On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we come together to honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
This year marks two significant milestones: the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of Atikamekw community member Joyce Echaquan and the 10th anniversary of the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) final report and Calls to Action.
The racism Ms. Echaquan faced in our health care system remains a shocking reminder that while we have committed to reconciliation, we still have a long way to go.
The TRC Calls to Action related to health care included increasing the number of Indigenous professionals working in health care, developing the cultural competencies of everyone working in health care, and ensuring culturally safe health care and educational spaces, as steps towards reducing the health disparities and ending the discrimination faced by Ms. Echaquan and countless others.
The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) remains committed to these goals. We have made progress in attracting and ensuring the success of bright and engaged Indigenous students in our programs, thanks to the work of teachers and leaders across all our health professional schools, supported by our Indigenous Health Professions Program (IHPP). The IHPP was founded in 2017 in response to the TRC Calls to Action, and continues to be a priority in our new Strategic Plan. We thank the IHPP team for working to welcome and support our Indigenous learners, especially as the Program navigates a leadership transition.
I am proud to report the FMHS currently has approximately 24 Indigenous students enrolled in our health professions programs, represented in all four of our clinical Schools: Medicine, Nursing, Physical and Occupational Therapy, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. We are honoured that these learners have chosen McGill for their studies.
Other initiatives of note for the Faculty include the Indigenous Nurse Mentorship Program, launched earlier this year by the Ingram School of Nursing’s Office of Social Accountability in Nursing, led by inaugural Director Josée Lavallée (Red River Métis); Indigenous faculty members from the Department of Family Medicine and elsewhere developing new courses in Indigenous health and building scholarly capacity; and the McGill-wide Indigenous Mentorship and Paid Research Experience for Summer Students (IMPRESS) program, in which many FMHS professors have participated.
On behalf of the Faculty, I would like to offer sincere gratitude to our Indigenous learners, faculty and staff and our Indigenous partner communities for their generosity in working, teaching and learning with us and allowing us to rebuild trust as we walk together on the path towards reconciliation.
Lastly, I invite you to consider attending this year’s Osler Lectureship on November 5 titled “The Indian Who Refuses to Vanish – Race, Genomics, and Indigenous Thriving” by Kim TallBear (Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate), Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota.
Niawen’kó:wa / Thank you,
Lesley Fellows, MDCM, DPhil
Vice-President (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences