Supporting Evidence
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Knowledge Gaps Regarding Indigenous Health in Occupational Therapy: A National Survey
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:The paper identifies six knowledge gaps among Canadian occupational therapists regarding Indigenous health—including lack of foundational knowledge, power relations, lifelong learning, appropriate tools, respectful collaboration, and environmental influences—highlighting the need to decolonize occupational therapy practices and build trusting relationships with Indigenous Peoples to support reconciliation.
Topics & Keywords:Cultural humility, Decolonization, Indigenous health, Occupational therapy, ReconciliationLimitations:The study is limited by a low and geographically skewed response rate (particularly from British Columbia), incomplete surveys due to time constraints or question discomfort, use of an outdated cultural responsiveness model, potential diverse interpretations of survey questions, and a lack of incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing.
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“It wasn’t built for us” The possibility of Indigenous food sovereignty in settler colonial food bureaucracies
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:The paper examines gaps in Indigenous representation, leadership, and support within the agri-food public sector, highlighting deficiencies in treaty knowledge and land relationship understanding among decision-makers, with the aim of addressing structural injustices and advancing Indigenous food sovereignty within the broader context of settler-Indigenous relations.
Topics & Keywords:and health, capacity building, Consultation and consent, conversion, Indigenous food sovereignty, Land access, Reconciliation and systemic changeLimitations:The study identifies major barriers including gaps in Indigenous representation and leadership, lack of treaty knowledge among non-Indigenous decision-makers, institutional prioritization of government-led solutions, limited land access and funding, misalignment between funding guidelines and community needs, insufficient staff awareness of Indigenous realities, bureaucratic constraints on Indigenous applicants, inadequate anti-racism efforts, ongoing barriers to consent and consultation, and limited reflexivity among non-Indigenous staff.
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Informing critical indigenous health education through critical reflection: A qualitative consensus study
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:This qualitative consensus study examines anti-Indigenous racism in a Canadian medical school, emphasizing self-reflexivity, mentorship, and accountability through a developed reflective tool to train healthcare professionals in an equitable and anti-racist manner.
Topics & Keywords:Anti-Indigenous racism, Indigenous health education, Reconciliation, Reflective tool development, Structural competencyLimitations:The study is limited to one Canadian medical school with English-fluent participants only, and the individually-focused reflective tool may have restricted impact on broader systems-level change.
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Institutional structures and individual stories: experiences from the front lines of Indigenous educational development in higher education
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:This paper examines the experiences of educational developers supporting Indigenization of curricula and pedagogy in Canadian post-secondary institutions post-TRC Calls to Action, revealing a lack of coherence between institutional commitments and resource allocation, while proposing strategies for transformative change through collaborative Indigenous community engagement and continuous assessment to create supportive educational environments.
Topics & Keywords:Anti-Indigenous racism, Decolonization, Indigenization, Indigenous Educational Development, ReconciliationLimitations:Key limitations include insufficient institutional follow-through on Indigenization commitments, inadequate hiring of educational developers, heavy workloads, lack of resources, exclusion of non-ED staff working on Indigenization from data, structural colonial barriers, superficial workshop-based approaches, and the need for professional development aligned with local Indigenous practices and worldviews.
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Safe sport for whom?: are national sport organisations addressing the truth and reconciliation commission’s calls to action for sport through safe sport policies?
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:This study finds that national sport organizations (NSOs) fail to specifically address anti-Indigenous racism in their safe sport policies, instead subsuming it within broader EDI frameworks, while also criticizing Sport Canada for not prioritizing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and concluding that meaningful change requires a fundamental shift in perspective and action from both Sport Canada and NSOs.
Topics & Keywords:and inclusion policies, Anti-Indigenous racism, Cultural safety in sport, Diversity, Equity, Safe sport policies, Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to ActionLimitations:The study is constrained by limited representation of winter NSOs, an exclusive focus on NSO staff and policymakers that excludes other levels of sport, and significant research gaps regarding anti-racism policies at provincial, territorial, and local levels, as well as a lack of understanding of Indigenous athletes’ and sport administrators’ lived experiences.
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Scoping review of current challenges and circumstances impacting Indigenous applications to Canadian medical schools
Type of Evidence: Academic Literature
Summary of Key Findings:This paper reviews Indigenous admissions processes in Canadian medical schools, finding that despite formal commitments to reduce barriers, Indigenous applicants continue to face significant obstacles including academic metrics and interview processes, with notable heterogeneity across institutions, and offers recommendations to improve Indigenous access to medical education.
Topics & Keywords:admissions tools, Anti-Indigenous racism, Canadian medical schools, Systemic barriers, Truth and Reconciliation CommissionLimitations:Key limitations include limited data on Indigenous applicants and matriculants, inequitable access, unclear quota determination methods, a quota system that fails to reflect Indigenous diversity or address structural barriers, lack of ongoing progress assessment, an unhelpful model of separate admissions processes, and limited empirical research on Indigenous admission processes.
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