Government of Yukon commits to advancing the integration of cultural safety and humility into the health and social system

Recognizing and respectfully addressing power imbalances inherent to the health and social care system is a priority for the Government of Yukon. The Department of Health and Social Services has established a cultural safety team that will work to implement a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to cultural safety in the Yukon’s health and social system. This work will be foundational to implementing key commitments from the Putting People First report and approaches to care that will improve health outcomes for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

The work will be led by a Director of Cultural Safety who will engage with First Nations to explore how to bring Putting People First recommendation 4.1 to life, including establishing mandatory cultural safety training for all departmental employees and integrating cultural safety and humility into organizational leadership, culture and policies.

This work is an important first step. True progress will require systemic change across the health and social system to reduce health inequities and build a system that is free of racism and discrimination.

A key recommendation in Putting People First 4.1 is to publish a formal “Declaration of Commitment” that includes a vision of what cultural safety and humility means, acknowledges the need for cultural safety and commits to collaborating with First Nations peoples. A key milestone for this team in 2023 will be to work in partnership with Yukon First Nations to publish a formal “Declaration of Commitment” that includes a vision of what cultural safety and humility means, acknowledges the need for cultural safety, and commits to collaborating with First Nations people to achieve it.