CPSA’s Path to Truth and Reconciliation: Where we’re going and why

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“Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”

 Article 24, para 2
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

In 2020, several Indigenous physicians reached out to CPSA to act as Alberta's medical regulator to address healthcare inequities—specifically when it comes to racism and discrimination Indigenous people endure in the healthcare system. While this was not the first time CPSA was approached in our long history, it was when we fully heard the voices, experiences and lived realities of Indigenous Peoples who had been calling on us to act within our role as a regulatory body to effect much-needed change.

In the years since 2020, we have been guided by an Indigenous Advisory Circle to help us identify better ways to support First Nations, Metis and Inuit patients and guide the doctors—our regulated members—who provide their health care. This guidance has resulted in our Path to Truth and Reconciliation (the Path), which received support and acceptance from CPSA Council in March 2024.

Coming soon: hear from members of the Indigenous Advisory Circle about their experiences guiding CPSA and co-creating the Path. Plus, learn more about why the Path is essential work for CPSA.