Truth and Reconciliation: What it means to wear orange shirts and practicing beyond today.

Pain Management

~5 minute read

The education system does not do a good job at educating [about Indigenous history] … and you really need to understand the trauma; the intergenerational trauma and how that relates with the patients we’re dealing with.

– Paul Francis, RSW, MSW, Director, Indigenous Relations, St. Joseph’s Care Group

Why do we wear orange shirts?

September 30th, 2021 is the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. On this day, we wear orange shirts to commemorate the lost children and Survivors of Residential Schools, their families and communities. This movement began to support Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, who wore an orange shirt on her first day of school which was taken from her. Now, an orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem Indigenous children experienced over generations.

We wear orange shirts today to raise awareness and support Survivors of Residential Schools and recognize the generational trauma faced the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. It is important to remember that wearing orange is only the first step towards Truth and Reconciliation. The journey towards true Truth and Reconciliation begins by recognizing generational trauma and the impact of colonization by creating opportunities to celebrate, honour, and incorporate Indigenous culture in our day-to-day practice.

Let’s commit to learning about the culture, freedom and self-esteem that was stripped away.

Helpful Resources:

The discoveries of unmarked graves are a tragic reminder of the devastation caused by residential schools.  Understanding the impact of colonization on the health of Indigenous peoples is a critical step in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action and an important part of SickKids’ Indigenous Health Strategy.

At the Ontario Chronic Pain Network Virtual Pediatric Education Workshop that took place on June 4th, 2021, less than a week after the 215 unmarked graves were discovered in the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, we had the privilege of having Jennifer Cano, OT and Paul Francis, MSW, Director, Indigenous Relations of St. Joseph’s Care Group present a talk on the importance of recognizing intergenerational trauma and the Indigenous culture when providing health care to Indigenous patients.

The grey line across the map indicates where provincial infrastructure ends above which many Indigenous communities reside.

In this talk, Jennifer and Paul showcase geographic and systematic barriers Indigenous people face when accessing health care. This talk also shines a light on aspects of Indigenous culture, meaningful land and settler acknowledgements, cultural safety, awareness, sensitivity and humility and how it pertains to providng equitable health care.

Highlighting Key Takeaways | Indigenous Peoples and Health Care

The persisting impacts of colonialism are inherently intertwined with the health care inequities Indigenous people experience. In response to this, Anti-Indigenous Racism in the Health Care System (2017) has identified the most common harmful behaviours to Indigenous Peoples in health care as:

less effort
misdiagnosis
improper procedure
no medication/no treatment
condition minimized
delay/denial of service
withholding pain medication

“We’re just starting to learn a little bit more about residential schools but very few people know the history of Indian hospitals and segregated health care which essentially ran in the same framework as residential schools.”

– Paul Francis, MSW, Director, Indigenous Relations

How can we reconcile?

We can follow in the footsteps of the St. Joseph’s Care Group.

For Staff
With a large part of their patient population being Indigenous, St. Joseph Care Group staff have access to resources and education to understand the dynamics and history at play when delivering healthcare to Indigenous patients. This includes the:

Development of a “Foundations of Understanding Trauma and the Health of Indigenous People”
Education with leadership teams
San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Program
KAIROS Blanket Exercise
Indigenous Health Education Committee

For Patients
St. Joseph’s Care respects and facilitates traditional Indigenous healing practices and has created a safe space for Indigenous Peoples by:

Offering traditional healing programs
Providing access to Elders and Knowledge Keepers
Having an Indigenous health team
Offering services to work on Indigenous patient voluntary self-identification
Providing Indigenous healing spaces

These are a few ways organizations and health care professionals can facilitate the healing process to reach reconciliation. By honouring, celebrating, and learning from Indigenous cultures across Turtle Island, we can provide better care to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients.

Login to learn more about the reconciliation initiatives at St. Joseph’s Care Group in the full 60 minute talk by Jennifer Cano and Paul Francis.

“I think it’s important to take responsibility. I like that [St. Joseph’s Care Group] is taking responsibility head-on.”

– Jennifer Cano, OT, St. Joseph’s Care Group

Walking with Humility: An exploration of the inequities and barriers experienced in healthcare in Northwestern Ontario and our efforts to improve access to treatment by Jennifer Cano and Paul Francis

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Jennifer Cano

Occupational Therapist

Paul Francis

Director, Indigenous Relations

occupational therapy