ESL 1000 Essay: Reconciliation & Indigenous Health via TRC Actions

This essay critically analyzes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's (TRC) calls to action, specifically focusing on those related to Indigenous health. It examines the historical context of residential schools and their ongoing impact on Indigenous communities, highlighting disparities in health outcomes such as infant mortality, diabetes prevalence, and suicide rates. The essay discusses the effectiveness of current healthcare policies and the importance of addressing underlying issues of colonization and racism. It concludes by emphasizing the need for commitment to specific principles and targets to achieve reconciliation and improve the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples in Canada. The essay also includes an annotated bibliography of sources used in the research. Desklib offers a wide array of similar assignments and study tools for students.

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Annotated Bibliography
Towards redressing the legacy of residential schools as well as the advancement of the
procedure of Canadian reconciliation, the truth and reconciliation commission made cause of
action related to the current state of aboriginal health in Canada. This call of action includes the
condition and recognition of the residential schools together with identification of healthcare
rights of aboriginal people under international law and treaties, specifically targeting closing the
gap in health outcomes.
CBC. 2020. 94 Ways To Redress The Legacy Of Residential Schools And Advance
Reconciliation | CBC News. [online] Available at: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-
reconciliation-94-calls-to-action-1.3362258> [Accessed 29 March 2020].
This news article is essential highlighting the final report within the history and the
legacy of the residential school system of Canada.. This news article furthermore summarizes the
detailed account of the indigenous children who were sexually and physically abused in the
boarding schools of the government where more than children died due to malnutrition,
tuberculosis and some of the other disease resulting from poor conditions of livelihood.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Trc.ca. (2020). Retrieved 23
March 2020, from http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf.
This source highlights the importance to the establishment of measurable goals for
addressing closing the gaps in health outcomes among aboriginal and non-aboriginal

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communities focusing over the indicators of maternal health, infant mortality, chronic disease,
access to appropriate health service as well as sustainable funding to existing healing centers of
aboriginal community.
Restall, G., Gerlach, A., Valavaara, K., & Phenix, A. (2016). The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission’s calls to action: How will occupational therapists respond?.
This journal article highlights the review and response of occupational therapist the cause
of action related to health by truth and reconciliation commission of Canada. This source is
useful since it describes the ongoing legacy and historical context of colonization which includes
the degrading indigenous governmental structures, practices and languages.
Introduction
The truth and reconciliation commission issued 94 cause of action for reducing the legacy
of residential schooling and the advancement of the procedure within Canadian reconciliation.
This entire proposed structure of actions calls over the level of government towards working
collaboratively for repairing all the possible challenges and the harm caused by residential
schools and thereby begin a process of reconciliation. This research is a will illustrate and
critically analyze the health under the category of legacy within the cause of action by TRC.
According to Wolfson et al., (2019), the cause of action are essential for recognizing the
historical and the ongoing wrongs and challenges which are perpetrated against the first nation or
indigenous people under the light of the legacy of colonialism which is still prevalent today. The
calls to action by TRC addresses the current effect of residential schools over the families and

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survivors of indigenous community. Right to health and access to proper healthcare resources
falls under the fundamental right of each and every individual as stated by UDHR (Lobach et al.,
2012). The call of actions addressing the health status of the indigenous community people is
significant towards providing apartment for the Government of the country and the indigenous
community for creating a joint vision towards reconciliation.
The thesis statement of this essay over the current health challenges faced by the
indigenous population together with the effectiveness of previous Canadian governmental
policies towards healthcare rights and residential schooling of aboriginal people. The essay aims
to discuss the measurable goals for closing the gap in health outcomes among the indigenous and
the non indigenous community of Canada. The research essay will include an introductory
paragraph explaining the importance of the topic followed by the body of the essay with
supporting arguments and evidences and a conclusion with synthesis of the discussed arguments.

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Research Essay
Introduction
The truth and reconciliation commission of Canada was mandated towards the relation of
the complex to regarding the history as well as the ongoing legacy of the residential schools run
by the charge and inspired the process of root as well as healing towards reconciliation with
aboriginal families in Canada. According to the commission reconciliation is defined as the
ongoing procedure towards establishment and maintenance of respectful relationships
(Gasparelli et al., 2016). One of the critical part of this procedure involves repairing of the
damages trust by initiating apologies and also providing indigenous individuals and collective
reparations by following a concrete actions demonstrating some of the real and effective societal
changes towards indigenous community. Since health is an essential factor and falls under the
sustainable development goals of each and every country, the call of action related to the
healthcare facilities and the current health status of indigenous population in Canada needs
attention (Trc.ca. 2020). The thesis statement of this argues over the effectiveness of the current
policies that impacts the unequal opportunity of healthcare for indigenous Canadians followed by
a critical analysis of the call of actions by the truth and reconciliation commission of Canada.
Body
The cause of actions are targeted towards redressing the legacy of residential schools as
well as advancing the entire process of Canadian reconciliation (Restall et al., 2016). Some of the
traveling disparities within the health outcomes among the indigenous and the non-indigenous
Canada includes high rate of infant mortality among the indigenous population as compared to
the non-indigenous ones, prevalence of diabetes among indigenous people over the age of 45,

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highest suicidal rate among first nation communities which is about three times the total
Canadian population and finally fire suicidal rate among indigenous youth population (Harris,
Tompkins & TeHiwi, 2017). Apart from this it is not to be forgotten regarding the terrible effect
of residential school system as the consequences of the ongoing intergenerational trauma over
the health of several indigenous people in Canada (CBC. 2020). The lack of effectiveness and
proper implementation of the current health care policies furthermore have Watson the scenario
of health and health facilities of the indigenous community people.
With respect towards the health related recommendation by TRC as discussed in this
essay, there needs to be a growing movement among the indigenous and the non-governmental
organization to call for a greater target over the intervention and primary care. The current
approaches as proposed by the call of actions among the provincial, federal and territorial
government is towards are effective and rational approach towards the health disparities of
indigenous community from the perspective of population health by the truth and reconciliation
department of Canada (Giustini, 2017). According to the call of actions, the main target of the
government should be to have healthcare stakeholders as well as responsible Canadian for
recognizing the differences within the quality among the care that indigenous patients and the
Canadian are receiving followed by active elimination of any sort of differences and closing the
health gap among the indigenous and the non-indigenous population of Canada (Dudgeon et al.,
2016). Some of the actions with respect to the recommendation related to the healthcare
recommendation in call of actions final report by truth and reconciliation commission includes
reframing the indigenous inequalities of health and differences, proper acknowledgement of the
presence of underlying ideologies related to colonization and racism, recognition of the policies

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which impacts negatively over the health towards the creation of an equal opportunity for the
indigenous Canadian.
Conclusion
The indigenous of the first nation people have been the victim of tremendous
discrimination due to colonization and other factors of the capital is society within Canada. This
essay targeted to discuss the health recommendations within the calls to action which is
presented in the final report of truth and reconciliation commission. Some of the actions with
respect to the recommendation made by TRC should be the commitment towards OAP principles
within health research, acknowledgement for the Canadian institute of health for the facilitation
of proper healthcare system and finally establishment of specific targets as well as timelines for
the admission of first nation or indigenous populations.

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Reference
CBC. 2020. 94 Ways To Redress The Legacy Of Residential Schools And Advance
Reconciliation | CBC News. [online] Available at:
<https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/truth-and-reconciliation-94-calls-to-action-
1.3362258> [Accessed 29 March 2020].
Dudgeon, P., Calma, T., Brideson, T., & Holland, C. (2016). The Gayaa Dhuwi (Proud
Spirit) Declaration–a call to action for aboriginal and torres strait islander leadership
in the Australian mental health system. Advances in Mental Health, 14(2), 126-139.
Gasparelli, K., Crowley, H., Fricke, M., McKenzie, B., Oosman, S., & Nixon, S. A. (2016).
Mobilizing reconciliation: Implications of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Report for physiotherapy in Canada. Physiotherapy Canada, 68(3), 211.
Giustini, D. M. (2017). As Canadian Health Librarians We Must Now move Ahead on the
Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Calls to Action. Journal of the Canadian Health
Libraries Association/Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du
Canada, 38(3).
Harris, S. B., Tompkins, J. W., & TeHiwi, B. (2017). Call to action: a new path for
improving diabetes care for indigenous peoples, a global review. Diabetes research
and clinical practice, 123, 120-133.
Lobach, D., Sanders, G. D., Bright, T. J., Wong, A., Dhurjati, R., Bristow, E., ... & Williams,
J. W. (2012). Enabling health care decisionmaking through clinical decision support
and knowledge management. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep), 203(203), 1-784.

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Restall, G., Gerlach, A., Valavaara, K., & Phenix, A. (2016). The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission’s calls to action: How will occupational therapists respond?.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Trc.ca. (2020). Retrieved
23 March 2020, from http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf.
Wolfson, L., Poole, N., Morton Ninomiya, M., Rutman, D., Letendre, S., Winterhoff, T., ...
& Ruttan, L. (2019). Collaborative Action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Prevention: Principles for Enacting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to
Action# 33. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(9),
1589.