Indigenous Peoples In Canada Research Articles

Race, Gender, and Risk Assessments in Canadian Federal Prison

In Canada, all federally incarcerated individuals are required to complete a number of actuarial risk assessments upon entering prison which influence the security level in which they are housed, opportunities to participate in rehabilitative services while incarcerated, and prospects for parole. While proponents of actuarial risk assessments—which make algorithmic decisions based on objective inputs—argue that such tools can reduce the influence of racial and gender bias in carceral decision making, others argue that they may perpetuate or exacerbate racial and gender inequality. The extent to which racial and gender disparities exist in the outcomes of the actuarial risk assessments used in federal Canadian prisons is largely unknown. Using newly available data, we characterize racial and gender disparities in the outcomes of actuarial risk assessments used in Canadian prisons and their relationship to outcomes. We find significant racial differences in risk assessment scores that leave Black and Indigenous Canadians worse off than their white counterparts, important differences for all racial groups in the treatment of women, and evidence suggestive of racial bias in parole and housing decisions.

Reconciliation and Diversity for Educators: The Medicine Wheel, Bloom's Taxonomy, and CanMEDS Competencies.

Reconciliation and Diversity for Educators: The Medicine Wheel, Bloom's Taxonomy, and CanMEDS Competencies.

Analysis of Crime, Incarceration, Victimization and Employment of Indigenous Persons in Canada from 2015 to 2021

This study investigated involved a review of trends from five Statistics Canada databases on criminality, victimization, custody in correctional services, adult admissions to community services, and general labour force levels in the 6 years following the release of the December 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report. Although there did not appear to be a general decline in criminality, victimization, or overall custody of Indigenous persons in Canada from 2015 to 2021, minor improvements in the nature of intra-community victimization, admissions to community services to serve sentences, and increased employment among Indigenous persons in Canada were observed. Discussion focuses on the short- and long-term implications of the TRC report with respect to meaningful impacts on the lives of indigenous people in Canada.

Intergenerational residential school attendance and increased substance use among First Nation adults living off-reserve: An analysis of the aboriginal peoples survey 2017.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRCC) published 94 Calls to Action in 2015 to address long-term, intergenerational effects of the residential school system, highlighting the pervasive impact of colonialism on the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indeed, research with Indigenous populations in Canada has captured that prior experiences of residential schools contributes to the intergenerational transmission of mental and physical health disparities. Despite these studies, further research is needed that contextualizes the influence of residential schools within broader frameworks that consider Indigenous social determinants of health in Canada. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine patterns of substance use and mental and physical health among individuals with a history of residential school attendance (RSA) and individuals reporting parent or two-generation (parent and grandparent) RSA. Data from the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2017), involving 10,030 First Nations individuals living off reserve, were analyzed. Self-reported mental and physical health scores were significantly lower among those had attended residential schools, whose parents attended residential schools, and whose grandparents attended residential schools, when compared to those who did not. Further, family RSA was associated with increased substance use among participants, though the findings were variable based on sex and specific substance analyzed. Meanwhile, individual and family RSA was not associated with increased likelihood of a mental health diagnosis. These findings provide additional support for how both parental and two-generation family histories of RSA are associated with individual physical and mental health outcomes. Further, these findings articulate the need for the TRCC's Calls to Action to be actually implemented, including community-based approaches that harness the strength of Indigenous people and communities who aim to close the gap in these health disparities for their children and families.

Teaching cultural safety principles: optometry student perceptions

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Providing optometry learners with cultural safety training can improve patient safety and health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples. Background Healthcare practitioners require cultural safety training to provide safe eye care to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Culturally safe care requires optometrists to critically reflect upon their unconscious biases and power differences that impact patient care. Informed by the cultural safety literature and working directly with learners, revisions were made to first and second-year optometry clinic experience courses in a Canadian Doctor of Optometry program. This descriptive study examined student feedback on curricular changes, focused on enhancing cultural safety. Methods An 8-item, anonymous, online survey was offered to all learners (n = 178) enrolled in clinic experience courses at in fall 2021 and winter 2022. The survey addressed student understanding of cultural safety, comfort with self-reflective activities, and course effectiveness in teaching patient-centred care. Six items used a 5-point Likert response scale. Descriptive statistics were analyzed (Wilcoxon and Wilcoxon-Pratt). Two open-ended items were analysed using content analysis for themes. Results Thirty-three surveys were completed. Overall respondents found the clinic experience courses provided effective training in cultural safety and were of professional value. Comfort engaging in self-reflective activities increased (before: mean response 4.0; after: 4.4), and students made connections with societal problems (overall mean 3.5) and with bias/power differential (overall mean 4.0). Suggested changes to support the learning objectives included increased clinic observation, scaffolding these topics in additional courses, and adding relevant literature (e.g. anti-racism) and guest speakers with Indigenous knowledge and experience. Conclusion Optometry learners were favourable about the inclusion of cultural safety concepts in their clinic experience courses. Their feedback points to areas for improvement including deepening course content, and collaborating with Indigenous Peoples in content, course design, and cross-curricular scaffolding.

Acknowledging colonialism in the room: Barriers to culturally safe care for Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples worldwide continue to face health inequities compared to non-Indigenous populations. Frameworks like cultural safety can be used to mitigate these inequities; however, this is not widely implemented in healthcare settings. Thus, additional research into barriers to providing culturally safe care are critical. To address this need, we examined the existing barriers to culturally safe care for Indigenous peoples in Canada, and Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, through the perspectives of key informants. Major issues identified by key informants included systemic racism, lack of organisational accountability and/or buy-in, ineffective health-provider education, funding, health system structure, undervaluing Indigenous knowledge, negative framing, terminology, and changes to the concept of cultural safety over time. When examined closely, systemic racism and ongoing settler colonialism are the key driving forces underpinning many of the barriers identified. Findings from this research point to barriers at every level and require a system-wide, intersectoral approach in order to provide culturally safe care for Indigenous peoples and advance Indigenous health equity.

“We need to work hand in hand”: supporting cancer survivorship care with First Nations and Métis peoples in Canada via video

There is a lack of access to culturally safe and individualized cancer survivorship care and awareness of the unique challenges and strengths that Indigenous persons living with cancer (PLCs) face. This study aimed to explore the experiences and needs of First Nations and Métis PLCs across Canada. From 2014 to 2016, we engaged 87 participants who were either PLCs or caregivers (CGs) from five communities across Canada—Gitxsan and Kenora, British Columbia; Ottawa, Ontario; and Akwesasne and Kahnawake, Quebec—using participatory arts-based methods. Following the thematic analysis of participants’ photographs, journal entries, and stories, we created a video exploring the themes of spirituality and ceremony, finding strength together, the land and nature, creating and sharing, and navigating health care. Participants’ feedback on the video supports the use of video as a knowledge translation tool that may promote meaningful dialogue around the cancer experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

The Papal Apologies to Indigenous Peoples in Canada - Introduction

At the Canadian Theological Society conference in May 2022, a roundtable convened to discuss Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous Peoples in Canada, offered in April 2022 in Rome. Each of the respondents, Archbishop Don Bolen (Regina, Saskatchewan), Dr. Christian Jamieson (Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec), Dr. Jeremy Bergen (Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo, Ontario), and Rev. Daryold Winkler (Ottawa, Ontario), contributed insights and reflections from their own experiential and scholarly perspectives. Their contributions comprise the discussions that follow. Some of the respondents include reflections on the subsequent Papal visit to Canada in July 2022.

Walking Apart and Walking Together: Indigenous Public Reception of the Papal Visit

This article examines the public perception of Pope Francis’ visit to Canada and the dissonance that often ensued between the visit and Indigenous expectations and aspirations for the visits as expressed through media. It also looks at gratuitous ways in which shared meaning was forged during the visit and how shared meaning opened up possibilities for shared solidarity between the Pope and Indigenous peoples of Canada.

‘Remapping External and Internal Terrains’ in Indigenous Canadian Literature: An Ecocritical Study of Select Canadian fiction

Native environmental literature is often misconstrued as empty praise of everything natural and that aboriginals are an integral part of nature giving them a holistic mode of subsistence. The interconnections between the natural world and the natives have been a part of numerous literatures, especially the ones that give voice to aboriginal expression. Canadian literature has often been caught between the Eurocentric appreciation of nature's beauty and the aboriginal expression of nature's essence. The present article explores various nuances of ecology as reflected in the select Canadian literary texts.

Invasive investigation: uptake and transport of l-leucine in the gill epithelium of crustaceans.

Many aquatic species are well known as extremely successful invaders. The green crab (Carcinus maenas) is an arthropod native to European waters; however, it is now known to be a globally invasive species. Recently, it was discovered that the C. maenas could transport nutrients in the form of amino acids across their gill from the surrounding environment, a feat previously thought to be impossible in arthropods. We compared the ability for branchial amino acid transport of crustacean's native to Canadian Pacific waters to that of the invasive C. maenas, determining if this was a novel pathway in an extremely successful invasive species, or a shared trait among crustaceans. Active transport of l-leucine was exhibited in C. maenas, Metacarcinus gracilis, Metacarcinus magister, and Cancer productus across their gill epithelia. Carcinus maenas exhibited the highest maximum rate of branchial l-leucine transport at 53.7 ± 6.24 nmolg-1h-1, over twice the rate of two native Canadian crustaceans. We also examined the influence of feeding, gill specificity, and organ accumulation of l-leucine. Feeding events displayed a heavy influence on the branchial transport rate of amino acids, increasing l-leucine transport rates by up to 10-fold in C. maenas. l-leucine displayed a significantly higher accumulation rate in the gills of C. maenas compared to the rest of the body at 4.15 ± 0.78 nmolg-1h-1, with the stomach, hepatopancreas, eyestalks, muscle tissue, carapace and heart muscle exhibiting accumulation under 0.15 nmolg-1h-1. For the first time, the novel transport of amino acids in Canadian native arthropods is described, suggesting that branchial amino acid transport is a shared trait among arthropods, contrary to existing literature. Further investigation is required to determine the influence of environmental temperature and salinity on transport in each species to outline any competitive advantages of the invasive C. maenas in a fluctuating estuarine environment.

Cultural adaptation considerations of a comprehensive housing outreach program for Indigenous youth exiting homelessness.

Generalist health interventions that aim to reduce chronic health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations can be culturally adapted to better meet the needs of Indigenous people in Canada; however, little is known regarding best practices in implementing these adaptations. The present study first provides a review of the research process used to adapt a previous evidence-based housing initiative for Indigenous youth in Northwestern Ontario. Second, it includes an overview of the adaptations that were made and the associated rationale for such adaptations. Third, it examines the experiences of participants and staff involved in the cultural adaptation of the Housing Outreach Program Collaborative (HOP-C), a health intervention re-designed to improve physical and mental health outcomes, wellbeing, and social support for formerly homeless Indigenous youth as they secure housing. Qualitative feedback from interviews with 15 participants and eight program staff, in addition to one focus group with an additional six frontline workers, described perceived outcomes of the program's cultural adaptations. Modifications to the overall program structure, specific roles within the program (including counseling services, peer mentorship, cultural services, and case management), and adaptations to general implementation within the health organization providing the intervention were described by participants and staff as effective and helpful adaptations. The focus of Indigenous values at an organizational level led to consistent adaptations in counseling and case management to best meet the unique needs of the youth involved. Based upon participant interviews, recommendations to future adaptations are provided.

Exploration of inter-jurisdictional TB programming and mobility in a Canadian First Nation community

BackgroundColonially imposed jurisdictional boundaries that have little meaning to Indigenous peoples in Canada may confound tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care activities. This study explores how inter-jurisdictional mobility and the current accommodation of mobility through policies and programming sustain a regional TB epidemic in northwestern Saskatchewan, and northeastern Alberta.MethodsA qualitative instrumental case study was performed using a community based participatory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with First Nations peoples from a high-incidence community in Canada including community-based healthcare workers. These interview data are presented in the context of a multi-level document analysis of TB program guidelines.ResultsThe location of the community, and related lack of access to employment, services and care, necessitates mobility across jurisdictional boundaries. There are currently no formal federal or provincial guidelines in place to accommodate highly mobile patients and clients within and across provincial TB prevention and care programs. As a result, locally developed community-based protocols, and related ad-hoc strategies ensure continuity of care.ConclusionIndigenous peoples living in remote communities face unique push/pull factors that motivate mobility. When these motivations exist in communities with increased risk of contagion by communicable infectious diseases such as TB, public health risks extend into increasingly large areas with competing jurisdictional authority. Such mobility poses several threats to TB elimination. We have identified a gap in TB services to systematically accommodate mobility, with specific implications for Indigenous peoples and reconciliation. We recommend clearly defined communication paths and inter-jurisdictional coordination to ensure maintenance of care for mobile populations.

Atopic Dermatitis and Canadian Indigenous Peoples: Burdens, Barriers, and Potential for Solutions

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease worldwide. AD begins before age five in 90% of cases and is associated with the development of comorbid conditions such as infections, environmental allergies, food allergies, asthma, anxiety/depression, and abnormalities in sleep, growth, and development. While personal experience suggests that Canadian Indigenous peoples, including children and youth, are facing burdens associated with AD, formal research studies addressing the impact of AD and skin disease in general on Canadian Indigenous peoples are lacking. Canadian Indigenous* account for approximately 5% of the Canadian population. Although Canadian Indigenous vary widely in geography, culture, language, and beliefs, they face common health disparities embedded in complex historical and social contexts related to factors such as colonization, intergenerational trauma from residential schools and institutionalization, racial segregation in the form of reservations, systemic racism, and being subjected to policies such as the ‘Indian Act’. This article reviews the burdens and barriers of AD in Canadian Indigenous by examining the literature, experiences of health care practitioners (HCPs), and media reports followed by proposing potential solutions to address such disparities.

Access, relationships, quality and safety (ARQS): a qualitative study to develop an Indigenous-centred understanding of virtual care quality

BackgroundAmong Indigenous peoples in Canada, access to high-quality healthcare remains an important determinant of health. The shift to virtual and remote-based approaches, expedited during the COVID-19 pandemic, influenced the ways...

Perlakuan Terhadap Anak-Anak Indigenous People Dan Tanggung Jawab Negara

Introduction: Indigenous peoples continue to face threats to their sovereignty, the sovereignty that is meant is centered on how the state positions indigenous peoples into national policies, by imposing values on indigenous peoples.Purposes of the Research: To examine and find out whether the treatment of Indigenous People's children in Canada violates the provisions of International Law and to find out how the state's responsibility for the human rights of Indigenous People's children is. Methods of the Research: This research is a normative juridical law research, with primary and secondary legal materials as a source of law by using the nature of prescriptive research that aims to obtain suggestions on what to do.Results of the Research: The results of the study show that the treatment of children of indigenous people in Canada violates the provisions of international law, where indigenous children receive treatment from the state in the form of violence or coercion which is contrary to human rights and fundamental freedoms regulated in the ILO (International Labor Organization) Conventions. UNDRIP Declaration (United Nation Declaration of Rights on the Indigenous Peoples), United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, then on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and also to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Equitable Healthcare for Indigenous Peoples: Development of the "Sharing Circle" Web Site to Provide a Culturally Safe Method to Communicate Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Information and Resources.

Video Abstract Video 1 Equitable healthcare for Indigenous peoples: Development of the “Sharing Circle” Web site to provide a culturally safe method to communicate wound, ostomy, and continence information and resources. {"href":"Single Video Player","role":"media-player-id","content-type":"play-in-place","position":"float","orientation":"portrait","label":"Video 1.","caption":"The “Sharing Circle”: A step toward equitable healthcare for Indigenous people in Canada.","object-id":[{"pub-id-type":"doi","id":""},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-stream-id","id":"1_dqqp7ye0"},{"pub-id-type":"other","content-type":"media-source","id":"Kaltura"}]}

Acute and enduring effects of naturalistic psychedelic use among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States.

Acute and enduring effects of naturalistic psychedelic use among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States.

RealEngineering: Space – Designing the Community-Applied Space Engineering Program

Engineering education is still largely offered through traditional, content-heavy approaches, with key technical topics in individual courses separate from those that emphasize the practice of the engineering profession, resulting in fragmented student workloads. Traditional assessments do not accommodate students’ unique, diverse learning perspectives. These issues fail to recognize that engineering is above all else a community-of-practice, requiring practitioners to demonstrate innovation and resilience to address today’s complex challenges in sustainable ways.
 More recent programs adopt project-based pedagogies, that engage learners in engineering problems that affect their communities. This paper proposes taking the project focus further, with a structure that allows faculty and students to collaborate on real-world engineering work that is not just done for, but also with, the community, and with sustainability built in. Such an approach establishes an overarching connection between the “work” of an engineer and what it is to be a future engineer for society.
 The authors are developing a 4-year space engineering program proposal, where students from all years will collaborate to design, build, launch and operate a cubesat for, and with, the community as the full focus of their 4-year degree. A six-week pilot slice of the program took place in the summer of 2021 with 20 students from all undergraduate year groups collaborating on a community-focussed, sustainable small space-mission design activity to change power dynamics around water quality data in northern and indigenous Canadian communities. Students worked in organizational teams, with structured teambuilding and collaboration time, focussed working sessions from subject-matter-experts, microcredential learning and unstructured team time to advance their project. This culminated in a mission concept review with a team of expert, industry and community partners.
 This paper presents some of the key ideas that informed the program, and the tools used to frame the learning journey in an undergraduate engineering degree. The pilot demonstrated students’ readiness to take on complex, unstructured challenges and organize themselves, and the potential to offer undergraduate learning spaces that have a very different connection to community and global issues.

‘…and yet there’s still no peace’ Catholic Indigenous Residential Schools in Canada

AbstractPope Francis met representatives of the Indigenous peoples of Canada in Rome in April 2022 and in Canada in July 2022. At these meetings he offered sincere apologies for the ways in which the Catholic Church had colluded with the strategy of cultural assimilation of the Indigenous people in Canada. This was especially abhorrent in the residential schools, operated by the Catholic Church (and other Christian churches), that aimed to ‘evangelise’ and ‘civilise’ the Indigenous children. He emphasised that this was a ‘disastrous error’ and the ‘overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic’. He was very clear at both meetings that this abuse was ‘incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ’. These Catholic residential schools and the impact of these schools on the Indigenous people are discussed in this article.