Retreat builds on CFPC commitments to advance work on Indigenous health

I recently returned from the CFPC’s first Indigenous Health Committee (IHC) retreat in Saskatoon, Sask, where committee members met to continue conversations and work in support of the College’s Declaration of Commitment to cultural safety and humility action plan, which was signed in November 2022 by the CFPC and the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.¹

At the 2-day retreat, which served as an appropriate precursor to National Indigenous History Month in June, IHC members discussed how the CFPC can support both the work that non-Indigenous people must do to heal the damage caused by systemic racism and the work Indigenous individuals and groups must do to heal as people and as communities. These conversations included specific references to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s calls to action (ie, actions 6 and 18 to 25)² and to the CFPC’s Declaration of Commitment.¹

Members of the IHC also talked about and advised staff on how the committee’s work could be included in the College’s strategic plan, such as adding an Indigenous lens to the CFPC’s priorities.

As an original member of what was formerly known as the Aboriginal Health Working Group, I saw the meeting as a chance to connect with current IHC members and to reflect on the value of the CFPC’s partnership with the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada. The retreat also highlighted the importance of the healing power of connection to culture.

As leaders, family physicians must learn more about survivor experiences of harm within our health care system and about intergenerational trauma. The CFPC continues to support members and staff on their own journeys of reconciliation. Since the signing of the Declaration of Commitment, the College has identified and pursued “efforts that will result in addressing the systemic racism experienced by Indigenous people in their interactions with the health care system.”³ The College has also distributed physical copies of the CanMEDS-FM Indigenous Health Supplement⁴ to learners across Canada, and in 2023 we released an Indigenous health case study compendium.⁵ The College is collaborating on the creation of a problem-based learning module for small groups on Indigenous health and is working to help medical schools integrate Indigenous health into curricula. The CFPC has also hosted virtual talking circles for both staff and members.⁶

While in Saskatoon I also took time to visit Wanuskewin,⁷ a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site. Its visitor centre has an exhibit highlighting the decimation of the plains buffalo herds and the impact of colonial policies. Outdoors, trails pass by archeological sites dating back thousands of years and several buffalo jump sites before taking you past a herd of recently reintroduced bison. As I learned about the role bison play in maintaining and restoring the prairie ecosystem, I was reminded that in this age when planetary health is such a concern, we have much to learn from Indigenous peoples and their holistic world views.

I thank the keepers of Wanuskewin for their ongoing efforts to preserve and restore this important place and for sharing it with the world.

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