Our journey towards Indigenous reconciliation

Today, we mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

This is a moment to reflect on the legacy of colonization and the ongoing trauma of Canada’s residential school system. These effects are felt widely throughout our society, including in our health care and health research systems.

At Michael Smith Health Research BC, we recognize the need for humility and openness as we walk the path to reconciliation. But there can be no reconciliation without truth.

With guidance from Indigenous advisors and through our partnership with the BC Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (BC NEIHR), we have been given valuable opportunities to learn.

“We acknowledge that our work to advance Indigenous reconciliation is just beginning,” says Dr. Bev Holmes, President & CEO of Health Research BC. “We have a great deal to learn and unlearn with the support of our advisors and colleagues as we work towards a health research system that respects and values Indigenous ways of knowing.”

Cultural safety training is the foundation of respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples, culturally safe environments, and programs that support Indigenous self-determination. We will create opportunities for our staff to enhance their knowledge and skills through Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP ®) training and San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety training.

“Collaborative learning strengthens our truth and reconciliation journey, especially if we go beyond academic understandings alone,” says Harley Eagle, Indigenous Cultural Safety Advisor for Health Research BC. “By finding the courage to allow awareness, we grow authentic connections and insights into our locations within colonial systems and narratives. This life-long journey together provides us with a clear purpose for our collective and individual decolonizing and healing journeys.”

Looking ahead, we commit to creating new opportunities for Indigenous health researchers through our programs and supporting research grounded in Indigenous perspectives and values. We will strive to embed cultural safety in all aspects of our work and throughout BC’s health research system. We will build ethical frameworks that respect diverse ways of knowing and self-determination, drawing on the wisdom of advisors and partners from Indigenous communities.

The journey to reconciliation is long and there are many steps ahead. Today, we pause to reflect, listen, and learn so that we may find a better way forward.

Learn more about Health Research BC’s commitments to Indigenous reconciliation.