TOO SLOW IN APOLOGIZING

When systemic racism is identified in organizations — and certainly in government organizations — it is important that leaders take quick action to study the causes and work on solutions.

Last week, the Saskatoon Health Region released a report entitled Tubal Ligation in the Saskatoon Health Region: The Lived Experience of Aboriginal Women.

The bottom line of the report is that Indigenous women who were coerced into being sterilized in the hours after they gave birth in the Saskatoon Health Region felt “invisible, profiled and powerless.”

At a news conference held at SHR, director of maternal services Leanne Smith and Jackie Mann, vice-president of integrated health services for the Saskatoon Health Region, apologized on behalf of the region. They spoke with emotion, making it clear that all patients should feel safe in the care of SHR.

The women who were brave enough to tell their stories, and lived through painful experiences, should be thanked. They have made a difference for future generations.

The work of Saskatoon StarPhoenix journalist Betty Ann Adam also deserves recognition here, as it was her reporting on the stories of three women who claimed to have been pressured into tubal ligations that brought the issue to light. Other media picked up the story and also brought attention to the issue.

It is difficult, however, not to remember and be frustrated by the fact that this report could have come much sooner. The apologies, in fact, should have come more quickly.

This issue came to the attention of the SHR in the middle of 2015. Once stories were published, an independent review was announced. In June 2016, it came to light the health region had quietly cancelled this investigation, claiming they could not get in touch with the three woman featured in the media stories. Again, after media attention, this decision was reconsidered. The six-month review that resulted in the report began in January of this year.

While this report and the apology are welcome, they did not come quickly enough. The health region did take measures soon after discovering the report, including educating staff on cultural competency and seeking other ways of learning about the experiences of Aboriginal women. A fuller understanding and call to action, however, only came after a false start.

In the end, SHR has done the right thing and fully acknowledged the need for change. Leaders from other organizations and agencies can learn from this situation, including being faster to believe racism does occur and must be dealt with quickly.