by stephanie ragganandan, dr. karen lawford
the covid-19 pandemic has unleashed an unprecedented wave of research, analysis, critique and challenges on health-care systems. however, we must resist the temptation to view failings in these systems as a matter of contemporary shortcomings.
while the health outcomes facing marginalized populations are exacerbated by 21st century technological, economic and social disparities, in addition to being disproportionately impacted by covid-19, it is crucial we remember the root cause of these disparities. it is only by understanding the past that we can make sense of the present and imagine a future that liberates us all from ineffective and unsustainable health-care services.
canada, like many other countries, was founded on colonialism, which is often framed as something from the past having no association with current times. but this is not the truth – we are in an ongoing colonial project geopolitically known as canada.
what is colonialism? it is the process by which one group takes control of another group’s lands, resources and governance authorities and maintains that group in a state of
subordination based on the beliefs of racial and cultural inferiority
of the subordinated group. in canada, the legal, education, and health-care systems – for example – are deeply rooted in eurocentric, judeo-christian ideologies and practices that oppress indigenous peoples’ philosophies, values, knowledge creation and kinship relationships.