| dc.description.abstract | For many years, voices from Aboriginal populations living in Canada have called
attention to the fact that significant challenges exist to their pursuit of good health and
well-being. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, this trend is not unique to the boundaries of
Canada, but is instead reproduced in other parts of the world by different indigenous
peoples. In Canada, Aboriginal peoples endure poorer health outcomes in a majority of
measures when compared with figures for the overall population. In some instances,
these differences are profound.
Interestingly, these challenges are visible elsewhere in the Canadian context, in other
arenas where Aboriginal peoples come into contact with dominant societal institutions.
These challenges have been most clearly documented with respect to the entire edifice of
justice (for a compelling overview of the relationship between the justice system see, for
instance, Ross, 1992, Report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, 1991 and the Royal
Commission on Aboriginal Peoples [RCAP], 1996).
There have been no shortage of calls from within the health care establishment to address
this situation and efforts have been made to reform curricula and even institutions to the
end of rectifying the problem, largely under the guise of the multicultural paradigm Canada so proudly espouses. These efforts have focused on improving relations between
Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities through increased tolerance, understanding,
and so on. | |
