June 19, 2020 —First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients seeking emergency medical services in British Columbia are often assumed to be intoxicated and denied medical assessments, contributing to worsening health conditions resulting in unnecessary harm or death. This is according to information obtained by Métis Nation BC and the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres. Additionally, the parties have notified the First Nations Health Authority of this concern.
Participants within the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program detail thousands of cases of racism in healthcare, resulting in the harm of Indigenous patients. In a recent training session, a program participant disclosed a common game played within B.C. hospital emergency rooms, where physicians, nurses and other staff try to guess the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of Indigenous patients. The winner of the game guesses closest to the BAC – without going over.
“There remains a lack of will to address systemic and specific racism towards Métis, First Nation and Inuit people,” says Leslie Varley, Executive Director of the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC), “We know that our people avoid hospitals because we are afraid of having a discriminatory encounter. This happens to the point where Indigenous people end up in emergency with extreme diagnosis, like cancer.”
“What is allegedly happening in BC hospitals to Métis, First Nations and Inuit peoples is deeply disturbing and must immediately come to an end” says Daniel Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer for the Métis Nation BC. “We remain committed to work with Provincial Health Services Authority to increase Métis specific content curriculum to increase the knowledge and understanding of healthcare providers serving Métis people to ensure improved care and culturally safe experiences in BC”.
The Province of Ontario made San’yas training mandatory for every employee in the Ontario Public Service in 2016. The Province of B.C. has yet to enforce standardized anti-racism training for health service workers. BC Health Authorities are inconsistent in their requirements for anti-racism training despite evidence that racism is prevalent within health systems. Cases of systemic and racialized harm and death continue to be looked at as a medical learning opportunity.
BCAAFC and MNBC, Indigenous leadership are calling upon the Ministry of Health to accept the following four recommendations:
Implementing these recommendations helps address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and would signify the beginning of concrete changes within the Province of B.C.’s health system.
MNBC and BCAAFC agree the way for the Province of BC to properly acknowledge National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21st would be to address the longstanding racism concerns of Métis, First Nations and Inuit people in our province.
Contact:
Leslie Varley
Executive Director
BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
250-893-0494
Daniel Fontaine
Chief Executive Officer
Métis Nation British Columbia
604-356-4165
About:
Métis Nation BC
Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) represents 90,000+ self-identified Métis people in BC. To date, over 21,000 Métis Citizens are provincially registered with MNBC. The Métis National Council and the Provincial Government of British Columbia, as well as the Federal Government of Canada, recognize Métis Nation British Columbia as the Governing Nation for Métis in BC.
BC Association of Friendship Centres
The BC Association of Friendship Centres represents 25 centres around the province that provide a wide array of social and health services focused towards the 85% of Indigenous people residing in urban areas.
Notice of changes to the BCAAFC annual general meeting are as follows:
Location: Online via Zoom
Date: July 10, 2020
Time: 9:00AM – 4:30PM PST
The BCAAFC does not have any special resolutions at this time.
Zoom details will be distributed via email on June 25, 2020.
These changes comply with provincial health orders and have been made for the health and safety of our members and communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Any questions can be directed to Cathie Storey – Board Liaison: execassist@bcaafc.com
Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate these changes together.
The 25 Friendship Centres located in British Columbia have not received any additional funding to support the increased need for Friendship Centre services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BCAAFC has requested emergency funding from the provincial government, no funding has been confirmed.
The National Association of Friendship Centres has submitted a proposal to the Indigenous Community Support Fund, no funding for Friendship Centres has been confirmed.
COVID-19 support resources: bcaafc.com/help/covid-19/
Contact: communications@bcaafc.com
At this time, BC Friendship Centres have not received any additional funding to support the increase in requests for services from BC First Nations members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please know that each Friendship Centre is doing the very best they can to serve their urban Indigenous clients and community members in need, but are over capacity with reduced resources and no additional supports.
Friendship Centre staff are challenged with balancing their own heath and safety, the health and safety of their families, and the health and safety of their clients.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time of crisis.
Please connect with us if there is anyway we can collaborate to better serve those in need: communications@bcaafc.com
Victoria, B.C. — April 8, 2020 — Friendship Centres are experiencing an increase in requests for services from First Nations communities and vulnerable populations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collectively, Friendship Centres are the largest infrastructure serving urban Indigenous populations across Canada, providing services critical to the health and wellbeing of their clients for almost 70 years. At their core, Friendship Centres are committed to a brighter future for all, helping whoever walks through their doors in need of supports, no matter their ancestry or Indigenous status.
“We do what we can for all Indigenous people, and when we are in times of emergency, like this COVID-19 pandemic, we pull together, and do our very best to address the increased need for services,” Leslie Varley, Executive Director of the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC), is working alongside the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) to secure supports for centres providing essential and urgent services to communities. The NAFC is submitting a funding proposal to the federal government on behalf of Friendship Centres nation-wide, in hopes of receiving a portion of the $15 million in emergency funding allocated for urban Indigenous organizations.
The 25 Friendship Centres located in B.C. have a history of supporting people during times of crisis, some serving as evacuation support centres during intense wildfire seasons. During this pandemic, Friendship Centres are continuing to provide essential services whenever possible, and many are working to fulfill additional urgent needs, such as shelter services for people experiencing homelessness. Other Friendship Centres are reaching out to ensure neighbouring Indigenous communities have access to services that other groups and organizations are not providing for.
The BCAAFC is requesting additional supports from the provincial government, and seeking opportunities to collaborate with other organizations and governing bodies to ensure Indigenous and Métis people, wherever they reside, are not suffering due to jurisdictional boundaries.
The backgrounder attached outlines the requests made by Friendship Centres in order to safely provide essential and urgent services.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Varley, Executive Director, BCAAFC
250-893-0494 | lvarley@bcaafc.com
Each Friendship Centre is an autonomous not-for-profit organization, governed by a local board of volunteer directors. Each centre develops programs and services depending on the needs identified by community members.
The province of B.C. accepts that 85% of Indigenous people in BC reside off reserve. This means many Indigenous people living off reserve are in dire need of supports and services; however, at this point, few additional services and resources are available to Friendship Centres.
The $305 million in funding announced by the federal government breaks down as follows:
– $125 million for First Nations, with a base amount for each
– $45 million for Inuit determined by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and land-claim groups
– $30 million for Métis Nation communities, through provincial bodies
– $15 million for Indigenous urban organizations (Canada-wide)
Across Canada, only urban Indigenous organizations, such as Friendship Centres, are required to apply for funding through a national proposal process, rather than receiving the funds allocated directly.
The National Association of Friendship Centres is submitting a proposal on behalf of all Friendship Centres for a portion of the $15 million funding available for Indigenous urban organizations.
Friendship Centres have asked for:
– Food and food vouchers to address food insecurity
– Care packages delivered to those with health problems and shut-ins
– Home kits for postpartum parents, including diapers and formula
– Cold and flu medications and other basic medications and first aid kits
– Travel supports for those who are having to resort to hitchhiking in areas like the Highway of Tears
– Taxi vouchers for those needing to get supplies or go to a doctor
– Supports for the homeless, including bedding, warm clothing, tents, and storage
– Cell phones for isolated elders, shut-ins and homeless folks so they can stay in contact with loved ones and service providers
– Hand washing stations, gloves, masks and sanitizer, for Friendship Centre staff and communities
Friendship Centres fulfill the Government of B.C.’s criteria for essential service providers, excerpt as follows:
“Vulnerable Population Service Providers
– Businesses and non-profits that provide food, shelter, social, and support services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable individuals, such as:
– Childcare services for those persons providing essential services
– Caregivers for children in care and out of care.”
In addition to the essential services defined, many Friendship Centres also provide specialized services, such as safe transition houses for women and families fleeing violence, and social housing.
– Government of Canada. (April 6, 2020). Indigenous Community Support Fund. http://ow.ly/lgz250z86lE
– Government of British Columbia. (April 3, 2020). List of COVID-19 Essential Services. http://ow.ly/7R8l50z7V5p
April 1, 2020
More Indigenous birth workers will have access to the Doulas for Aboriginal Families Grant Program (DAFGP) under its new eligibility requirements. The program, delivered by the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, provides Indigenous families living in BC up to $1,000.00 for doula support. Since 2013, the program has increased healthy birth outcomes for Indigenous families by removing the cost barrier to accessing doula services and bringing the birthing process closer to home.
The program’s previous doula eligibility requirements included certification through non-Indigenous oriented organizations, creating a barrier to accessing the program for many Indigenous birth workers. The new changes recognize that eligibility to the program must consider Indigenous peoples’ longstanding and enduring traditions of birth work.
These changes are already being celebrated by Indigenous service providers across BC. “The shift in requirements allows our Birth Keepers to be free of colonial restraints […] that otherwise impede the good work that has always been traditionally carried out”, shared the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Center Association (FRAFCA) Indigenous Birth Keeper Collective. “The [new] requirements give families greater opportunity to access culturally-safe, trauma-informed, traditional birth supports.”
Indigenous birth work positively influences Indigenous health, despite the disruption of Indigenous birth practices through policies such as residential schools and the biomedicalization of birth. Doulas can act as advocates for families and make positive contributions in situations where people are cited as high-risk, are without family supports, or are birthing away from their home communities. The program has also recently released a travel grant to support doulas for this purpose.
Indigenous families look to their own rich cultural traditions to inform their pregnancy-related experiences, and Indigenous doulas can facilitate incorporating traditional practices into the birthing process. As Indigenous doula care emerges as a best practice in Indigenous reproductive and maternal health care, assessment and response, the DAFGP is proud to increase access to Indigenous doula supports.
Visit http://bcaafc.com/dafgp/ for more information about the grant program.
For inquiries, please contact: Kassandra Woods at (250) 388-5522 ext. 252 or kwoods@bcaafc.com
“We have Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Medicine people, parents, youth, children, and babies that constitute our community. Everyone is invested in supporting our Life Givers through the birth transition in a good way. This is a traditional value.”
FRAFCA’s Indigenous Birth Keeper Collective is grounded in culture and works as a close-knit community of perinatal support to families.
Thank you to all the Elders, knowledge keepers, speakers, and language learners working to revitalize, maintain and strengthen Indigenous languages.
Whether you are just beginning or an expert, your efforts represent the strength of Indigenous languages, cultures, and traditions, despite colonial policies designed to silence them.
Language resources
FirstVoices (First Peoples’ Cultural Council) – a suite of web-based tools and services designed to support Indigenous people engaged in language archiving, language teaching and cultural revitalization.
Apps for Learning an Indigenous Language (Animikii) – a list of 30 language apps to supplement language learning.
Indigenous Languages of British Columbia (Government of British Columbia) – curriculum packages developed for grades 5 to 12
BC has the largest diversity of Indigenous languages in Canada
