Chantal Daniels, director of Ongomiizwin – Education, opened the ceremony with a powerful message. 

“This land has always been with our people,” Daniels said. “This land has always been a place of gathering, of ceremony and care. It holds memory and it holds our truth. But that sacred relationship was finally disrupted by the residential school system. 

“Yet the land never forgot us, and we have never forgotten the land as Indigenous people. Here at Ongomiizwin, we are reclaiming that bond through ceremony, through teachings and through the fire burning as we speak now in our Medicine Garden.” 

Elder Margaret Lavallee, Elder-in-residence at Ongomiizwin, addressed the crowd and said a prayer. 

“We think about the children that have lost their lives for nothing,” she said. 

George Muswaggon, Knowledge Keeper at Ongomiizwin, shared teachings and spoke about the significance of the ceremony. 

“What we’re doing is acknowledging the richness of our past, the strength of our present and the hope of our future,” Muswaggon said.  

A ceremony song was performed by Dr. Lisa Monkman, Indigenous physician advisor with Ongomiizwin. 

Elder Charlotte Nolin places tobacco into the fire at the Medicine Garden.

Smudge was passed around. Elder Charlotte Nolin, Elder-in-residence at Ongomiizwin, shared teachings about sage, which was used in the smudge, and other Indigenous medicines. 

“The medicines teach us about this — how to love one another, how to be gentle with one another,” Nolin said. “We’re speaking of everyone — not just Indigenous people — everyone, because we are all related.” 

Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, spoke during the ceremony about the significance of NDTR. 

“The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important time for Rady Faculty educators and learners to reflect on the steps we can take to decolonize health care, improve access to equitable care, and provide culturally safe care in partnership with our Indigenous communities,” Nickerson said. 

Melanie MacKinnon, executive director of Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, talked about Ongomiizwin’s growing reputation. 

“I think we’re called gems of the university,” MacKinnon said. “And part of that is the work that our physicians, our nurses, our physiotherapists, our occupational therapists do, and a number of other disciplines on our behalf in community — every day, all day, throughout the year.” 

In closing, Daniels said: “As health-care professionals, current and future, I want to remind you that you hold the power to shape the future of the care in Manitoba. You are not only healers and educators and advocates — you are the change makers, and Reconciliation must be a part of that.” 

Attendees walked to the Medicine Garden, placing tobacco in the fire as a symbol of commitment. A spirit dish of bannock and tea was shared at the Brodie Atrium.  

Orange Shirt Day Walk on Fort Garry campus 

At Fort Garry campus, over 200 people took part in the annual Orange Shirt Day walk, hosted by the Nursing Students’ Association, on the morning of Sept. 26. 

A ceremony was held prior to the walk, with an opening prayer by Elder Stan Manoakeesick, a lead researcher from Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), an advocacy group for First Nations in the province.  

Manoakeesick also spoke alongside student researcher Amari Hart about MKO’s Path Forward project, which investigates former residential school sites. He discussed the difficulty in identifying all of the children who went missing in the residential school system. 

“We cannot properly identify them and we cannot properly help in commemorating them and burying them with ceremony according to our traditions. But we honour and commemorate them each day, such as today. We have to remember, in that way, we restore their dignity and we acknowledge their lives,” Manoakeesick said. 

A crowd of people wearing orange shirts gathers inside the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.

Other speakers included Chief David Monias of Cross Lake First Nation and College of Nursing dean Dr. Kellie Thiessen. 

Following the walk, NSA senior stick Mariam Yusef renewed the nursing students’ pledge to practice culturally safe nursing care. 

“Orange Shirt Day is a powerful opportunity to pause and reflect on the painful truths of the past. It is also a time to come together, to heal, to reconcile and recommit ourselves to building a future rooted in respect, dignity and justice,” she said. 

Yusef reminded the nursing students in attendance not to overlook the lasting impact of residential schools on Indigenous families and communities. “Our responsibility is to walk alongside them with respect and compassion, providing client-centred care that acknowledges trauma, affirms cultural identity and fosters resilience.” 

The event was hosted by NSA Indigenous representative Kayleigh Pagee, who reminded those gathered to continue to think about Orange Shirt Day year-round.   

“To everyone here today, may we carry this work beyond this gathering, into our departments, our conversations, our budgets and our everyday decisions,” she said. “Let us move together from words to relationship, from acknowledgement to action, from remembrance to repair.” 

The morning concluded with a cultural dance performance by UM kinesiology student Jordan Flett, from Norway House Cree Nation.

***

Watch highlights on Instagram: instagram.com/reel/DPMlZULgVQJ/

He danced before an audience gathered on June 20 in the Brodie Centre atrium to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. The event was hosted by Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing in the Rady Faculty.

Cleveland, whose traditional name is White Cloud, shared the stage with the Sons of the Drum group and dancers who performed different styles of dance, including Jingle Dress and the Woodland Strap Dress, also known as the Grandmother Dress. Cleveland said these dance styles are ancient.

“A lot of these dances are so old that there’s no date that we can recall exactly when they started, but we can tell the story of how they started,” he said.

Cleveland explained that the Prairie Chicken Dance came to a young man in a dream after he shot a sage grouse to feed his family.

“The bird told him, ‘In exchange for my life, I’m going to show you this dance and I’m going to show you the songs that go with this dance, and when you wake up, you’re going to bring it back to your people. You’re going to show them what I’ve shown you,’” Cleveland said.

The event was emceed by Debra Beach Ducharme, whose spirit name is Earth Woman, and who is the director of Indigenous health integration at Ongomiizwin – Education. She told the audience that Indigenous people come from deep roots.

“Roots that connect us to the land, to our languages and to the songs of our ancestors. From these roots we rise. Our resilience is powerful,” she said.

George Muswaggon, Knowledge Keeper with Ongomiizwin, addressed the audience and said that the Indigenous culture shared that day is just a glimpse into it.

“There’s much more to it than just that. There’s much preparation that happens. Take a look at the regalia. If you can only imagine the amount of hours it takes to prepare those. Think about that for a second,” Muswaggon said.

George Muswaggon speaks in Mashkiki Gittgaan – Medicine Garden.

The morning began with the lighting of a Sacred Fire and a Pipe Ceremony in Mashkiki Gittgaan – Medicine Garden. The space was filled with members of the Rady Faculty community.

“Taking time for ceremonies is a powerful way to ground ourselves as Indigenous people and it also teaches people about the validity of our way of life,” Beach Ducharme said.

Following the event in Brodie Centre, the audience enjoyed a feast catered by Shelly’s Indigenous Bistro. Vendors were also set up to sell their hand-made products.

On the Bannatyne campus, faculty, staff and students wearing orange T-shirts attended the event held in the Brodie Centre atrium. The gathering was presented by Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing.  

Elder Margaret Lavallee, Elder-in-residence at Ongomiizwin, gave the opening prayer and Debra Beach Ducharme, director of Indigenous health integration with Ongomiizwin – Education, hosted the event. 

Dr. Peter Nickerson speaks to the audience gathered in Brodie Centre atrium.

Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, gave remarks and spoke to the audience about the recently completed mural in the atrium by Anishinaabe artist Blake Angeconeb. He asked that people reflect on the symbolism of the art which reminds them that they are on Indigenous land and Treaty 1 Territory.  

“National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important time for Rady Faculty of Health Sciences faculty members, learners and trainees to reflect on your role in truth and reconciliation and the steps you can take to decolonize health care, improve access to equitable care and provide culturally safe care in partnership with Indigenous communities,” Nickerson said.  

Dr. Marcia Anderson, vice-dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, gave remarks and thanked Elder Lavallee for the important work she does at the Rady Faculty. Anderson said she always thinks about what it must be like for Elder Lavallee on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation because she is a residential school survivor and day school survivor.  

A panel discussion took place that included [from left to right] Dr. Vanessa Poliquin, Dr. Lisa Monkman and Dr. Marcia Anderson.

“Some of us have heard some of the stories of what you experienced there, and you still keep showing up for us with love, with generosity, with humour, with kindness and with teachings … We just really value and appreciate you so much,” Anderson said.   

A panel discussion took place that included Anderson; Dr. Lisa Monkman, Indigenous health curriculum co-lead for post graduate medical education, Max Rady College of Medicine; and Dr. Vanessa Poliquin, associate professor and department head of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine.  

The panelists discussed the apologies by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba and the Canadian Medical Association for harms to Indigenous Peoples, and they spoke about institutional resistance and reconciliation.   

The event concluded with an honour song by Monkman, followed by bannock and refreshments.  

Orange Shirt Day Walk on Fort Garry campus 

At Fort Garry campus, hundreds participated in the Nursing Students’ Association’s (NSA) 10th annual Orange Shirt Day Walk, which started and ended at the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.  

In the past, the walk concluded at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation on Dysart Road, but growing attendance led to the change. 

The Orange Shirt Day Walk started and ended at the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.

Prior to the walk, Karen Cochrane, grandmother-in-residence for the Migizii Agamik Bald Eagle Lodge at UM, opened the ceremony by sharing the story of Phyllis Webstad, the residential school survivor who inspired Orange Shirt Day. As a child, Webstad had her brand-new orange shirt taken away from her upon arriving at a residential school in Williams Lake, B.C. 

“Phyllis’ mom wanted the best for her, so she bought her a pretty orange shirt. If your mom or your dad bought you something, you knew that was love, you knew you were valued … Phyllis never saw that orange shirt again.” 

Other speakers included Dr. Michael Benarroch, UM president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Netha Dyck, dean of the College of Nursing, Jennifer Chen, MLA Fort Richmond, NSA indigenous student representative Kayleigh Pagee and Grand Chief Garrison Settee.  

Settee honoured the nursing students in attendance for organizing and taking part in the walk. 

UM student Jordan Flett dances a jig in front of the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing.

“Your pursuit of nursing is not just a career, it is a calling. It is a very special calling that not too many pursue. I honour all of you, because you are a gift to our people and a gift to this province,” Settee said. 

After the walk, NSA senior stick Judah Chepil renewed the nursing students’ pledge to practice culturally safe nursing care. He said the event gave nursing students the opportunity to influence their peers and future colleagues. 

“Our health-care system, historically, has not always served Indigenous communities well, contributing to mistrust. Nurses can be key players in rebuilding this trust,” Chepil said. “Participating in reconciliation efforts helps nursing students understand the mistrust many Indigenous people feel toward institutions, including health care, and how they can become allies in healing this divide.” 

The event concluded with a cultural dance performance by Jordan Flett, a 19-year-old UM student who has performed with the Northern Cree Dancers.

Surrounded by a gathering of students, faculty and staff, Elder Nolin named each plant as she went around the circle.  “The sage we use with the smudge. Mint, we make tea with it. Sweetgrass we use with our prayers,” said Elder Nolin. “The medicines that are grown here are medicines that we use in our everyday lives.”

Her face broke into a smile when she got to the wild roses blooming in the corner the garden.

“When I was a kid we’d take the petals right off and we’d eat them,” she said. “Once they’re done flowering they form a bud, a rose hip. After frost they turn bright red. Then you can pick them and make a tea or you can use them to make a jelly.”

If you were stung by a bee or if you cut yourself while you were out gathering rosehips, you could use some of the yarrow growing nearby, she added. “You chew it into a paste, then you put it on the skin. It can help stop the sting.”

The garden, opened in 2014, not only includes a variety of medicinal plants and shrubs, but it offers healing for the mind and spirit, she added.

“When I used to work in Child and Family Services, they asked me what my wellness plan was. Some people said they  had counsellors and some people took yoga.”

For her, it was being able to put her hands in soil each day and care for the land and everything growing on it. “When I pick up a handful of soil, I feel life,” she said. “To me, working in the garden is relaxing, it takes away any negative things I may carry,” she said.

“This is a place that we hold very close to our heart,” said Chantal Daniels, director of Ongomiizwin – Education, who organized the teaching session and the garden-clean-up that followed.

“Not just us. If you come  out here at lunchtime, there’s people who sit out here and eat lunch, we have our guests from the neighbouring hospital that come and use the space as well.”

Elder Nolin ended the session by extending an invitation to the group and to all members of the community. “Any time you need to come sit to just unload whatever you’re carrying, this is a good place to do it.”

The round dance participants included Rady Faculty of Health Sciences faculty, staff and learners and was part of a celebration organized by Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing.

The day’s events began with the lighting of a Sacred Fire in Mashkiki Gitigann – Medicine Garden and was followed by a pipe ceremony. Approximately 50 people gathered in the Medicine Garden to learn about the ceremony led by Ongomiizwin Elders.

Elder Margaret Lavallee speaks to the audience gathered in Mashkiki Gitigann – Medicine Garden.

Elder Margaret Lavallee said they wanted to bring the Rady Faculty community together to help understand each other’s cultures.

“It’s exciting. I really appreciate the people that are interested in this sacred ground right here,” Lavallee said. “I think it’s important we have that so that we can share our teachings as time goes on.”

Later that morning, Debra Beach Ducharme, director of Indigenous health integration at Ongomiizwin – Education, opened the portion of the celebration that took place in Brodie Centre atrium.

“This day is special, and it is important to honour and recognize First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and their contributions to learning, research, programming and everything that goes on at the University of Manitoba and all over Turtle Island,” Beach Ducharme said.

Melanie MacKinnon, executive director of Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, introduced George Muswaggon, Ongomiizwin’s new and first full-time Knowledge Keeper.

“I’m really, really grateful for you – that you trust us to honour us with your work, with your expertise, with your gifts,” MacKinnon said.

The round dance participants included Rady Faculty of Health Sciences faculty, staff and learners.

Muswaggon told the audience that when someone takes part in a ceremony or when they do the round dance there are no absolutes.

“I got asked this question the other day, ‘What if you do this wrong?’” Muswaggon said. “Well, the only time it’s wrong is if you do it purposefully – not the way you’re supposed to – otherwise, when you participate, there is no wrong way to participate. You enrich that experience, and you enrich your experience.”

Elder Charlotte Nolin introduced a recording of the Métis National Anthem. Following the anthem, she told the audience to enjoy the day and each other’s company.

“Enjoy the love that is here and know that you are one race – the human race,” Nolin said.

Before the round dance began, Darryl Buck, a drummer and singer, spoke about the round dance and said that it brings Indigenous people together in a good way.

“This is a time where we can come and make new friends, and strengthen the relationships that we already have,” Buck said.

As part of the celebration, an honouring ceremony took place and Nolin was presented with a wall hanging.

Following the round dance, participants enjoyed a feast catered by Shelly’s Indigenous Bistro. Vendors were also set up to sell their hand-made products.

On June 20, ten student, staff and faculty honourees were recognized for their exceptional contributions at the 2024 Honouring our Indigenous Campus Community recognition ceremony.

Formerly the Indigenous Awards of Excellence, this event strives to reflect the diverse gifts of the Indigenous community at UM. This is the eighth year of recognizing honourees in a blanketing ceremony.

Meet the 2024 Honouring our Indigenous Campus Community recipients: 

Student Honourees  
Brad Albert, Faculty of Science
Elora Cromarty, Faculty of Arts
Monica Cyr, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Charlene Hallett, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Lauren Hallett, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Kiana Tait, Max Rady College of Medicine

Staff Honourees 
Elder Charlotte Nolin, Ongomiizwin Institute of Health & Healing
Marla Robson, College of Nursing

Faculty Honouree
Dr. Lisa Monkman

Legacy Honouree
Ken Paupanekis

New this year, the Legacy category honours former, or in the case of this year, outgoing, self-declared Indigenous UM faculty or staff who have made a positive impact on the campus community.

Vice-President (Indigenous) Angie Bruce welcomed honourees, friends, family members and colleagues with opening remarks and shared these words: “We cannot impact change on our own. Doing this work – creating space for Indigenous people, uplifting Indigenous voices; and integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the fabric of the University of Manitoba – requires a community. And today, we honour that community. We hold events like this to recognize the staff, students and faculty that are leading the conversations, advocating for policy and structural change and inspiring others to continue this important work.”

The 10 honourees were presented with Star Blankets, by Kookum Leslie Spillett and Isca Spillett. Being wrapped in a Star Blanket is an honouring experience and a showing of gratitude from the community. 

Congratulations and miigwech to the 2024 honourees!

Muswaggon, who prefers the term Knowledge Keeper, was born in the Indigenous community of Pimicikamak, Man. (Cross Lake), before electricity, telephones or even roadways had reached the area.

In summer, his community travelled by canoe throughout the many waterways. In winter, they went by dogsled. “When the machines came and they started putting in the hydro lines, we’d never seen anything like it!” he said.

It was a close knit community with strong ties between families, said Muswaggon. “When my friends and I wanted to go do something we’d been told not to do, someone would always see us going,” he said. “We wouldn’t get very far and someone would call to us, ‘Come help me make some tea.’” He’d find himself lending a hand in someone’s kitchen, then sitting and listening to stories meant to spark some thought about the choices he was about to make. “I don’t know how they did it, but they always knew,” he laughed.

Muswaggon was raised by his grandmother, on the edge of Pimicikamak. A bombardier was used to take children to the Day School and one day as it passed, it stopped. “They asked if I wanted to go along, so I got in.” It was Muswaggon’s first introduction to a new way of teaching – one that came with corporal punishment, not the gentle redirection of friends and family. “I didn’t know why it was happening,” he said. “I couldn’t begin to understand it.”

He went on to attend the Mackay Indian Residential School in Dauphin, Man., 900 km away from home. This is where Muswaggon and his peers began to protest the injustices they were facing, marking the beginning of his advocacy work.

Muswaggon went on to a variety of leadership roles, including serving as an elected councilor for four terms and later becoming the first Grand Chief for the 25 First Nations in Northern Manitoba for Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO).

During his tenure as Grand Chief at MKO, Muswaggon was part of a team that established a Youth Treatment Center, nursing programs, housing projects for isolated communities and the development of Wapusk National Park.

His expertise ranges from traditional land-based knowledge to contemporary government relations, budgeting, HR management, legislative reviews and child and family services management.

Now at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Muswaggon is looking forward to offering cultural and spiritual guidance to students, faculty and staff.  

“There is a rich tradition of diverse knowledge within Indigenous communities, passed down through generations,” said Muswaggon. “It’s my mission to acknowledge and preserve the pre-contact and pre-colonial influences that have shaped Indigenous practices, underscoring the humility, strength, and resilience embodied by present-day Knowledge Keepers.”

“On behalf of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Friesen-Enns for this well-earned recognition,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences), dean, Max Rady College of Medicine and dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

“We admire both their dedication to the health sector and their commitment to fostering pride, resilience and inspiration among Indigenous communities. Their success is a testament to their hard work, dedication and passionate advocacy for Indigenous health.”

The Indspire Awards represent the highest honour the Indigenous community bestows upon its own people.

“These awards not only celebrate Indigenous excellence but also inspire future generations to pursue their dreams and make a positive impact in our world,” said Dr. Mike DeGagné, President & CEO of Indspire.

After 30 years, the Indspire Awards have honoured over 400 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding career achievement, promote self-esteem and pride for Indigenous communities, and provide inspirational role models.

The award was presented on April 18, 2024 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, ON.

Friesen-Enns, who is Red River Métis, is currently completing a five-year residency program in Emergency Medicine at the University of Calgary.

“I felt drawn to medicine because it would allow me to study the subject that I enjoy while also making a difference,” they said. “I hope that being an Indigenous physician makes the health-care system feel like a safer space for Indigenous people and that I can help to increase trust by being a community member of the patients I am serving.”

Pursuing medicine hasn’t been without its struggles, Friesen-Enns said. Not only did they face the usual pressures of a demanding program, but financial problems, racism and imposter syndrome all played a part in their journey. “As an Indigenous medical student, there are many people who think that you didn’t need to be as smart or accomplished as they did to get into medical school,” Friesen-Enns said. “These negative opinions definitely affected me and made me wonder if I was smart enough or if I deserved to become a doctor.”

They didn’t back away from the challenge. Not only did they complete three degrees at the University of Manitoba, but they also helped pave the way for other Indigenous students along the way.

Friesen-Enns is a co-founder of the Indigenous Medical Students’ Association of Canada (IMSAC) and part of the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA) Indigenous Guiding Circle.

“Being Métis influenced my decisions to pursue leadership throughout my post-secondary education so that I could be in positions that would allow me to address gaps and raise awareness for Indigenous perspectives and issues,” they said. “I co-founded IMSAC in an effort to create a place where Indigenous medical students from across the country could connect with one another in order to form a community and support each other throughout their medical education.”

On completing their residency, Friesen-Enns would like to work to improve culturally safe care within emergency departments and to act as a mentor and/or role model to young Indigenous students with an interest in health care to increase Indigenous representation in medicine.

“Having the opportunity to be seen as a role model to Indigenous youth through winning this award is such a privilege,” they said. “It is a very long road, but it is worth it to persevere. We need more Indigenous doctors and it is such an incredible opportunity to be able to serve your community by providing health care.”

This year’s honorees include Dr. Marcia Anderson, vice-dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism at Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. The formal investiture ceremony will be held on July 11 at the Legislative Building.

A nationally renowned physician and an influential academic leader, Anderson  served as the public health lead for Manitoba’s First Nations COVID-19 pandemic response team and has been credited with mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in First Nations communities throughout Manitoba through collaborative leadership, clinical excellence and strong relationships

The Cree-Anishinaabe physician has won many awards over her career Including the 2011 National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now known as the Indspire Awards) and being named as one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2018 by Women’s Executive Network and again in 2022.

In 2021, Anderson received the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s Dr. Thomas Dignan Indigenous Health Award. In 2022, she was recognized as Physician of the Year by Doctors Manitoba and awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada Manitoba region.

UM Today asked Anderson to share her thoughts on this most recent impressive award, the Order of Manitoba, and her goals for the future.

How does it feel to be recognized with such a prestigious honour and what does this award mean to you personally?

I was extremely honoured when my friend and colleague senator Dr. Gigi Osler approached me for my consent to be nominated.

I looked at the list of previous recipients, which includes people like former national chiefs Ovide Mercredi and Phil Fontaine. It’s almost overwhelming to be considered as having contributed in a way that would put me in that company,  and to be inducted in the same year as the Honourable Murray Sinclair. He is someone I deeply admire and have learned extensively from.

I am incredibly grateful for the teams of people I work with – it is the team that makes our contributions possible.

In addition to feeling honoured, I feel an enormous responsibility to live up to the contributions of these other notable inducted.

Could you share some specific initiatives or projects you’ve been involved in that have made a difference in the lives of Manitobans, especially Indigenous individuals or communities?

As a team in Ongomiizwin we have provided a good work environment for our team that serves as a haven of safety and cultural connections that grounds all of the work we do. This is the place we lead from.

I’m proud of having worked with Melanie MacKinnon [executive director, Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing], the Kookums and Elders and our senior leadership in co-creating this environment.

It makes a real difference in the average length of service for the providers in Ongomiizwin Health Services and for the expansion of our programs out in community and here in the University.

I have learned a lot from Mel about our core business being relationships and was never as thankful for that as I was during the COVID-19 pandemic when we had to draw on all those relationships in our response.

I look at the national work I’m involved in and how we work together will people like Max Rady College of Medicine associate dean of admissions Dr. Sara Goulet in leading the way in meaningful change like requiring an Indigenous course to apply to our medical school.

I’m grateful for people who are willing to experiment the way forward with me, like Dr.

Delia Douglas [director of the Rady Faculty Office of Anti-Racism], as we developed and continue to try to meaningfully implement out anti-racism policy.

I can’t mention by name everyone on my teams, but I really appreciate each of them and how they contribute to our shared goals, because this is what results in the progress we have made.

Being honoured with the Order of Manitoba highlights not just your professional achievements, but also your leadership and commitment to service. Can you speak to the importance of leadership in addressing health disparities and promoting cultural understanding?

When it comes to health equity, human rights, social justice, anti-racism and cultural safety, we all have a role to play.

I think we need to have some humility in that these are complex topics, there are multiple experiences and areas of expertise that need to be part of our path forward and we don’t always know with certainty what is going to work and when our best intentions and best guesses might have unintended negative consequences.

When we are accustomed as leaders to being the experts, acting quickly and moving with certainty, we might get very stuck in leading through this complexity that requires us to critically self-reflect and may have a higher risk of getting something  wrong.

As a leader at this phase of my career, I still see my work in providing some academic leadership in Ongomiizwin, but increasingly I see it as supporting other leaders within the faculty in their own cultural safety, anti-racism and social justice work.

This is less about cultural understanding and more about understanding systems of power and oppression, our positionality and how that relates to our roles and increasing psychological safety in our environments so it’s safe to try, to question, to make mistakes and to learn.

In your opinion, what are some of the most pressing health-care challenges facing Manitoba today and how do you envision addressing them?

The most pressing health-care challenges we have in Manitoba include the system and health workforce challenges that many are struggling with.

Increasing cultural safety and address racism in the work and learning environments are important strategies to help stabilize the workforce and improve patient outcomes.

Our health outcomes remain largely defined by inequitable access to the underlying determinants of health, with this inequitable access also being related to structural drivers like colonialism and racism.

I’m fairly confident in some of the approaches we have in health professional education in the upcoming years to increase racial justice and cultural safety in our teaching and environments, but I don’t presume to have the answers to all of the complex health care challenges in the system.

It’s easy to say we need to shift funding upstream to public health and easily accessible, team based and responsive primary care, but harder to actually do.

Your achievements serve as an inspiration to many Indigenous youth aspiring to careers in medicine and academia. What advice would you give to those who are following in your footsteps?

I hope that my path is inspiring to Indigenous youth and also to other young people who have strong commitments to human rights and social justice.

At the high school and undergraduate university level the best advice I would have is to read and study widely.

Even if you want to come into a health profession, invest time in sociology, Indigenous studies and critical race and gender studies for example.

Know who you are by strengthening connections to the communities you are part of.

Explore lots of different passions like arts, travel and sports, because they too will benefit you and your work in the future in ways you might not be able to see now.

Find a range of mentors with different characteristics you admire or expertise you want to learn from.

Work hard to understand what your piece of this work is to do and keep prioritizing yourself, your well-being and the relationships that are important to you.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for the future, both personally and professionally, as you continue to make a difference in health care and education?

My goals remain the same – to make a meaningful and measurable difference in the health care quality and experiences our relatives have.

I’m so curious and excited for the impact our new race based data, anti-racism approaches and cultural safety training will have in the next five years.

Attendees at the Roundtable for Indigenous Youth, a part of the national OurCare survey, are calling for health services delivered “Auntie Style.”

Throughout the Roundtable, participants were clear that in their interactions with health-care professionals, they want to feel both cared for and respected. In this context, “Auntie Style” means that systems and workers are rooted in the concept of kinship and can provide culturally safe care.

“We walk into a hospital and expect to be discriminated against,” was a typical experience echoed again and again throughout the Roundtable session, with youth expressing a deep mistrust of the mainstream health-care system. Indigenous youth also reported often delaying seeking medical care until it becomes an emergency.

Findings from the Indigenous Youth Report show a need for more Indigenous staff across the health-care system, additional Indigenous-led care and spaces, and accountability. This includes holding all staff accountable for the way they treat patients, especially Indigenous people, so that all patients are treated with dignity in hospital and other medical settings.

The Roundtable was one component of OurCare’s national initiative. Over 16 months, OurCare heard from nearly 10,000 Canadians about their experiences and aspirations for a better primary care system. Collectively, Manitobans contributed about 1,318 hours to OurCare.

Ten community roundtables, including two held in Winnipeg, received in-depth feedback from 192 participants from underserved communities including First Nation, Inuit and Métis people; African, Caribbean and Black communities; immigrants, refugees, migrant workers and other newcomers; LGBTQIA+ migrants; and people with disabilities.

Input from participants at all stages of the project was distilled into the OurCare Standard, six elements of what every person in Canada should expect from the primary care system:

1. Everyone has a relationship with a primary care clinician who works with other health professionals in a publicly funded team.
2. Everyone receives ongoing care from their primary care team and can access them in a timely way.
3. Everyone’s primary care team is connected to community and social services that together support their physical, mental and social well-being.
4. Everyone can access their health record online and share it with their clinicians.
5. Everyone receives culturally safe care that meets their needs from clinicians that represent the diversity of the communities they serve.
6. Everyone is served by a primary care system that is accountable to the communities it serves.

“The national OurCare Standard provides a straightforward and easy to understand guide for what people should be able to expect from the primary care system and what policymakers and decision makers should work towards when making changes to the primary care system,” said Dr. Amanda Condon, OurCare Manitoba co-lead and head of family medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and Shared Health provincial specialty lead of family medicine.  “Primary care that meets the OurCare Standard is primary care that meets the needs identified in the Indigenous youth community roundtable convened in Manitoba.”

“I feel that it is very important that each of us do our part to ensure that health care meets the needs of all of our citizens in Canada,” said Marti Ford, a panel member with Inuit and settler roots. Ford is also an assistant professor of education at the University of Manitoba. “Complaining about a system doesn’t solve anything, we need to give our time to find a solution. We are all impacted by the health-care system and it needs to be healed in order to continue the work that the health-care professionals are striving for in a broken system.”

The OurCare report and the Manitoban Indigenous Youth Report are available on the OurCare website.