Nursing’s Call to Truth and Reconciliation

Artwork: The Wisdom of the Universe by Christi Belcourt. Used with permission.

Nurses play a pivotal role in contributing to an equitable health-care system. We have an ethical and professional obligation to understand the impacts of colonization, the ongoing realities faced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, and the systemic inequities entrenched in nursing and health care.

The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada provides the historical and systemic truths every nurse must understand to challenge Indigenous-specific racism in nursing and health care and create safer and more equitable care environments.

“As nurses, it is our responsibility to learn about Indigenous Peoples and communities. Doing so will help address Indigenous-specific racism and contribute to the provision of culturally safer care.”

Dr. Valerie Grdisa, CNA CEO

About The Path

Developed by NVision Insight Group, a majority Indigenous-owned consulting company supporting proud, self-determining, empowered Indigenous communities, The Path is designed in collaboration with Indigenous experts who are devoted to understanding the history and contemporary realities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. This six-module learning journey delivers a clear, unflinching view of Canada’s colonial history, systemic inequities, and Indigenous resilience.

CNA’s collaboration with NVision and Indigenous nurse leaders also led to the creation of a custom module on Indigenous-specific racism in nursing and health care. This module is a critical addition to the nursing profession’s ability to address racism and advance cultural safety.

Benefits:

7-hour, self-paced online journey with a certificate of completion.
Supports professional development and truth and reconciliation mandates.
Accessible, dynamic, bilingual, and inclusive for all nurses and organizations.

Learn at your own pace

This program is fully on-demand and self-paced, allowing you to complete the content at your convenience. A downloadable certificate of completion is available upon finishing the course.

Pricing:

CNA member fee: $42 + tax
Non-member fee: $48 + tax
Group rates available upon request. Contact us.

Register Now

Explore the Modules

Understand the origins of terms to describe Indigenous Peoples and why precise, respectful language matters. Challenge stereotypes that perpetuate harm and learn the importance of affirming Indigenous diversity.

Lessons:

Indians, Inuit, Métis
Explore distinctions between First Nations, Inuit and Métis, why accurate terminology is vital, and how acknowledging diversity is a step toward cultural safety.
Stereotypes and Misconceptions
Examine harmful narratives that perpetuate racism and marginalization, and learn ways to actively counter them.

Discover how land, history, and oral traditions shape Indigenous laws, cultures and worldviews. Learn the importance of land acknowledgements, Indigenous stories of origin, and Inuit cultural resilience across northern regions.

Lessons:

Land Acknowledgements
Explore the significance of land acknowledgements, how to make them meaningful, and learn whose lands you live and work on.
Origin Stories
Understand how Indigenous storytelling carries laws, histories, and cultural teachings that have existed and been passed down for thousands of years.
Inuit Across the North
Gain insight into Inuit history, regional distinctions, and how Inuit territories were shaped through land claims and negotiations.

Trace the progression of colonization in what is now Canada — from first contact through early treaties, policies, and systemic actions that embedded inequities and intergenerational trauma. This module provides historical grounding to understand current realities.

Lessons:

From the Arrival of Strangers to a Royal Proclamation
Explore first contact between Europeans and Indigenous Peoples, the establishment of the fur trade, and the foundational treaties that shaped early relationships.
Denial of Rights from 1763 to the Dominion of Canada
Learn how broken promises, forced displacement, and systemic oppression became entrenched in Canadian law.
Colonization Since Confederation — Numbered Treaties
Understand the sale of Rupert’s Land and the negotiation of treaties that disproportionately benefited Canada over First Nations.
Colonization Since Confederation — Other Defining Moments
Examine policies like the Indian Act, residential schools, Inuit relocations, and the Sixties Scoop that continue to shape Indigenous experiences.

Connect colonial policies to today’s inequities in health, justice, and social systems. Explore how these systems continue to challenge Indigenous communities and what systemic change demands.

Lessons:

We Reap What We Sow
Examine how colonial policies created health and social inequities for Indigenous Peoples today.
The City is Home
Learn about Indigenous experiences in urban centres and the role of friendship centres in preserving community and culture.

Learn how cultural values and traditions shape communication styles and relationships. Build respectful, trust-based connections with Indigenous partners and communities in both practice and policy.

Lessons:

Worldviews and Cultural Values
Learn about diverse Indigenous cultural beliefs and traditions, and their influence on today’s practices.
Increasing Your Engagement IQ
Gain insight into communication protocols, cultural symbols, and ways to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities.

Designed for nurses, this module provides actionable strategies to confront Indigenous-specific racism in nursing and health care. Explore Indigenous rights movements, the nurse’s role in colonial violence, and how to take actionable steps towards reconciliation in nursing and health care.

Lessons:

Rights and Resurgence
Learn about Indigenous rights movements, landmark legal rulings, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism in Nursing and Health Care
Understand colonial violence in health care, health disparities, and how nurses can actively advance truth and reconciliation.
The Path Forward
Learn how Indigenous-led solutions and cross-cultural approaches are building a future rooted in truth, justice and partnership.

Professional responsibility: why nurses must take The Path

Participation in The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada is more than professional development; it is an ethical imperative. CNA’s 2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses (4.1 & 4.2) calls on nurses to uphold truth, integrate Indigenous knowledge, and dismantle systemic racism in health care.

Why this matters

Equip yourself to recognize and address Indigenous-specific racism in health care.
Practise self-reflection and embark on your own professional journey to reconciliation.
Provide care that is rooted in truth, more equitable, and culturally safer.
Demonstrate your commitment with a recognized certificate of completion.
Learn on your own schedule with a flexible, inclusive program designed for all nurses.

Already completed The Path? Access CNA’s new module

If you’ve already taken The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada through another organization, CNA now offers Module 6: Towards Truth and Reconciliation as a standalone registration. This module includes Lesson 2: “Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism in Nursing and Health Care.”

CNA member fee: $22 + tax
Non-member fee: $25 + tax

CNA strongly recommends taking The Path program in its entirety for a comprehensive understanding. Module 6 registration is intended only for those who have already completed another version of The Path.

Register for Module 6

Connect to CNA’s broader reconciliation work

Offering The Path is one step in CNA’s broader commitment to upholding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

Read about CNA’s commitment to reconciliation