Honouring Truth, Advancing Reconciliation
St. Catharines, ON – On September 30, the NOHT-ÉSON joins communities across Canada in observing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day.
This day calls on us to honour the children who never returned home from residential schools, the Survivors, their families and communities, and to recognize the lasting impacts of colonialism and systemic racism on the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.
For the NOHT-ÉSON, reconciliation must extend beyond acknowledgement. It requires listening, learning, building relationships and taking meaningful action to help create a health and social care system where Indigenous Peoples feel respected, safe, heard and supported.
Over the past year, the NOHT-ÉSON has continued to strengthen its understanding and relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations. This has included supporting and participating in Indigenous-led learning opportunities, engaging with Indigenous partners, sharing opportunities for partners and Patient/Client and Family/Caregiver Advisors to deepen their knowledge, and creating space within our planning and governance conversations for Indigenous voices, histories and perspectives.
Our partners and advisors have participated in learning opportunities such as the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council’s discussions on building meaningful Indigenous relationships, Indigenous histories and futures in health care learning, community gatherings, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation educational programming, and events led by local Indigenous organizations. These opportunities are helping us better understand how history, culture, community, racism, colonial systems and the social determinants of health continue to shape Indigenous experiences of health and care.
But education is only one part of the journey.
The NOHT-ÉSON remains committed to strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities and Indigenous-led organizations across Niagara; creating opportunities for Indigenous perspectives to inform health-system planning; supporting cultural safety and humility across our partnerships; and working toward care that recognizes the whole person — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, as well as family, community, culture and connection to land.
We recognize that culturally appropriate and culturally safe care cannot be defined by the health system alone. It must be shaped in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and communities, grounded in listening, respect and trust.
As we continue this work, we will strive to ensure that Indigenous Peoples accessing health and social services in Niagara experience care that honours their identities, cultures, knowledge and individual journeys.
On September 30, we encourage everyone across the NOHT-ÉSON partnership to take time to listen, learn and reflect — and, more importantly, to carry that learning forward into the decisions we make, the relationships we build and the care we help shape throughout the year.
Reconciliation is a journey that requires continued learning, meaningful relationships and sustained action. The NOHT-ÉSON is committed to continuing that journey alongside Indigenous communities in Niagara.
