Embracing
Truth & Reconciliation

A Commitment to Truth & Reconciliation

Through collaboration with employers, educators, regulators, direct care providers, leaders, and members of the public from across the province, this video represents a heartfelt apology to the Indigenous Peoples of this nation. It's a testament to our commitment to lead the journey toward reconciliation.

A special thank you to Dr. Holly Graham, Ph.D., R.D., Psychologist, RN, BA, BScN, MN, Associate Professor, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, for partnering with the CRNS to lead this project.

Embracing Truth and Reconciliation as RNs and NPs

As dedicated health care professionals, RNs and NPs hold a unique responsibility not only to care for the physical well-being of our clients but also to uphold the values of justice, empathy, and inclusivity.

Reconciliation requires understanding our colonial history and for all RNs and NPs to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. As RNs and NPs, we are committed to including First Nation, Métis, and Inuit perspectives and ensuring their knowledge systems are honored, respected, valued and integrated into nursing practice. We must collectively commit to learning their truths and our Canadian history to develop authentic, meaningful, and respectful relationships with all Indigenous Peoples.

Connecting with the Community through Art

To reflect the CRNS’s commitment to truth and reconciliation and to continue to build relationships with the Indigenous community, the CRNS invited Saskatchewan Indigenous artists to submit expressions of interest to create and deliver a piece of art. With the help of Sakewewak Artists Collective, we connected with Jamie Page (she/her).

Good Medicine by Jamie Page (presented November 7, 2023)

Materials: Acrylic paint pen and watercolor brush pen on watercolor paper. 20 x 26”

 Jamie Page resides in Regina with her husband and cat. She is an urban member of Carry the Kettle First Nation. She grew up in British Columbia and Newfoundland before moving to Saskatchewan in her teens. She is Nakota, Saulteaux, Danish, and Métis. She has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Her contemporary doodle art connects different concepts together using simple shapes and expressive lines.

 This artwork, Good Medicine, acknowledges the past and looks to the future in a meaningful way by integrating Indigenous worldviews with nursing values. It has a nurse and a medicine woman at the center, touching hands on the top of a bridge, as a sign of two worldviews coming together. It symbolizes respect for both science and traditional practices while recognizing the important role of nursing in medicine and history. Each animal pictured symbolizes an important teaching or aspect of First Nations & Métis culture. The four sacred medicines, sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar, are also shown, along with an Elder who is smudging, to show respect for ceremony and traditional healing practices. The DNA helix, IV bag and modern facilities symbolize Western medicine. The use of dots and florals throughout the artwork represents First Nations and Métis beadwork, while the thick stripes of pink, red and turquoise together symbolize the Métis sash. The moments shared between the patients and nurses portray innumerable ways nurses care for their patients in every stage of life. In addition to the heart symbols throughout the drawing, these moments represent how caring, positive, kind, and strong nurses are and how important it is to them to connect with their patients.