Webinar Summary Part 2: Truth: the medical profession’s first step toward reconciliation

NOTE: The public consultation for the draft Standard of Practice – Practicing Medicine to Eliminate Anti-Indigenous Racism is now closed. 

A webinar was held on October 23 for CPSM registrants, providing background on the draft Standard of Practice — Practicing Medicine to Eliminate Anti-Indigenous Racism, which is currently out for public consultation. 

• Watch the webinar here or read part 2 of the webinar summary below, which focuses on questions we have received.  
• Read part 1 of the webinar summary.

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What is the implementation timeline for the Standard?

What is a registrant's responsibility for reporting when working within an organization or system that may have racist processes and structures?

Is CPSM aware of or concerned about the burden this change will create for registrants?

Will you be tracking data on hot spots and themes and looking at patterns to interrupt harm?

What is the implementation timeline for the Standard?

The standard is in the public consultation phase. The deadline for feedback is November 11.

The consultation phase is critical; it allows us to try and understand the way the standard connects —and doesn’t connect— with the people it will impact and the people who provide medical care.

A summary of all the feedback collected goes back to the working group, which is a subgroup of the Indigenous Advisory Circle. Generally, standards are enhanced after the working group reviews all feedback, which is why consultation is an important part of the process. The revised standard will go back to CPSM Council in December for approval. Council ultimately decides on the implementation date.

We anticipate the standard will be launched early in 2025. Our goal is to have the Restorative Practices Program staff hired and plans for the operational functions of the program in place to align with the implementation of the standard.

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What is a registrant’s responsibility for reporting when working within an organization or system that may have racist processes and structures?

What’s important to understand is we’re moving to a place where we can’t just accept what we’re seeing if we know it’s not right. One of the ways the standard intends to empower registrants is by enabling them to recognize when and how to speak up when they see actions or inactions that do not support care for Indigenous people.

The goal is to empower you to know that you have our support to ask questions, to raise issues, and to challenge or question things within the appropriate leadership structures in your organization.

To drive meaningful change, we must be willing to challenge one another as colleagues and engage in difficult conversations.

The standard outlines the principles for identifying opportunities to act and speak up when you see something wrong. While we cannot control how others will respond, the more people raise issues, the harder it becomes to ignore persistent problems. This will compel systems and organizations to respond and take action.

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Is CPSM aware of or concerned about the burden this change will create for registrants?

The expectation is not for registrants to immediately change overnight. Whether you work within the systems or elsewhere, the expectation is acceptance of the important processes that come with self-reflection and educating yourself on things you may not be aware of.

By taking a restorative approach, we aim to be helpful and supportive, not immediately punitive. We want to know how we can help individuals learn and grow from that experience to be better.

For serious concerns where an educational approach is not appropriate, it is our responsibility to protect the public and ensure those situations are dealt with appropriately.

Most registrants self-regulate well, follow standards, and do their best every day to deliver high standards of care, and that is the goal of this standard. We’re working towards continuous quality improvement and learning to address anti-Indigenous racism in practice thoughtfully and intentionally.

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Will you be tracking data on hot spots and themes and looking at patterns to interrupt harm?

Data is very important; it allows us to capture patterns and trends that may not be immediately visible and will inform decisions about our best path forward. It’s incumbent on CPSM to figure out how to do it effectively. Collecting data will demonstrate our commitment to understanding the current issues and how we can help make it better.

In Manitoba, we are fortunate to have Indigenous health experts not only at the University of Manitoba but also at the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM), whose research is grounded in the First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession – more commonly known as OCAP^®.

Based on data, we know that racism is widespread and is a massive problem. Data tells us health gaps continue to widen between Indigenous people and other Manitobans.

If data is not measured, we will never know the extent or scope of the problem. Data-driven approaches ensure that efforts to combat racism are grounded in evidence, making them more effective and accountable.

If there is a measurable, race-based difference in health outcomes, this needs to be documented. People may hesitate to report for several reasons, but avoiding conflict only works to hold the status quo. If we’re not working against that, we are part of the problem.

That is why deep self-reflection is such an essential component of this standard practice and the learning journey.  

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