British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives (BCCNM) in 2021 adopted a set of practice standards that c​​learly outline the expectations for how BCCNM registrants are to provide culturally safe and anti-racist care for Indigenous clients.

We strive to foster the following core concepts & principles from the BCCNM practice standards within nursing education, research, and practice and advance School of Nursing’s commitment to health equity, social justice, anti-racism and Indigenous cultural safety.

Core concepts & principles:

1. Self-reflective practice (it starts with me)

2. Building knowledge through education

3. Anti-racist practice (taking action) 

4. Creating safe health care experiences

5. Person-led care (relational care)

6. Strengths-based and trauma-informed practice (looking below the surface)

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a human rights instrument that sets out the rights of Indigenous peoples around the world. The framework defines specific rights related to Indigenous identities, livelihoods and ways of knowing and being. The goal of UNDRIP is to defend the survival, dignity and well‐being of Indigenous people.

In 2019, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (Declaration Act) was passed into British Columbia law with the goal of providing transparency and accountability in how the BC laws align with UNDRIP, in consultation and co-operation with Indigenous Peoples.

We seek to align our work with the BC Declaration Act and the following elements of UNDRIP: 

Article 21: Indigenous Peoples have the right, without discrimination, to the improvement of their economic and social conditions, including in the areas of education, employment, vocational training and retraining, housing, sanitation, health and social security

Article 24: 

Indigenous Peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without discrimination, to all social and health services

Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. States shall take the necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of this right

Article 29: States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed, that programmes for monitoring, maintaining and restoring the health of Indigenous peoples, as developed and implemented by the Peoples affected by such materials, are duly implemented.

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) reveals persistent and deliberate human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses as the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. 

The Calls for Justice Report represent important ways to end the genocide and to transform systemic and societal values that have worked to maintain colonial violence.

We seek to align our work with the following elements of this report: 

Section 7 for health and wellness providers, particularly: 

• Calls for Justice 7.7:  We call upon all governments, educational institutions, and health and wellness professional bodies to encourage, support, and equitably fund Indigenous people to train and work in the area of health and wellness. 

The In Plain Sight Report describes findings of widespread systemic racism against Indigenous peoples in BC’s health care system. The report made 24 recommendations centring around immediate, principled, and comprehensive efforts to eliminate prejudice and discrimination against Indigenous peoples.

We seek to align our work with the following elements of this report: 

• Recommendation 14: ​That the B.C. government, PHSA, the five regional health authorities, BC colleges and universities with health programs, health regulators, and all health service organizations, providers and facilities recruit Indigenous individuals to senior positions to oversee and promote needed system change.
• Recommendation 18: That the BC government require all university and college degree and diploma programs for health professions in BC to implement mandatory strategies and targets to identify, recruit and encourage Indigenous enrolment and graduation, including increasing the safety of the learning environment for Indigenous students.
• Recommendation 21: That all BC University and college degree and diploma programs for health practitioners include mandatory components to ensure all students receive accurate and detailed knowledge of Indigenous-specific racism, colonialism, trauma-informed practice, Indigenous health and wellness, and the requirement to provide service to meet the minimum standards in UNDRIP

The Truth and Reconciliation of Canada (TRC) released 94 Calls to Action as actionable policy recommendations to guide the healing process from the historical and ongoing impact of the residential school system. Healing is conceptualized in two folds: 1) acknowledging the full, horrifying history of the residential schools system, 2) creating systems to prevent these abuses from ever happening again in the future.

We seek to align our work with the following recommendations of this report: 

Calls to action #23: We call upon all levels of government to:​

• Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the health-care field.​
• Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal communities.​
• Provide cultural competency training for all health-care professionals.​

Calls to action #24: we call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, UNDRIP, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.