One Story of 2-Eyed Seeing BC School Superintendents Association Thursday, November 8th, 2018 Evan Adams, MD, MPH Tla’amin Nation

My family Tla’amin Nation

Two-eyed Seeing

Two-eyed Seeing

Beauty, Balance, Fairness

learning to see with the strengths of each & together “Two-Eyed Seeing” learning to see with the strengths of each & together Indigenous Western Mr. Albert Marshall, Mi’kmaq Elder Eskasoni First Nation

Following my dreams took me away from home for many years …

The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) concluded: “Aboriginal people are at the bottom of almost every available index of socioeconomic well-being, whether [they] are measuring educational levels, employment opportunities, housing conditions, per capita incomes or any of the other conditions that give non-Aboriginal Canadians one of the highest standards of living in the world.”

Presented to Premier Campbell at the Wosk Centre for Dialogue 16 September 2002 British Columbia (BC), Canada 32 First Nations languages 203 First Nations 270,585 Aboriginal identity 172,520 First Nations + 89,405 Métis + 1,615 Inuit We are 5.9% of BC’s population of 4,560,240 50% of our population is ≤ 25 years old Approximately 60% of the First Nations languages of Canada are spoken in BC. We are diverse. Presented by the First Nations Summit

Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission As with all other Truth & Reconciliation Commissions internationally, Canada’s TRC gathered testimonials of (state-sanctioned) human rights violations against certain segments of their population. In Canada, these were human rights violations against Indigenous children via the residential school system. The important work of truth-gathering happened from coast to coast to coast, as Survivors of the Residential School system shared their experiences with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The TRC’s Principles of Reconciliation: TRC Principle 2: “First Nations, Inuit, & Métis peoples, as the original peoples of this country & as self-determining peoples, have Treaty, constitutional, & human rights that must be recognized & respected.”   TRC Principle 4: “Reconciliation requires constructive action on addressing the ongoing legacies of colonialism that have had destructive impacts on Aboriginal peoples’ education, cultures & languages, health, child welfare, the administration of justice, & economic opportunities & prosperity.”

The TRC’s Principles of Reconciliation: TRC Principle 5: “Reconciliation must create a more equitable & inclusive society by closing the gaps in social, health, & economic outcomes that exist between Aboriginal & non-Aboriginal Canadians.”   TRC Principle 6: “All Canadians, as Treaty peoples, share responsibility for establishing & maintaining mutually respectful relationships.” TRC Principle 9: “Reconciliation requires political will, joint leadership, trust building, accountability, & transparency, as well as a substantial investment of resources.”

TRC Call to Action #22: “We call upon those who can effect change within the Canadian health care system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices & use them in the treatment of Aboriginal patients in collaboration with Aboriginal healers & Elders where requested by Aboriginal patients.”

TRC Call to Action #71: “We call upon all chief coroners & provincial vital statistics agencies that have not provided to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada their records on the deaths of Aboriginal children in the care of residential school authorities to make these documents available to the National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation.”

Child Deaths at Residential Schools My office is examining 4,900 child death records in BC’s residential schools

Statement of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers of Health – January 2016 “We, as Health Ministers, will work together & within our jurisdictions with Indigenous leaders to determine areas of shared priority, & to improve the co-ordination, continuity & appropriateness of health services for Indigenous peoples as part of a population health approach to improving Indigenous peoples’ health in Canada.

“Astronautics is synonymous with exploration.” Dr. Robert Thirsk, a Canadian engineer & physician, & former Canadian Space Agency astronaut

www.fnha.ca At one point, if you drew a circle, the medicine people were Aboriginal, the medicine was Aboriginal, nurses, teachers were Aboriginal. But as colonization evolved and you looked at the circle there were no Aboriginals. – Chief Robert Joseph

The Challenge The difference in health outcomes between First Nations & other Canadians is unacceptable, unethical, & unsustainable.

A First Nations Health Authority The Governing Body will provide for the effective participation of FNs in: enacting policies; identifying the results to be achieved in the delivery of programs; allocating resources; establishing service standards; implementing ongoing reciprocal accountability requirements; & other key functions of governance. In the interim, the Parties will support a process for FNs to have greater control over augmented resources dedicated to improve health services. [Tripartite First Nations Health Plan, 2007]

www.fnha.ca Heading Text October 2011

“What happens to communities happens to us.” ~ First Nations Health Authority CEO Joe Gallagher

It starts with me… BC First Nations Perspective on Wellness – holistic Our vision of health and wellness comes from the ancestors and is relational Colonization interrupted this worldview Each of us own our own Health and Wellness Journey FNHA role as a partner to support our customer owners on their Health and Wellness Journey

Tripartite First Nations Health Plan One Plan Governance Health Actions

Makara’s Story

Declaration of Commitment Declaration of Commitment on Cultural Safety & Humility in Health Services for First Nations & other Aboriginal people in BC

... ideally, everyone should have Cultural Humility Cultural Humility is … A life-long process of self-reflection & self-critique to understand personal biases & to develop & maintain mutually respectful partnerships based on mutual trust. ... ideally, everyone should have Cultural Humility

Cultural Safety Cultural Safety means an environment free of racism & discrimination, one where people feel safe receiving care.

Transforming the Health Care System 2016: 2 of 8 Aboriginal UBC Medicine grads / doctors.

“The Declaration is important because it gives us all permission to do what we need to do to achieve Cultural Safety with the services we provide through the incorporation of Cultural Humility. It starts with the individual. We can all make a difference.”     

FNHA’s vision for Cultural Humility & Safety The FNHA envisions a future where First Nations people have a new relationship with their care providers. Respect Understanding Accountability Equal balance of power Mechanisms to address appropriate & inappropriate actions

Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada A landmark decision to make Indigenous health a mandatory component of postgraduate medical education. A focus on improved health and health care of Indigenous Peoples

Systemic barriers to achieving the vision “I’m sorry, I’m embarrassed to say that when I faced someone who was being ‘culturally unsafe’ to patients, instead of confronting the person, I left. I didn’t feel like I could do anything. There’s such a hierarchy.” ~ BC healthcare worker

Someone may have cursed you… … But you can call your spirit back. You can call your heart and your mind back. Empowered to heal. Culture as healing. A traditional life is always better than a colonized one.

A Gardener’s Tale

Dr. Camara Jones: Undoing Racism "...the gardener notices that the pink flowers flourish while the red flowers languish, but has forgotten her original decision to separate the seeds into the two types of soil (one rich, one poor). Instead, she proclaims, "I was right to prefer pink over red!".

Thank You