Show Notes
Two Indigenous health care professionals; two leaders in their field. They talk about the challenges and the opportunities to fix a broken healthcare system that too often harms Indigenous people.
Dr. Alika Lafontaine says Indigenous people are starting to take their place in institutions like the medical field. He would know, he’s done it as the first Indigenous physician to head the Canadian Medical Association - the largest advocacy group for Canadian doctors. Dr. Lafontaine, who is Oji-Cree and Pacific Islander, is positioned to make change. Dr. Lafontaine tells us how he uses his position as a leader in his field to uplift others, just as he has been lifted up by others before him.
As one of only a few Indigenous pharmacists in Canada, Jaris Swidrovich knows about making space. When they started in the field, Indigenous pharmacists were few and far between. Longing for community, they founded the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada to support other Indigenous pharmacists and make room for Indigenous ways of teaching and healing. Jaris, who is Saulteaux and Ukrainian, is also an assistant professor in the University of Toronto’s faculty of pharmacy.
More from Unreserved
After 50 years on the endangered species list, the eagle is making a comeback in Canada’s largest city. It’s one of the things we’re celebrating as we explore what the eagle can teach us about our health, our environment and our spirit. This week Rosanna takes us into our first episode of Sacred Seven – a new occasional series that explores the seven sacred teachings and introduces us to Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers and community members who are putting those teachings into action.
Somebody had to refuse to get on the plane. For decades, Inuit women in northern Quebec had to travel south, far from family and community support, to give birth. But then one mother’s act of defiance ultimately shifted maternal care in the north.
Jesse Wente’s great grandparents weren’t futurists, but they knew their traditional way of life was ending, and they had a long-term survival plan. We’re talking seven generations long.
It’s one of the most thoroughly documented treaties in Canadian history, but the true story of Treaty 6 was deliberately lost in translation. Today, our friends at The Secret Life of Canada tell us a tale of deception, broken promises, and Canada’s largest mass hanging.
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai beat out a lot of people for his leading role in Reservation Dogs — including his own twin brother! — but the newly Emmy-nominated actor says he’s still humbled on the rez. We think you’ll love his raw and funny interview on Actors & Ancestors, which we’re dropping as a bonus in our podcast feed today.