OMA decision about privilege and racism

Doctors reject the chance to show respect for Indigenous culture

On April 28, the Ontario Medical Association’s governing council defeated a motion (105-65) that it open its meetings with a “traditional territorial statement to recognize Indigenous people in Canada as traditional stewards of the land, and to show respect for Indigenous people and culture.”

On Tuesday, after an outcry, OMA president Dr. Nadia Alam released an “apology.”

I expressed my dismay on social media at both the OMA’s defeat of the motion and the inadequate nonapology. In short order, I was contacted by two non-Indigenous physician colleagues. The first advised me that Dr. Alam had already apologized twice and implied I should let it go. This type of silencing is something my colleagues and I, as visible minorities, experience often, as if we don’t have a right to express a strong opinion.

The second contact was on Twitter, where this colleague asked to take our public conversation to private messages. This colleague also insisted that I needed to speak directly at the OMA council, not understanding that this is where we run the risk of “tokenism,” and that I cannot presume to represent all Indigenous peoples across Canada.

This is about privilege and racism. I see privilege as a sleek pair of eyeglasses; so lightweight that one almost doesn’t notice them while going about one’s day. While racism, to me, is like a “cloak” — one I wear every day, and one that, unlike the almostinvisible eyeglasses, is made of thick, itchy wool. I have to wear it even on hot, sunny days, even though I feel uncomfortable in it, with the discomfort varying each day.

In almost 20 years of being a psychiatrist, I’ve had a few patients grab onto my cloak of racism and cause me pain — they’ve refused to see me because I’m visibly Indigenous and so, she “can’t know what she’s doing,” and requested a “white doctor” instead.

But mostly it’s been physician colleagues who’ve reminded me of my cloak: the dean who worried if more Indigenous students were admitted to the medical program, “it might lower our academic standards,” and another, who, upon reviewing the preamble to an Indigenous initiative that included a discussion of historical events and systemic discrimination, asked, “Do we really need to use the ‘R’ word?” Racism.

The people who walk in this world wearing the eyeglasses (privilege) have little or no idea what it is to wear the cloak of racism every day, every year, for all of one’s life. As a good friend of mine once said, “The difference between the eyeglasses and the cloak is not just in the weight and discomfort, it’s about what one permits and the other prevents.”

So, to the privileged — those who imply I should accept Dr. Alam’s “apology” that it’s all done with now — and to those who want me to use my sole voice alone at council — I say: Take this moment of discomfort and ... just sit in it for a while. Perhaps some empathy might come, some increased awareness and knowledge that might lead to true, helpful allyship, where trust can develop, partnerships can be built, cultural safety can be increased, and lasting, significant institutional change can occur.

I agree with my non-Indigenous colleague, a true ally (paraphrased): “This is an inauthentic apology — the OMA is sorry for the hurt they have caused, not for the outrageous vote. The OMA executive should call an urgent meeting of council, unconditionally apologize with no excuses or explanations, rescind the motion on record, pass a new motion with the opposite effect, and spend the rest of the day undergoing Indigenous-led cultural competency training, including a review of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. Also, cultural safety and humility training be a mandatory condition of eligibility for all future council members.”

I would add only that the OMA should seek guidance and adopt recommendations from Indigenous initiatives and organizations. As we who wear the cloak of racism say, “Nothing about us without us.”

Dr. Nel Wieman is president of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.