5 Key Takeaways

Acknowledgements 

The material presented is from Psychology’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Report prepared by the Canadian Psychological Association and the Psychology Foundation of Canada.

Before talking about Psychology’s Response as a profession, our team would like to acknowledge that we work and play on the historical lands of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples whose relationships with the land continue to this day. We would also like to acknowledge with respect the Lekwungen peoples on whose traditional territory the university stands. 

For clarity, we will refer to Canada to describe a specific geographical region and country. However, we would like to acknowledge that Indigenous peoples were present in this land for centuries before the drawing of settler land borders and the acquisition of stolen land that make up present day Canada. 

1. Historic & Ongoing Issues 

Individuals with Indigenous ancestry in Canada (including Inuit and Metis) face systematic oppression that has taken different forms over time (for a timeline of the History of Indigenous peoples on Turtle Island, specifically Canada, click here). 

Due to past and continued mistreatment, there are ongoing issues that Indigenous peoples face at rates disproportionate to others in marginalized communities and settler populations, such as: 

• Higher Levels of Incarceration: Approximately 28% of admissions in correctional facilities are Indigenous people
• Higher Rates of Suicide: Suicide rates are 5 to 7 times higher for Indigenous youth. For Inuit youth specifically, the suicide rate is 11 times the rate of non-Indigenous youth.
• Lower Income Levels: Indigenous Peoples make 75% of the average total income that non-Indigenous peoples make in Canada 
• Missing and Murdered: Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or missing than any other women in Canada. 
• Overrepresentation in Foster Care: 52.2% of children in foster care are Indigenous when Indigenous children account for only 7.7% of the child population

2. Cultural Allyship 

Psychologists are called upon to openly identify themselves as allies and to stand as advocates for those that have been oppressed by colonial systems. It is insufficient to have awareness and sympathies for the plight of the Indigenous Peoples in Canada. 

Members of the profession are called upon to work with and for Indigenous Peoples. This will involve prioritizing the use of time to learn about and understand how Indigenous people conceptualize themselves and their families, communities, health, and the impacts of colonial systems on their histories and current lives.

Psychology is called upon to support the healing journey needed to provide relief and build prosperity, in all of its forms, among Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

3. Intergenerational Trauma and Healing

Cumulative effects of trauma are passed down along generations and often are amplified or cause other unpredictable outcomes.

Psychologists have developed models to explain how Intergenerational trauma occurs, but there has been less effort to develop models of healing intergenerational trauma.

The challenge for the profession is to provide assessments that are unbiased in terms of underlying implicit values:

• • Parenting capacity biased toward child apprehension
  • Biased toward ongoing incarceration in forensic settings
  • Reports have failed to address social determinants of health as part of the conceptualization
  • Reports have failed to address history and colonial legacy when describing the context of a client’s behaviour

4. Accountability  

Psychologists must be accountable for the profession’s history of having caused harm to Indigenous peoples. 

The CPA (Canadian Psychological Association) acknowledges the failure to meet their own ethical standards. The report acknowledges that these failings have roots as far back as the development of this profession in Canada. Including, but not limited to:  

• For not opposing discriminatory governmental policy
• For colluding with policies and laws that have promoted the marginalization and oppression of Indigenous Peoples
• For grounding our approaches to assessment and treatment in methodologies and research that have little relevance to Indigenous Peoples
• For failing to be supportive allies and advocates to Indigenous Peoples
• For the lack of acknowledgement of cultural and historical contexts of Indigenous Peoples in Canada in our professional work
• Failure to name the unjust impacts of our governmental policies on Indigenous Peoples

5. Education in Psychology

Regarding education in psychology and Indigenous people of Canada, the report acknowledged four broad areas to improve on: 

To learn more about the specific recommendations across these four areas, please read out blog post 4 Ways to Improve Education in Psychology 

Thank you for reading!

What were your key takeaways from Psychology’s response on the TRC Report? Let us know on social media!

To read the original TRC Reports please visit Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada website.