National medical apology to indigenous people supported by Halton Healthcare

A formal apology to indigenous people issued Wednesday (Sept. 18) by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has the support of Halton Healthcare.

The healthcare organization comprised of community hospitals in Oakville, Milton and Georgetown took time to say it backs the words of sorrow towards expressed by CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer to indigenous people in Canada.

Monday, September 30, 2024 marks the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, created in response to Action 80 of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Actions.

Since 2013, the day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.

Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

“We support the formal apology issued today by the Canadian Medical Association,” said Halton Healthcare on social media Wednesday evening. “At Halton Healthcare, we’re dedicated to building strong partnerships with Indigenous communities, focusing on unlearning, listening and relearning culturally respectful approaches.”

Reimer delivered the formal apology on behalf of the CMA and the medical profession.

“The Canadian Medical Association is deeply sorry for the harms First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples have experienced and continue to experience in the Canadian health system,” said Reimer. “As an association, our purpose is to support the medical profession and create a more sustainable, accessible and equitable health system for all patients and providers.

“In failing to address systemic anti-Indigenous racism in health care, we have failed to fulfill this purpose. We take ownership of the CMA’s history, and we are committed to righting our wrongs and rebuilding our relationship on a foundation of trust, accountability and reciprocity.”