Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ADAM OLSEN -- Investigation into racism in BC’s health care system launched

Indigenous, Black and other people of colour in British Columbia and Canada face systemic racism everyday. Following calls to address the deeply entrenched problem in policing, the provincial government recently established a committee to oversee the reform of the Police Act.

 

A couple of weeks ago Hon. Adrian Dix announced that allegations of racist behaviour in emergency rooms had come to the attention of the Health Ministry. He highlighted a "game" where public health providers tried to guess the blood alcohol level of Indigenous patients.

 


Minister Dix immediately appointed former B.C. youth advocate Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond to investigate the extent of the problem within healthcare.

 

Yesterday, Turpel-Lafond provided the details of her team and their investigation. I am thankful that Turpel-Lafond agreed to lead this important work. Based on her previous track record, I have confidence that she will lead a professional and confidential process that will provide people a safe and secure place to share their experiences.

 

I'm convinced she will not be shy in delivering a thorough investigation with solid recommendations.

 

When I learned that one of the emergency rooms potentially involved in these allegations was the Saanich Peninsula Hospital, I immediately reached out to Indigenous and healthcare leaders in our community. In addition, I met with Minister Dix.

 

It is important that the investigation be provided the space it needs, but there are potentially life-threatening consequences with the public naming of the hospital. As a result, Island Health must have an immediate response of both words and actions to reassure Indigenous people that they are safe attending to their emergent healthcare needs in the meantime.

 

I had a follow-up meeting with Minister Dix and also senior executives at Island Health. The health authority has a responsibility to ensure our communities know there is accountability from those working in the emergency room all the way to their highest offices.


It is clear that they must make cultural safety training a higher priority and that they are ensuring their human resource policies are up to date.

 

I know there are many incredible, thoughtful, loving people working in our hospital and I will continue to work on this issue compassionately. However, I will also continue to keep up the pressure on the institution to ensure that when people present at a local emergency room, they are confident their health needs will be addressed and they will not be victim of the behaviour highlighted in the recent reports.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more