Indigenous healthcare: Caterpillars to butterflies, case study supporting transformation

• Published in: Healthcare Management Forum
• Main Author: Boyer, Roger A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publications 2018
• Subjects: Health Policy; Canada; Indian; First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0840470418809395; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0840470418809395; http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1177/0840470418809395

The Canadian Government released a document to aid in the relationships between the Government of Canada and First Nations around the ratification and redesign of the Indian Act of 1876. The name of this document was the “White Paper.” The Federal Government's “White Paper, statement of Government of Canada on Indian Policy of 1969,” rejected the concept of special status for First Nations within confederation—they should have the same rights and responsibilities as other Canadians. The Federal Government argued treaty rights were irrelevant in today's society; the important issues demanding attention included economic, educational, and social problems. In Canada's assessment of the “savage” situation, the government could not see wellness wholistically addressing the poverty, social crises, and bleak future faced by most First Peoples was rooted in the very denial of treaty rights and humanness. This article pushes to educate health leaders about current circumstances contributing to racism.