Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous Peoples
Wrongs acknowledged include forced relocation of Inuit to tuberculosis sanatoriums
Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, formally apologizes Wednesday to Indigenous Peoples for harms caused by medical professionals and the health system. (Screen shot from of CMA livestream)
The Canadian Medical Association formally apologized Wednesday to Indigenous Peoples for harms they’ve experienced in the country’s medical system.
Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the association which represents Canadian doctors, delivered the apology at a ceremony in Victoria, B.C., which was livestreamed.
Reimer said her organization is “deeply ashamed” of the racism and discrimination Indigenous people experience in the health system.
“To Indigenous peoples living in Canada, we apologize to you, we are sorry, we are sorry we have lost your trust and for the harms that you, your ancestors, your families, and your communities have experienced,” she said.
“We acknowledge there are rippled effects on future generations.”
Elder Martha Peet, from Taloyoak, helped to open the ceremony with the lighting of a qulliq and Arviat elder David Serkoak performed a drum dance toward the event’s closing.
Reimer said the Canadian Medical Association takes responsibility for its past and present-day actions and is committed to rebuilding its relationship with Indigenous Peoples on a foundation of trust, accountability and reciprocity.
Dr. Paula Cashin, a Mi’gmaw physician and vice-chairperson of the medical association’s board of directors, acknowledged specific harms the medical system has caused, including medical experimentation, sterilization, and the forced relocation of Inuit to tuberculosis sanatoriums.
“Many patients died and the remains were never returned home,” said Cashin.
In preparation for the apology, the Canadian Medical Association reviewed more than 150 years’ worth of archives which noted the role the organization and the medical profession held in the harms done against Indigenous Peoples.
“We know there is nothing we can do to take back what has been done,” said Reimer.
“We can only move forward — beginning with our commitment to work in partnership and reciprocity with Indigenous Peoples to advance reconciliation in health care.”
And these harms are still ongoing to this day. Just look at all the health center closures and difficulty to access basic health care
Which has nothing to do the CMA and everything to do with out territorial government.
So, Inuit were forced to go to sanatoriums for TB care.
What was the alternative at the time?
Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Like most apologies these days, it was hollow and misconceived.
A lot of so called things that happened were done without Inuit consent, language and cultural barrier is not consent to do medical procedures. Families were traumatized, split and when children left they were gone for more than five years without any parents or guardians. Must be nice not to ever experience what Indigenous people experienced and make comments and become experts without any experience. I hope you and your family will never ever been traumatized and experience things that are being your control and understanding.
And where are the Indigenous trained health staff?
NAC has had a nursing program for years. Why is/has the uptake been so low?
Medical employees hired from the south are provided with GN staff housing.
Inuit graduates from NAC nursing program are expected to share a bedroom with their siblings in their parents house.
Not at all true.
That’s a good question. Perhaps contact the GN and ask if they’ve done exit surveys of students who fail out or leave NAC.
Dollars to doughnuts that no such survey has been done.
The GN doesn’t believe in or see the need for ‘statistics’ … especially knowing those will make them look bad.
Oh, how touching! They’re so sorry for past harms, yet they’re making sure even 6-month-olds get their turn with the experimental COVID jabs in 2022 and beyond. Nothing says “we care” like forcing medical decisions on an entire population, right?
White folks went to TB sanitoriums too. It wasn’t a race thing. Before antibiotics, it was the best treatment they could do, both for the patient (whatever his or her age or colour), and to keep the disease from spreading through their communities and killing everybody.
Race has to do a lot with it, Residential schools were full of experiments, if you think race has nothing to do with anything then you obviously lived a privileged life and still do, you never have to worry about a lot of things that indigenous and other people colour have to experience, and the TB situation is just one of them. Some of the so called good intentions where based on ignorance. Be open for once to other peoples experience, not everyone is like you and don’t have a safety net to fall back on.
In his memoirs written in Inuktitut in the 1960s, Peter Pitseolak said he expected his grandchildren could become full-fledged medical doctors.
Yes, adults of those days figured their families down the line would pursue professions of that nature, or lawyers or police etc. Opportunity is still there with money for Inuit to go get educated but unfortunately education isn’t prioritized. Kids need guidance and support starting at home, help build self esteem and independence are clearly needed – parents need to be more involved. Sigh, not sure when our Inuqatiks will pursue more, it can be done like the rest of the people in Canada – we are resilient, just go and do it.
The shame is in the apology; the CMA does not represent me or my Canada. If Ms. Reimer wants to apologize for her personal behavior, she may do so. She does not represent any of my family past or presentcwho worked in the medical profession. Disgusting virtue signalling by Reimer and the CMA.
What a great time for medical travel patients and escorts to apologize for the millions of dollars they have costed taxpayers for things like missing appointments, flights and causing damage to the places they are housed.
I love how you generalize people, majority of people do make appointments and are responsible. If you are worry about the cost of tax payers money going for medical travel then push the Canadian and Territorial governments to provide medical services that majority of settlers enjoy in the south.
Generalizations might not be universally true, but they often do point to distinct patterns among groups. This is a good example I would say.
Hey Johnny, you know why settlers enjoy good health care in the south? Because we built it.
Do you build things, or just whine until they are given to you?
When will the legal profession offer such an apology? Every hospital, every school, every government, and every organization exists and operates bound by laws and regulations. The medical profession did what it did because the laws of the time allowed it to do it.
Here is a better question. When will the legal profession assume responsibility for their actions?
Now someone is spoken these words, many Inuit having hard times when they are trying to call health centre, MLAs, government representative who answers the calls, RCMP, even legal aid are the ones are trying to make confusions. Where the public meetings and annual general meetings. All of those employees on government and RCMP are just using Inuit on there job when they are trying to complain.
Explain what the truth is then
Enough already with the experimental vaccine, it’s not experimental vaccine, the vaccine was similar to SARS virus and medical experts were able to develop a vaccine similar to that. No government agency ever use experimental vaccines at a vast level. What medical degree do you have?
You know that government, religious groups, medical staff and RCMP saw Inuit as less than humans back then, so they abused their powers and did what ever they wanted to do. I remember they use to give us these pills without our parent’s consent in schools in the 70’s and 80’s. We were kids and didn’t know any better, so we took them at schools by teachers order.
What were the pills, Johnny? Vitamins?
So ginormous you can say what you want because you will experience this kind of tolerant you guys are sayings, you will see it with your own eyes and you will hear it with your own ears what they are having hard times please don’t ever ask for help or try talk to somebody, see what you are saying on this comment. I can understand you Johnny and your comments, I know there must have something happen but they won’t understand, even those who say they are certified and who’s in charge of offices they say we can do anything you say. Start talking to people who needs help and tell them to look for more people who needs help.
I wonder if the doctor wiped away tears for the nearly $500,000 they all make per year up here.