(Montreal) It is essential to adopt ways of doing things that promote the cultural safety of Indigenous people in a research context, raises a comprehensive report from several partners working for Indigenous communities.
The hundred-page document is the result of work by the Support Unit (SSA) of the Quebec Indigenous Health Research Program, the McGill Department of Family Medicine, the Joyce Principle Office and the Tahatikonhsontóntie’Environment Indigenous Health Research Network of Quebec (ERRSA-Qc).
The report released Thursday is the result of a consultation by the “Roundtable on Cultural Safety in a Research Context” which aimed to define and identify the best ways to conduct culturally safe research in Indigenous health.
Cultural safety is a process by which health professionals must constantly review their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors to meet the needs of Indigenous populations. Its objective is to reduce health inequalities experienced by indigenous peoples.
The report highlights the importance of developing training specifically on cultural safety in a research context. Currently, in Quebec, there is no training on cultural safety intended for non-Aboriginal people interested in doing research with Aboriginal partners.
First, the report provides a portrait of precolonial health and the impact of European colonialism on the health of Indigenous people in Canada. He points out that colonizers in North America and the regimes that followed “had a major impact on the entire lives of Indigenous people, an impact that continues to be reflected in the health outcomes of First Peoples to this day.” of the territory “.
Indigenous health is inseparable from colonial practices, discrimination and racism, the report argues. These issues continue to represent major barriers, particularly regarding access to health services.
Today, the life expectancy of Aboriginal people is 8.4 years less than that of non-Aboriginal people.
“If on the one hand, some people working in the health field adopt discriminatory behaviors and attitudes towards Indigenous patients, it is mainly the cumulative effects of racism against Indigenous people in all Canadian health systems that contribute to the “the erosion of their health and the increase in risk factors”, we explain.
Numerous recommendations are found in the report, notably some addressed to political decision-makers. We hope that they will reverse “current research trends so that they are decentered from the academic environment” and that indigenous peoples can conduct research and find themselves the solutions to the issues experienced by their communities.
Politicians are also asked to set up committees made up of indigenous researchers within political institutions at all levels of government.
Researchers should also have “a body of knowledge on the impact of colonialism on the health of Indigenous Peoples”. It is also recommended that they develop a collaboration agreement with Indigenous partners, which would affect the entire research process, from data management to dissemination of results.
We highlight the example of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador as a model to follow.