Honourable colleagues, as a senator for Manitoba, I acknowledge that I come from Treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji‑Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

I also want to acknowledge that the Parliament of Canada is situated on the unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg First Nations.

I rise today to speak in support of Senator McCallum’s motion that the Senate of Canada call on the federal government to adopt anti-racism as the sixth pillar of the Canada Health Act, prohibiting discrimination based on race and affording everyone the equal right to the protection and benefit of the law. I would like to start by thanking Senator McCallum for bringing forward this motion and responding as a senator on the recommendation of the open letter written by members of the Brian Sinclair Working Group, based in Manitoba, and other advocates for equity in health care in our home province of Manitoba.

Senator McCallum’s descriptions of her personal experiences with racism, and of the fatal discrimination imposed on Brian Sinclair in Manitoba, and more recently on Joyce Echaquan in Quebec, leading up to their tragic deaths, woke us up.

I deeply regret that we may only discuss Brian and Joyce in reflection on the circumstances of their death and not celebrate who they were in life. That opportunity was taken from us due to the very real, very tangible effect of systemic racism on members of racialized groups.

Colleagues, we are all patients. At various times in our lives, when we are patients in need of professional health care, we are vulnerable and there is a power balance between patient and health care professional that contributes to the potential for abuse of power. However, what the evidence we have on cases where such abuse of power is in a form of discriminatory, racist behaviour, is that not all of us, when we are patients, are similarly disadvantaged.

Racism tilts these situations and targets patients whose readily identified physical characteristics — such as facial features and/or other identifying features such as their names — fit stereotypes. By no means are these stereotypes limited to Indigenous peoples in Canada. This motion advocates for all people who may be harmed by racism, conscious and unconscious, in their health care.

This sixth pillar and our national health law would make it more likely that racism would be more easily and readily identified, and would extend awareness of potential protections and remedies for patients harmed by racism.

Naming a harm is essential to prevention of further harm. Naming a harm is to set the conditions for policies and rules to render consequences for those who practise racist conduct in health care environments.

The lived experience for many is that of gross inequality when it comes to accessing health care and other essential services.

The broad sweep of this motion is necessary. The facts available to us currently indicate that a disproportionate burden of racism in health care is imposed on patients of Indigenous origin.

In the words of former judge and former child advocate for B.C. Professor Mary Ellen Turpel, reporting on the investigation she recently completed in British Columbia:

What I found in fact, was despite some guessing happening here and there, at the direct point of care with Indigenous people, First Nations and Métis in British Columbia, I found hundreds of examples of direct, personal racism and implicit bias.

Colleagues, in just the last few months more than 9,000 people took part in the B.C. investigation and more than 600 cases were reviewed. Professor Turpel says the findings were disturbing. 85% of Indigenous peoples said they had experienced racism and discrimination at the point of care.