172 7.3 Truth & Reconciliation Initiatives in LTC

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action

The calls of action are recommended action items that aim to heal the legacy left by the Canadian Indian Residential School System^[1]. There are calls to action organized into priority areas including, education, justice, child welfare, and health^[2].

Summary of the Calls to Action for Health # 18 -24

• Acknowledge that the current state of health attributed to Indigenous people is the result of government policy including IRS
• Close the gaps in health inequities by providing appropriate services
• Indigenous people living off reserve need care too
• Healing centers to heal the harms of residential schools
• Offer Indigenous Healing methods as well as Western Medicine
• Increase the number or Indigenous health care workers
• Provide cultural competence training to all health care professionals^[3]

The two National LTC Standards^[4][5]) made recommendations that are congruent in the Calls to Action:

• Implementing the principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity in the design and delivery of services
• Providing cultural competence training for all staff
• Zero tolerance for discrimination and racism
• Developing and designing individualized plans of care for each resident that is specific to their cultural and spiritual preferences
• Indigenous services in LTC
• Creating a culture where diversity is recognized and celebrated

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Call of Action # 80

September 20th of every year is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation where Canadians are called upon to use this time:

• To learn more about the history, legacy, and outcomes of the Canadian Residential School System
• To recognize and honor the experiences of survivors, their families, and communities
• To reflect on unchecked biases and how these unchecked biases have impacted self-perceptions and relationships with Indigenous people

^[6]