indigenous representatives before writing does not in itself constitute an act of co-creationwe can read it in the letter.

It’s not true that we know what’s good for them. WITH them we can define what will be good for them in the futureadds Dr. Gaudreault added.

The briefing’s first recommendation: that the government recognize systemic racism.

The idea of ​​trying to address the problem without formally acknowledging it in the first place creates distrust in the true intentions of the legislature and the authenticity of its intentions. To ensure cultural security of care, we must change the paradigm and humbly acknowledge the existence of anomalies that persist in the health system and in all its structures.

The medical association then demands that the reporting provided for in the draft law should also be made to an indigenous body. According to the bill as currently drafted, establishments are obliged to regularly inform the Minister about the following safe practices that will have been established.

The sole authority to decide whether these measures are satisfactory lies with the governmentHe regrets the professional regulations. When Indigenous peoples are excluded from legislation, settlement processes and accountability, colonialism is perpetuated.

The government is being asked to go back to the drawing board

Since he respects provisions that contribute to perpetuating discriminatory prejudices against indigenous peoples in health matters, the college is calling on the government to go further. The draft law must not only be aimed at supplying hospitals, but also at supplying clinics, private senior citizens’ residences and others CHSLD. Furthermore, the law should cover not only mental health but also physical health.

Do you know the expression: “Boots must go the way”? Such a bill will not work for long unless we are more precise and engage more with these communitiesclaims Dr. Gaudreault.