The mandate for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) states: “The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and compressive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing. This is a profound commitment to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future. The truth of our common experiences will help set our spirits free and pave the way to reconciliation.”
As the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC), we recognize and acknowledge the implicit and explicit physical, emotional and spiritual violence imposed on Indigenous peoples that have enacted and continue to enact multi-generational trauma. These atrocities must be brought to light and healed in order to ensure the health of all on this land we call home.
As a settler organization that operates on Turtle Island, we are deeply honoured to collaborate, partner and advocate with Indigenous communities to establish new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future.
The foundations of public health focus on the core circumstances that drive people towards healthy or unhealthy conditions. Canada as a country, government and people must honour, respect, and act on our collective responsibilities towards upholding Indigenous peoples’ rights and reconciliation.
PHABC turns to international and national experts to guide our organizational goals and values. We support and uphold BC’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. PHABC also supports the TRC’s calls to action and, in particular, is actively committed to calls 18 and 19 focused on health; and call 92, which aims to apply the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ reconciliation framework to corporate policies.
PHABC is grateful and honoured to be a trusted health organization among Indigenous lands, peoples, and governments. We deeply respect and care for the holistic health journey experienced by Indigenous peoples and the Indigenous lands we are humbled to call home. It is an honour to be part of the ripples of the healing and reconciliation journey.
Shannon Turner
Executive Director
Public Health Association of BC