Aleena Qasim: The Health of First Nations, Metis, And Indigenous People in Canada and how it Links to Colonization and Systemic Oppression

 Written by: Aleena Qasim

Aleena Qasim has been a student at the University of Alberta since 2019; when she started her journey at this institute, Qasim majored in Native studies for a year and the things that she learned during that time made her realize that living in Canada, many people are oblivious to the experiences and the oppression that First Nation, Metis and Indigenous people in Canada go through. 

Being a Native Studies student- even for a brief time- exposed Qasim to the struggles that Indigenous people face in Canada. Qasim attended many protests, mainly for the liberation of Wet'su'we'ten people who were fighting against the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline, which would be built through Wet'su'weten territories. Learning about the privilege non-Indigenous people experience in Canada opened Qasim's eyes to the injustices that they face. Many of us are under the impression that Canada's dark history is a reality that existed only in the past, but this is untrue. 

This summer, it was discovered that there were 751 unmarked graves belonging to the victims of residential school children in Saskatchewan, coupled with 215 found in British Columbia. These were some of the most tragic headlines that Aleena Qasim has ever read, and it is infuriating how Indigenous people in this country have yet to receive any real compensation for the trauma that they are continuously exposed to.

Aleena Qasim thinks it is really easy for us non-Indigenous people to view the tragedies of Indigenous people as just sad little realities, but then around and stereotype them as homeless alcoholics when reserves do not even have clean running water. FNMI people in Canada experience countless barriers to healthcare, yet love to applaud Canada for having free healthcare, even if it excludes the native population in this country. 

More than often, First Nations people in Canada fail to receive the ideal standard of clinical care. Those that live in rural areas lack access to a large variety of health services and information. Racism and discrimination are additional factors that result in switching clinics, missing appointments, and a lack of access to timely and adequate care. Additionally, assimilation and systemic oppression suffered by Indigenous people in Canada resulted in the loss of wellness and control over lifestyle. Many traditional lifestyles and practices of spirituality and holistic food systems decreased after colonization. 24% of Aboriginal households have compromised diets and 33% experience food insecurity. This difference is stark compared to the 8.4% of the non-Indigenous population in Canada with a compromised diet and 9% who experience food insecurity. These are the things that Aleena Qasim learned through her energy and time researching Indigenous people's health. Qasim was interested in the impact colonization had on the native population in Canada.

In plenty of Indigenous cultures, food systems are characterized by harvesting, sharing, and consuming traditional food. Aboriginal diets are typically pulled from holistic food systems and originate from animals and plant resources through harvesting and gathering. Such diets were rich in nutrients, high in protein, and low in fat. By introducing western diets, traditional methods of obtaining food declined in recent decades as a result of the financial restraints which limit their ability to harvest, transport, and hunt food. Usually, Indigenous communities living in small homes ate ground barriers, fish, large land-based animals, and game birds. However, as of now,  Indigenous people who are experiencing food insecurity in Fort Albany say that environmental change and high costs greatly impact their ability to acquire food traditionally, as it is extremely pricey to obtain hunting equipment and the cost of fuel to travel to hunting sites was also high. 

Recent dietary changes involved switching to foods like macaroni, rice, and other dry foods; buying non-perishable foods in bulk and storing them is also a common practice for indigenous people who are living with food insecurity.  This results in switching to diets with high levels of trans fatty acids and sugars can result in many health complications, such as increasing the risk of developing heart disease and experiencing a stroke. Consuming large levels of trans fat can result in cholesterol build-up in the arteries and an increased risk for type two diabetes and because many Indigenous people experience barriers to accessing traditional foods, many end up buying food that is within closer proximity to their homes, instead of going to a grocery store which is further away. By regularly consuming poor diets, many Indigenous people have a lower mortality rate than non-Indigenous people living in Canada.

And what is the solution to all these systemic disadvantages experienced by Indigenous people? Aleena Qasim believes that FNMI people in Canada should be mentioned in The Canadian Health Act of 1984; it is sad that Indigenous people are not mentioned in ANY health policies implemented in Canada. It is clear that FNMI experience many barriers to healthcare, which is why it really shocks me that there is nothing systemically put in place to better the health prospects of FNMI in Canada. 

Secondly, there should be government funding contributing to the building of more clinics that specifically center FNMI people. Public hospitals and clinics are clearly not sufficient, nor do they understand the holistic systems that FNMI are more comfortable and familiar with.

Aleena Qasim believes that Canada truly has a long way to go before it becomes the just and equal nation that it claims to be

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