Support in early-life key to well-being, Canada’s inquiry into violence against Indigenous women hears – RCI
The importance of health and well-being in early life for Indigenous people — and their ties to colonial violence — were highlighted Tuesday afternoon at the federal inquiry for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, as four days of hearings in Iqaluit reached their halfway point.
The second panel of the four-day institutional hearing featured Dr. Janet Smylie, a Cree-Métis physician with over 25 years of experience. Smylie was certified as both an expert and knowledge keeper by commissioners prior to her testimony, indicating her extensive experience and knowledge in the field of Indigenous health.
Smylie gave a “strength-based” testimony, focusing on positive examples and best practices for Indigenous health in Canada.
“I think we’ve heard a lot of the problems already,” she explained.
