We welcome the foundational recommendations on justice, health and education in the landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada: Calls to Action report and we strongly support McGill’s Provost’s Task Force on Indigenous Studies & Indigenous Education launched in September 2016.
For centuries, colonization of Indigenous people, what is now Canada, led to policies of genocide and forced assimilation resulting in many other atrocities. These policies have seriously endangered the survival of indigenous nations and prevented them from living on their traditional lands, practicing their traditional ways. The health implications of these policies are far reaching. Despite the resiliency of Indigenous peoples, the accumulated damage will take generations to recover from.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is an important step in addressing some of the injustices that have created the current situation for Indigenous people in Canada. The calls to action from the TRC address what nursing schools need to do to begin the healing process. The importance of Indigenous Health competencies is clearly defined.
GAIHN has released a Position Statement in regard to the TRC that you can view here:
Glenda Sandy, RN, MSc, is a Naskapi Cree nurse from the Naskapi Community Kawawachikamach, QC and a member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation of Cross Lake, Manitoba. She obtained her Nursing Diploma from St. Lawrence College-Kingston, Bachelor of Nursing Science from Queen’s University and Master’s in Community Health from Université Laval with her Final paper entitled, Naskapi Miyupimaatisiiun, which was an exploration of the Naskapi meaning of health. Throughout her career she has worked primarily for her home community of Kawawachikamach in various functions such as: Expanded Role Nurse, Health and Social Service Program manager and Community Health Nurse. Currently she is working as a Nurse Advisor in Infectious Diseases with the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Service’s public health department.
She also has always been drawn to areas where the focus is on the promotion and integration of Indigenous health. She is currently an Infections Disease Nurse Advisor for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services. She is also an Associate Member of McGill’s Ingram School of Nursing where she in an Indigenous Nurse Consultant involved in the redesign of a more ethically sound and culturally safe curriculum that introduces future nurses to Indigenous issues. Additionally, she co-developed and advises the School’s Ashukin Program, a program which enables Nursing Students to acquire clinical learning experiences in Indigenous communities in Quebec and act as mentors for youth interested in pursing Nursing as a career.
GAIHN has been following the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, guiding students in the program through the experience in order to ensure every student has an understanding of colonization, and is more prepared to enter the workforce as nurses.
