CMA apologizes for harms to First Nation, Inuit and Métis Peoples

The Canadian Medical Association says it is "deeply ashamed" and "deeply sorry" for the past and present harms the medical profession has caused to First Nation, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

The apology was issued in a ceremony in Victoria held on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋiʔnəŋ-speaking people of Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations. It also featured singers, drummers, dancers, musicians and storytellers.

"The racism and discrimination that Indigenous patients and health-care providers face is deplorable," said CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer.

"We acknowledge there are ripple effects on future generations. We take ownership of the CMA's history, and we are committed to righting our wrongs and rebuilding our relationship on a foundation of trust, accountability and reciprocity."

Métis Elder Jim Durocher called the apology a good step forward.

"It's going to take a long time because there's a lot of damage and harm that was done to our people, and many of them, to this day, will not even address that," Durocher said. "We need the truth first and I'm so happy that the Canadian Medical Association has taken the first steps."

WATCH | Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous Peoples:

Canadian Medical Association apologizes for harms to Indigenous Peoples

2 months ago

Duration 1:52

The Canadian Medical Association held a ceremony in Victoria to publicly apologize for harm the medical profession has caused Indigenous Peoples, including abuses suffered during the residential school era.

The apology cited specific examples of harms, including:

• The Indian Hospital system which embedded systemic racism and discrimination in the Canadian health system.
• Forced and coerced sterilization.
• Forced medical experimentation on Indigenous children in residential schools, including forced malnourishment.
• Medical experimentation on Indigenous adults.
• Child apprehensions. 
• Neglect and abuse.

The CMA's first Indigenous president said Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals need to "lift together so the CMA can move forward with authentic change."

"It's a chapter that we hope First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples can write with us together as we work toward a health system that provides Indigenous Peoples with the right care, at the right time, in the right place, in a good way," said Dr. Alika Lafontaine.

"I feel solidarity and empathy. I feel hope that things can be different," he said.

Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, a family physician from the Kainai Nation in southern Alberta, similarly told CBC News that the event marked a new start but there's still a lot of work to do.

She also reflected on her experiences working in the health-care system as an Indigenous person, which she described as "being stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"You recognize the treatment of your people as patients in the medical system and it's overwhelming throughout the years. ... But you have to also recognize when you're working in the emergency room, the stress of attending to some very serious issues and not having time to address the bias itself and so it's a difficult place to be," Tailfeathers said.

"I'm very welcoming of this news because I know that it's going to alleviate a lot of the tension that Indigenous physicians and Indigenous front-line workers have in terms of working with colleagues who don't even recognize that they're biased and recognizing the harm that's done to patients."