On June 19, 2020, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-kwe was appointed by British Columbia’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Adrian Dix, to conduct a review of Indigenous-specific racism in the provincial health care system.

This Indigenous-led report presented clear evidence of systemic, anti-Indigenous racism in BC’s Healthcare system. It found that Indigenous women, in particular, are disproportionately affected, as they experience discrimination and stereotyping along axes of both cultural background and gender. Indigenous women have a greater need for health services and bear a greater burden of poor health outcomes, yet they face inequitable access to health care when compared with any other population examined in the Review.