Healthcare Injustice in Indigenous Communities

“Of all the pain [Indigenous peoples have experienced], it’s pretty obvious [the healthcare system is] just waiting for us to die.” one anonymous participant tells Pilarinos and colleagues. This came from their 2023 study into the racialization of the health care system, which found that there was a distinct air of indifference when it came to Indigenous health needs. 

This lack of acknowledgement surrounding cultural safety has spawned a stubborn distrust of the Canadian health care system. Stories surrounding the health care system add to the intimidation felt by those who need healthcare in indigenous communities. Many communities tell horror stories of how the healthcare system has disregarded their needs. One man named Vincent lost faith in the health care system after seeing his uncle pass due to an untreated injury. His uncle held deep seated fears of the hospitals stemming from years of systemic racism. Vincent himself refused to seek treatment for a terrible lice infection, fearing that the nurse would shave his head, his uncle’s fears persisting through him.

Attitudes that get their basis in genetics can be prone to flagrant statistical misinterpretation. Indigenous people are no more genetically predisposed to a substance abuse issue than the general population. However, this attitude fits tightly to the Canadian government's view that generational trauma must be healed before self-governance can take place. 

Running counter to that is the intrinsically Indigenous attitude supporting self-determination and autonomy to overcome. Within the current framework, autonomy can only come after healing has been completed. This forces Indigenous communities to take part in what Wolfe calls “Assimilations Faustian Bargain” in which one must decide to “accept the settlers’ misopedic intervention at the risk of possession or perhaps face the dire consequences of refusal”.

The aim is to foster a health care system that can provide care without imposing unjust derision to that which is culturally vital to indigenous peoples. It’s not about catering to indigenous communities, but about allowing individual communities to operate within themselves without having to conform to a colonial racialized system.

Care can only begin after autonomy and self-determination has been fully realized. If Canada wishes to fully reconcile, it must commit to dismantling the current colonialist structure and ideologies.

Though the Canadian government has little incentive to make access to resources equitable, change can come through young Canadians paying attention to the systems that surround us. Call it out when the scent of smudging raises complaints, respect sacred spaces, and push to make Canada free for all.