THE JOURNEY OF TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION WITH INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IS ONE OF OUR PRIORITY OBJECTIVES.
Recognition of Indigenous territory, wrongs of the past and the actions of Centre de santé was first published on June 21, 2023, National Indigenous Peoples Day. This recognition was written by all staff and the Board of Directors. We are committed to reviewing our statement annually to reflect where we are on our journey. With this in mind, we present this new version.
Centre de santé Saint-Boniface is located on the ancestral and current lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Dakota Oyate and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. These sacred lands known as Wînipêk (Winnipeg) fall within the Peguis-Selkirk Treaty and Treaty 1 territory. They are also a meeting place for exchange among several other nations of northern Manitoba, including the Anishininewuk, Denesuline and Inuit. The water that gives us life comes from the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, of Treaty 3 territory, and the majority of our electricity is generated on Treaty 5 territory.
We are conscious of the intent of the treaties, agreements and understandings that have been reached on this territory. We reflect on the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the 231 calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People. This allows us to recognize the wrongs and errors of the past and present. Centre de santé also acknowledges the current systemic barriers that continue to disproportionately disadvantage Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit). To this day, these harms continue to have a highly negative impact on the determinants of health.
Centre de santé is committed to continuing to educate its staff on the impact of colonization, particularly in the context of health and social services. We understand the importance of providing equitable health services and recognize our responsibility to address inequities to reduce or eliminate barriers to our services. We are actively working on our reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion plan with the support of members of the Centre de santé Indigenous Advisory Circle. We are committed to implementing this plan to build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.