Our Commitment to Truth & Reconciliation
On June 23, 2021, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Board Chair Arlene Wiks and CEO Scott Livingstone reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to address the Calls to Action (#18-24) that are related to health and are contained in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Wiks stated at the meeting that, “When we formally signed on to our commitment in front of leaders from the Indigenous community in March of 2019, the Board knew that much work needed to be done to address the trauma experienced by Indigenous people as a result of the residential school system.”
The move was meant to reaffirm the organization’s commitment made on March 4, 2019 when the SHA initially formalized its commitment to the Calls to Action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
In the March 2019 ceremony hosted at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina, the SHA joined with those impacted by residential schools, First Nations and Métis government officials, youth representatives, and the Ministry of Health to commemorate the signing of a document that serves as a framework for the SHA to move forward toward reconciliation with First Nations and Métis Peoples.
As part of the ceremony, former SHA Board Chair R.W. (Dick) Carter said, “Today, the Saskatchewan Health Authority acknowledges the pain, loss, and dislocation caused by the residential school system on individuals, families, communities and nations. Today, we publicly commit to creating concrete and sustainable actions for change.”
In developing the framework, the SHA engaged with the First Nations and Métis communities and its employees to help identify ways in which the organization could meet the recommendations set out in the Calls to Action. In addition, a working group was established to assist with framework development. Members of that group included First Nations and Métis representatives, Saskatoon Tribal Council, Touchwood Agency, the Northern Village of La Loche, Patient Family Partners and representatives from the SHA.
“This public commitment builds upon our ongoing dialogue with our First Nations and Métis partners,” said CEO Scott Livingstone. “While we have accomplished many things working together, we also realize that more work needs to be done to create a health care system that adheres to our organizational values and that continues to put patients and families at the centre of everything we do.”
To help monitor progress on goals set out in the commitment, the SHA established an Implementation Working Group, which reports back to SHA senior leadership and to the community on progress made toward achieving those goals.
The overall engagement is part of the work currently within the SHA that includes expansion of First Nations and Métis Health programs across the province, the development of a patient navigation system, the establishment of a First Nations and Métis Relations office, ongoing community engagement as well as recruitment and retention efforts.