The College’s purpose is to ensure the public receives safe, ethical, and effective physical therapy services in British Columbia, as mandated by the Health Professions Act of BC. This includes physical therapy services provided to Indigenous clients, who are disproportionately subjected to stereotyping, racism, discrimination, and prejudice which is unsafe. CPTBC is therefore dedicated to Indigenous Cultural Safety, Humility and Anti-Racism in the regulation of physical therapy services in BC, which includes making room for decolonization within its culture, governance and operations.
To be antiracist involves eliminating racism from our policies and institutions, understanding how the present exists upon colonial and racist foundations, and committing to educate oneself and take action to create conditions of greater inclusion, equality and justice.
– In Plain Sight (PDF), 2020, p.7
Cultural humility is not a skill attained at one point in time. It is not a box that can be checked off and marked complete. Rather, it comes from a deep personal commitment to ongoing learning, continuous self-reflection and examination of personal biases. It is a willingness to listen, learn, and act to protect Indigenous human rights. It is a set of evolving skills that allows the healthcare provider to make room for decolonization and create a culturally safe space, which might look different for each individual client.
Statistics and research paint a distressing picture of our society, in which too many people are struggling with violence and trauma. These challenges exist against the historical backdrop of Canada’s colonization of Inuit Nunangat, in which federal government policy directed the institutions and systems that have destabilized our society by undermining our ability to be self-reliant. The social and cultural challenges that exist today can similarly be undone in large part through policies that support and empower Inuit institutions, families and communities.
