Five years after the release of the In Plain Sight Report, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) took an important step in its journey to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism by issuing an apology to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people on December 10, 2025.
“Our actions and inactions have upheld Indigenous-specific racism, imposed settler colonial authority, and contributed to harms that continue to affect Indigenous Peoples in BC, including clients and staff."Christine Massey, executive vice president, population health and wellness, Provincial Health Services Authority
The apology was made at an event grounded in Coast Salish protocols on the unceded, ancestral, and occupied territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlil̓w̓ətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, whose relationships with the territories continue to this day.
Supports
The
apology may reopen wounds and retraumatize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals, families, and communities who have experienced harms in the public health system.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS) is a partner with the First Nations Health Authority in providing access to counselling, cultural and emotional support services to former students of residential and day schools, and their families, regardless of status.
- Phone 604-985-4464
- Lamathut Crisis Line Support 24/7 toll-free: 1-800-721-0066
- Website: www.irsss.ca
Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention by phone or online chat.
9-8-8 National Suicide Crisis Helpline offers immediate support anytime for support in English or French. Dial 9-8-8
KUU-US Crisis Line Society provides crisis services for Indigenous peoples across BC.
- Phone (adults and Elders): 250-723-4050
- Phone (Youth): 250-723-2040
- Phone (toll-free): 1-800-588-8717
- Website: www.kuu-uscrisisline.com
As part of the apology process, BCCDC undertook an examination of the role of public health and the BCCDC in causing harm to Indigenous Peoples.
All staff participated in the
BCCDC Thee eat (truth) Initiative that called on every part of BCCDC to identify, name, and analyze Thee eat examples of Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in our present and past work.
This work also involved gathering truths about harms experienced by Indigenous peoples within BC’s public health system and shaping them into
self-directed learning modules. These modules curate summarized articles, books, reports, and discussion papers that speak to the truths of Indigenous-specific racism and the experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
