The Indigenous Experience in British Columbia's Healthcare System

In June of 2020, a news article circulated that discussed allegations that emergency room staff in British Columbia were guessing the blood-alcohol level of Indigenous people (Schmunk, 2020 June 19). The provincial Health Minister, Adrian Dix, stated that if the behaviours were true, “it is intolerable, unacceptable and racist” (Schmunk, 2020 June 19, para. 3).

An investigation was soon launched to ascertain the allegations. The report cited that although the behaviour of guessing blood-alcohol levels did occur in the past at multiple hospitals, there was no evidence that it was still happening (Turpel-Lafond, 2020 November). The findings of the report did have broader implications: many Indigenous people admitted to experiencing racism and stereotyping; experiencing discrimination that negatively impacted their care; and receiving a lesser access to care resulting in poorer health outcomes. The report also revealed that one third of the 5,440 healthcare workers polled, had witnessed racism/discrimination targeted at Indigenous people.

This report also yields value to todays political climate. The report discusses the affects that colonialism had on Indigenous health. Segregation of Indigenous people to separate hospital wards and the creation of separate indigenous hospitals occurred in the 1920s (Turpel-Lafond, 2020 November). At the time, Indigenous people were viewed as sicks and contagious: this was a result of decreased immunity to illness brought to Canada from non-Indigenous settlers from Europe (Turpel-Lafond, 2020 Novemeber). Tuberculosis proved to be deadly to the Indigenous population at the time. The death rate for Indigenous people at residential schools in the 1930s and 1940s were as high as 8,000 deaths per 100,000 children (Turpel-Lafond, 2020 November).

This is just one of many examples of how colonialism has impacted the health of Indigenous people. Other examples include health experiments conducted on children at residential schools (Turpel-Lafond, 2020 November) and creation of the Indian Act (Richmond & Cook, 2016). Acknowledging the history of Indigenous health is important as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), call to action #18:

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 heath-care rights of aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the treaties. (p. 2).

To combat the racism of Indigenous people in Canada, British Columbia adopted the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2019. This declaration serves as a framework for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls to action (Government of British Columbia, n.d.). The government of British Columbia (n.d.) notes the yearly reports are needed to monitor progress being made. There is still a long road ahead, but this initiative can be seen as a step in the right direction to address the racism and prejudice as experienced by the Indigenous in British Columbia.

References

Buffam, R. (2020, December 1). Island Health pledges to root out anti-Indigenous racism. CTV News. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/island-health-pledges-to-root-out-anti-indigenous-racism-1.5213020

Government of British Columbia. (n.d.). Declaration of the rights of Indigenous Peoples act. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples

Turpel-Lafond, M.E. (2020, November). In plain sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C. health care. Government of British Columbia. https://engage.gov.bc.ca/app/uploads/sites/613/2020/11/In-Plain-Sight-Full-Report.pdf

Richmond, C. A. M., & Cook, C. (2016). Creating conditions for Canadian aboriginal health equity: The promise of healthy public policy. Public Health Reviews, 37(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-016-0016-5

Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and reconciliation commission of Canada calls to action. http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

Schmunk, R., (2020, June 19). B.C. investigating allegations of ER staff played ‘game’ to guess blood-alcohol level of Indigenous patients. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/racism-in-bc-healthcare-health-minister-adrian-dix-1.5619245