On Wednesday, October 14, Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) and 11 other hospitals part of the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN) committed to deliberate and urgent action to eradicate systemic racism within their institutions. In a joint statement, the Hospitals acknowledged that anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism towards patients, colleagues and learners occurs in their institutions and outlined the immediate steps they will take to put an end to it. This includes:
- Creating sustainable structures that ensure meaningful accountability within their institutions when these incidents occur as well as consequences for those who perpetuate racism.
- Expanding anti-racist education in learning, research and clinical spaces and focus on cultural safety for Black and Indigenous learners across their institutions.
- Ensuring work is guided by Indigenous and Black communities—including individual learners, patients and community leaders - to determine the solutions that will improve both their health care and their wellbeing.
This action was accelerated by the experiences of Joyce Echaquan, a member of the Atikamekw Nation of Manawan, who recorded her shocking treatment during the last hours of her life where her symptoms were dismissed and she was subjected to racist language and behaviour by those whose job it was to care for her.