Canadian Medical Association to apologize for Indigenous harm

The Canadian Medical Association says it will formally apologize for the role doctors played in harming members of Canada’s Indigenous communities.

The group representing the country’s physicians says in a statement that it will livestream the apology ceremony taking place in Victoria on Sept. 18.

The association says the apology is meant to address the medical profession’s role in harms to Indigenous peoples in the health system, “both through action and inaction.”

The statement also says the group hopes the apology will build trust with members of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities while encouraging medical professions to “undertake their own reconciliation journey.”

The ceremony will include a moment of silence as well as speeches from a number of physicians, including Dr. Alika Lafontaine, the first Indigenous president in the association’s 155-year history.

The association also says there will be support available to Indigenous community members who “have experienced harms in the health system” and may be retraumatized by the apology.