![]() ![]() Where we do seek care, we risk abuse and death through explicit acts of anti-Indigenous racism.Īs a part of a community advisory table for Unity Health Toronto, we urge you to reconsider the church’s role and responsibility in Reconciliation. For many Indigenous peoples, the fear of harm from our Catholic hospitals continues to be a serious barrier to seeking healthcare and improving health outcomes. ![]() We continue to face systemic anti-Indigenous biases and stereotypes that too often cause us to delay or avoid seeking healthcare when we are in need. Indigenous peoples in our city continue to face astonishing rates of premature and preventable illness and death. This requires the Catholic Church to be forthcoming, honest, reflective and accountable. We must walk together on a path of true reconciliation to see this framework undone. These institutions were legalized, designed and built on a philosophical framework of Indigenous inferiority in a time of colonization. Indian residential schools and Indian Hospitals, often run by the Catholic Church, have caused immeasurable harm to our peoples and continues to impact our health, well-being and life expectancy in Canada. Structural racism in healthcare is an ongoing legacy of these systems. These hospitals were designed for segregation and were rife with medical abuse, from surgical experimentation to forced sterilization. In addition to the IRSS, we have seen a legacy of medical violence against Indigenous peoples carried out in church-run Indian Hospitals. ![]() The Catholic Church operated approximately 70 per cent of residential schools in Canada. Through the strength of survivors, the TRC uncovered atrocities committed against children in the IRSS. There were thousands more of such institutions across the country that were not explored in the TRC. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) focused on only 139 residential schools which received federal government funding. For generations, our people have shared stories of both pain and resilience resulting from these church-run, government-funded “schools.” The heart breaking confirmation of long held community knowledge that 215 little children lay in an unmarked grave in Kamloops has re-centered the catastrophe of the IRSS in our national dialogue. The Indian Residential School System (IRSS) left us with a legacy of trauma and systemic anti-Indigenous racism that continues to ravage our communities. We cannot let this moment pass without urging you to take concrete steps in reconciliation. We submit this letter with the support of our Unity Health Toronto colleagues.Īs Indigenous leaders, advocates and community members, we take seriously our responsibility in advising Unity Health Toronto (UHT), one of the largest Catholic healthcare networks in Canada, on improving Indigenous Health. We write to you as the Indigenous Caucus of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Community Advisory Panel for Unity Health Toronto. As of Wednesday, more than 400 people have signed the letter. Suzanne Shoush and members of the Indigenous Caucus of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Community Advisory Panel for Unity Health Toronto will be sent by the group to the Archbishop of Toronto. ![]()
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