Little progress made to combat anti-Indigenous racism in B.C. health care: report
A progress report on a plan to address anti-Indigenous racism in British Columbia's health-care system says Aboriginal patients continue to disproportionately die as a result of the impacts of racism and the two ongoing public-health emergencies.
Retired judge Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond wrote the original report, In Plain Sight, released last year, and on Tuesday she reported that progress has been made in 10 of the 24 recommendations.
Apologies have been issued from governing bodies, Indigenous leaders have been recruited across the health authorities to aid in systemic change and the government introduced Bill 18, an amendment to the B.C. Human Rights Code to include Indigenous identity as a protected ground from discrimination.
Despite these strides, the review says “the fundamental issues remain in plain sight,” with many recommendations seeing “little, if any” movement since the report was released last November.
“There's been some significant planning efforts in the past year, but there are persistent problems,” Turpel-Lafond said. “Efforts have not meaningfully disrupted the status quo.”
She said she continually receives “disturbing complaints about racism occurring at the point of care, and about the ongoing inadequacy of complaints processes.”
Little has been done to realign relationships between provincial and Indigenous governments, Turpel-Lafond said.
“First Nations, Metis, and provincial government leaders have endorsed the report, yet ineffective collaboration has slowed improvement where it is needed the most.”
She said streamlining is needed to add resources for those carrying out the work and to ensure there is accountability with oversight from Indigenous governments.
The B.C. government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, the province released a draft of its five-year plan to implement all 24 recommendations under theDeclaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
“We understand it's going to take some time, but there are some things that could have been done in the first year that weren't, and I'm not sure why but I think they're important elements of change,” Turpel-Lafond said in an interview.
She pointed to the lack of whistleblower legislation to the health-care sector to promote a “speak-up culture” for employees to address racism, discrimination or wrongdoing without fear of repercussions.
In the review, Turpel-Lafond calls on the provincial government to release a more comprehensive update on the recommendations by next November.
“I do feel like British Columbia is in a different position than other provinces because at least we're addressing it. We may not be able to say that there is no longer systemic or individual discrimination in health care, but we aren't denying it,” she said.
“I don't tell (the government) how to do their work, but this year they weren't reporting out, so I thought it would be important to do a statement and to push and urge them to continue on this path.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 30, 2021.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.