Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Through a First Nations Lens: Why Western Science is Not Enough
Recap of Keynote Presentation by Senator Mary Jane McCallum
On the final morning of the Kana Wain Dida International Gathering, Senator Mary Jane McCallum delivered a moving keynote speech on her experiences with COVID-19, drawing from her time as a healthcare professional and, more recently, in the Senate of Canada. Senator McCallum is a Cree woman from Barren Lands First Nation and a survivor of Guy Hill Residential School. Her career in dentistry began in 1973, and she has since spent almost five decades providing dental care to First Nations across Manitoba. After spending time as a regional dental officer for the province of Manitoba, and as an assistant professor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Dentistry, she retired to pursue her passion of working with Indigenous communities. In 2017, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada as a representative for Manitoba.
In her keynote speech, Senator McCallum addressed the ability of COVID-19 to wreak havoc on communities despite the accumulated scientific and Western knowledge from previous pandemics. In 2010, following the H1N1 pandemic, the Senate of Canada studied the virus’s disproportionate effect on Indigenous people. It made three common recommendations to the Public Health Agency of Canada for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples. First, they outlined the need for the Canadian government to address the social determinants of health, such as the lack of clean water and sufficient housing. Second, they recommended that the government facilitate better data collection, and finally, outline their responsibilities for Indigenous populations on-reserve. In the past decade, these changes have not been implemented. As Senator McCallum asked, “Why then would the pandemic situation change with COVID-19 if the landscape was left the same as it was during H1N1?”
Senator McCallum recounted her own personal experiences during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. At the time, she was working as a dentist on-reserve and asked a nurse if a patient had been swabbed to test for H1N1. The nurse said that they were not allowed to swab patients, by order of the Winnipeg office. In another conversation with a nurse, it was revealed to Senator McCallum that 80% of patients in the Intensive Care Unit in 2009 were Indigenous. This data was never made public.:
On the final morning of the Kana Wain Dida International Gathering, Senator Mary Jane McCallum delivered a moving keynote speech on her experiences with COVID-19, drawing from her time as a healthcare professional and, more recently, in the Senate of Canada. Senator McCallum is a Cree woman from Barren Lands First Nation and a survivor of Guy Hill Residential School. Her career in dentistry began in 1973, and she has since spent almost five decades providing dental care to First Nations across Manitoba. After spending time as a regional dental officer for the province of Manitoba, and as an assistant professor in the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Dentistry, she retired to pursue her passion of working with Indigenous communities. In 2017, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada as a representative for Manitoba.
In her keynote speech, Senator McCallum addressed the ability of COVID-19 to wreak havoc on communities despite the accumulated scientific and Western knowledge from previous pandemics. In 2010, following the H1N1 pandemic, the Senate of Canada studied the virus’s disproportionate effect on Indigenous people. It made three common recommendations to the Public Health Agency of Canada for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples. First, they outlined the need for the Canadian government to address the social determinants of health, such as the lack of clean water and sufficient housing. Second, they recommended that the government facilitate better data collection, and finally, outline their responsibilities for Indigenous populations on-reserve. In the past decade, these changes have not been implemented. As Senator McCallum asked, “Why then would the pandemic situation change with COVID-19 if the landscape was left the same as it was during H1N1?”
Senator McCallum recounted her own personal experiences during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. At the time, she was working as a dentist on-reserve and asked a nurse if a patient had been swabbed to test for H1N1. The nurse said that they were not allowed to swab patients, by order of the Winnipeg office. In another conversation with a nurse, it was revealed to Senator McCallum that 80% of patients in the Intensive Care Unit in 2009 were Indigenous. This data was never made public.
Just over ten years later, the province of Manitoba has been put in a unique position for its COVID-19 data collection. Through a shared agreement with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, they were able to collect data on First Nations from the pandemic’s earlier stages. Senator McCallum commended the efforts of the AMC, guided by Grand Chief Arlen Dumas, and said that “sometimes too much energy is spent escaping spaces of racism, indifference and inexcusable ignorance.” Despite these barriers, and through the determination of individuals and organizations, the AMC has been key to the suppression of COVID-19 cases. This was seen clearly when Manitoba Hydro’s attempt to increase their number of on-site workers to 1000 was blocked by the combined efforts of Grand Chiefs, chiefs, organizations, and individuals, in part by the use of community initiated blockades.
Senator McCallum also addressed a theme that appeared many times over the three-day conference, that “we are in fact, not only facing the COVID-19 pandemic, but multiple pandemics, some that have lasted for centuries, slow and tenuous and insidious, but cumulative, complex and multi-layered.” She considered the example of colonialism. Much like a virus, oppressive colonial ideals cannot reproduce by themselves. They require a living host to survive. In this context, her goal is to find points of colonial entry and fight against its oppression.
Senator McCallum praised those who have learned to live and work within this social system. Many presenters at the Kana Wain Dida conference shared stories of their response to COVID-19 despite systems, governments, and institutions actively working against them, and the Senator felt “privileged to see how people have fought and come up with unique strategic ways of dealing with COVID.” She noted that the pandemic highlighted a movement away from dependence, with Indigenous communities and individuals developing their own strategies and reasserting their sovereignty.
For Senator McCallum, “COVID-19 has been and continues to be a good grounding experience. By that I mean, it gives me time to see the strength of our people and our allies. And to see that we continue to make it through, even with all the social determinants against us, I have borne witness to a remarkable group of people as agents of change.”
If you missed Senator McCallum’s presentation at the Kana Wain Dida International Gathering, or if you would like to watch it again, it will soon be available here on our website (covid19indigenous.ca).