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Anti-Indigenous racism (AIR) is defined as the ongoing race-based discrimination, negative stereotyping, and injustice experienced by Indigenous peoples within Canada. It includes ideologies and practices that contribute to the establishment, maintenance, and perpetuation of power imbalances, structural obstacles, and inequitable results in Canada as a result of colonial policies and practices. Discriminatory government laws like the Indian Act and the residential school system demonstrate systemic anti-Indigenous racism. Individual lived-experiences of anti-Indigenous racism can be seen in prejudiced attitudes and acts of hostility directed at Indigenous people (Toronto Metropolitan University, 2022).
In this video, Cindy Blackstock, a renowned Indigenous child and family rights activist and the inaugural chancellor for NOSM University, explains the concept of systemic racism through discussing Jordan's Principle.
Indigenous Health and Wellness - London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC)
Treating Root Causes, Not Symptoms
National Collaborating Center for Indigenous Health – Anti-Indigenous Racism in Canada
Challenging Anti-Indigenous Racism in Health Care - Canadian Medical Society
Anti-Indigenous Racism Brief – The National Consortium For Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME)
Anti-Indigenous Racism FAQ – The National Consortium For Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME)
Anti-Indigenous Racism Training and Culturally Safe Learning: Theory, Practice, and Pedagogy
Addressing Anti-Indigenous racism in Canadian health systems: multi-tiered approaches are required
Stop Tolerhating - Resources for Indigenous Londoners
by Robert Henry, Robert Alexander Innes, Amanda LaVallee, Nancy Van Styvendale
Global Indigenous Health discusses how Indigenous peoples globally understand health and wellness through traditional knowledge systems. It explores how colonization and colonial policies have dramatically impacted Indigenous peoples' health, disrupting the equilibrium of individual, community, and environmental well-being.
by Maureen K. Lux
Separate Beds is the shocking story of Canada's system of segregated health care. The "Indian Hospitals" were underfunded, understaffed, overcrowded, and rife with coercion and medical experimentation.
by Gary Geddes
Medicine Unbundled follows Gary Geddes across Canada as he interviews Indigenous elders about their experiences in segregated "Indian hospitals" that existed coast to coast for over half a century.
by Samir Shaheen-Hussain, Cindy Blackstock, et al.
Launched in 2018, the #aHand2Hold campaign confronted Quebec's practice of separating Indigenous children from their families during medical evacuation airlifts, disproportionately affecting remote and northern communities.
by Nancy Van Styvendale
The Arts of Indigenous Health and Well-Being demonstrates the healing possibilities of Indigenous works of art, literature, film, and music, exploring the power of art as an entryway to a healthy and good life.
by James Daschuk Ph.D, Elizabeth A. Fenn, et al.
The award-winning Clearing the Plains reveals how Canada's first Prime Minister used a policy of starvation against Indigenous people to clear the way for settlement, sparking widespread debate about genocide in Canada.
by Adele Perry and Mary Jane Logan McCallum
Structures of Indifference examines an Indigenous life and death in a Canadian city and what it reveals about the ongoing history of colonialism.
by Shannon Leddy & Lorrie Miller
Teaching Where You Are offers a guide for non-Indigenous educators working with Indigenous students, exploring how Indigenous and Slow approaches to teaching and learning mirror and complement one another.
by Sheila Cote-Meek, Taima Moeke-Pickering
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada explores the complexities of decolonization and indigenization in post-secondary institutions, advancing critical scholarship on Indigenous epistemologies, knowledges, curriculum, and pedagogy.
by Bob Joseph
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act is an essential guide to understanding the Indian Act and its repercussions on generations of Indigenous Peoples, written by a leading cultural sensitivity trainer.
by Jody Wilson-Raybould
True Reconciliation answers the question Canadians ask Jody Wilson-Raybould most: what can I do to help advance reconciliation? It provides concrete, tangible steps for those ready to make real change.
Expand Your Understanding Through Western EDI’s Comprehensive Module:
Toronto Metropolitan University. (2022). Key Concepts in Anti-Indigenous Racism. In Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Practice. Experiential Learning Hub, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/ediinpractice/chapter/key-concepts-in-anti-indigenous-racism/
Government of Canada. (2023, September 11). Anti-Racism Lexicon. Government of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/systemic-racism-discrimination/anti-racism-toolkit/anti-racism-lexicon.html
