BC Nurses Mourn Passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair
The BC Nurses’ Union mourns the recent passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair. Justice Sinclair – also known by his spirit name Mizhana Gheezhik, meaning “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky” – was a champion of Indigenous rights and an important leader in advancing truth and reconciliation efforts. Sinclair chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which brought the voices of residential school survivors forward and charted a path for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
The commission’s 2015 final report contains 94 Calls to Action, including calls 18 to 24, which are focused on bringing Indigenous rights to health care. These include recognizing, respecting and addressing the distinct health needs of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, using Indigenous healing practices when treating Indigenous patients and increasing the number of Indigenous health-care workers.
BCNU supports these calls and is committed to learning, understanding and acting to undo the colonial structures that underpin the health-care system and which have systematically denied Indigenous peoples their inherent rights – rights to lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other resources (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples).
As nurses and health-care workers we can work toward achieving these aims by strengthening the principles of cultural safety and promoting Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives. In honouring Justice Sinclair’s legacy, the union also renews its commitment to advancing genuine reconciliation with Indigenous peoples – a commitment that is necessary and reflective of our values.
“I realized that getting to the truth was hard but getting to the reconciliation is going to be harder…. We are not only calling for people to understand this truth and to accept it, but we're also calling on people to recognize that, there came with it, benefits and privileges that now are bestowed upon the settler population; that were bestowed at great cost to Indigenous people.”
Justice Murray Sinclair