Statement from the Canadian Public Health Association on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2025

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, CPHA honours the survivors of residential schools, their families, and all Indigenous peoples whose lives have been irrevocably affected by colonial policies. We acknowledge that this day carries deep pain, grief, and responsibility — and that reconciliation is not a destination but a continuous practice.

The legacy of residential schools persists through intergenerational trauma, systemic inequities, and structural barriers to health and wellness. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada continue to experience disproportionate health burdens, rooted not only in social determinants but in experiences of racism, exclusion, and under-resourcing. (For example, inequitable access to culturally safe care and the ongoing failure to fully implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action in the health domain remain urgent challenges.)

We also recognize that across Canada, Indigenous health leaders and scholars are pushing forward with strength, creativity, and accountability. They are leading proposals for governance, data sovereignty, culturally based models of care, and health equity rooted in Indigenous worldviews. CPHA seeks to stand in solidarity with that leadership.

Over the past year, CPHA has been supporting the development of an Indigenous-led public health professionals’ network. Shaped by listening sessions with Indigenous public health leaders, this initiative’s aims may include strengthened connections, peer mentorship, and shared learning across communities. CPHA’s role in this endeavour is that of facilitator, resource partner, and ally.

This year marks and ongoing test of Canada’s sincerity in invoking commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Too often this aim is invoked rhetorically while colonial structures remain intact. At CPHA, we aim to stretch past rhetorical commitments to invest in relational, structural change — even if modest, imperfect, and slow.

We invite the public health community to join us in helping realize a future in which Indigenous public health professionals are meaningfully networked, autonomous, and empowered to shape Canada’s public health future.