As we reflect on the results of recent coroner's jury inquests in Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet, our hearts go out to the families of the Inuit men – Paul Kayuryuk and Victor Kaludjak – who died while in the hands of police and medical professionals because they appeared drunk, despite being in medical distress.
The people who fought in vain to get these men the care they needed are hoping to see systemic changes, and they can't come soon enough.
These incidents occurred in 2012 and 2013, yet we can expect more questions after similar recent incidents across the North. Our sister publication in the NWT has told the story of a man who died in Aklavik in 2016 after being dismissed as drunk when visiting the local health centre with a stroke. This week, a media outlet reported that a Gitxsan First Nation man in northern B.C. suffering a stroke had to attend hospital four times before being taken seriously.
In each case, an Indigenous man of a certain age was withheld proper care from people in power, from people in positions of public trust. We give police and doctors the power to make life or death decisions, and in each case, however unintentionally, they chose death without just cause.
Unfortunately these are not the only cases, as affirmed in the case of baby Makibi in Cape Dorset, who was also sent home despite being in medical distress.
How is this happening?
It's not much of a mystery. Far too many doctors, nurses, police and other non-Inuit professionals make an assumption that their main clientele – Inuit and other Indigenous citizens – are drunk by default.
But anyone who has taken a basic first aid course knows that the signs of a stroke or diabetic episode often resemble alcohol use, and that it is better to err on the side of stopping a medical emergency. Throwing someone in a jail cell is not the right approach.
Recognizing that the North is a place where new doctors and police come to cut their teeth, those in positions of hiring need to be more vigilant about providing better training in first aid, care, and cultural competency.
Unfortunately, we are a long way from achieving a fundamental level of Inuit representation in the ranks of Nunavut's doctors and police. And some of these people are here such a short time that there is no time to look past stereotypes, to become part of the community, to learn the language and the territory's culture or history.
Thankfully, a majority of medical professionals and police officers are trying to do their best, and many come here by choice. Make no mistake: it's the actions of the few that make Inuit distrust the system, police, and the medical profession.
Our advice to these professionals: fight to protect those coming to you for help. Give them the care deserving of your family, your friends, your neighbours. Open yourself to opportunities – such as the GN's cultural competency training – to broaden your horizons. Question your preconceptions, and those of your colleagues. Speak up in the face of racism.
If you're here to help, work to make sure we never need to talk about this again.