On March 1, 2017, registrars of all colleges in BC Health Regulators (BCHR) signed the “Declaration of Commitment – Cultural Safety and Humility in the Regulation of Health Professionals Serving First Nations and Aboriginal People in British Columbia”. The signing ceremony formalized their commitment to integrating Cultural Safety and Humility into their practices as health profession regulators. BCHR’s historic commitment followed the landmark commitment to cultural safety and humility made by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), the BC Ministry of Health, and the six other BC health authorities in 2015.
Declaration of Commitment – Cultural Safety and Humility in the Regulation of Health Professionals
Signing the Declaration launched a partnership with FNHA to support the incorporation of Cultural Safety and Humility in alignment with the regulators’ public interest mandates. BCHR has actively supported relationship-building and joint activities with FNHA and hosted two educational events to promote awareness and understanding, including:
- A learning session for health regulatory colleges on the connection of Cultural Safety and Humility to the Health Professions Act; and
- An education symposium for 140 board, committee, and staff members of the regulatory colleges to uncover and explore biases and blind spots in our journey toward becoming more culturally competent as individuals and organizations.
A number of BCHR colleges have also participated in specific activities to advance the integration of Cultural Safety and Humility within their organizations.
In March 2018, BCHR published One year in: A report on the achievements following the signing of the Declaration of Commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility (PDF).
In June 2020, BCHR published Three years in: A report on the achievements since signing the Declaration of Commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility (PDF)