While some progress has been made to increase the number of Indigenous healthcare workers, more is needed, argues Jamaica Cass, director of the Queen’s-Weeneebayko Health Education Partnership at Queen’s University. Cass notes the need to ensure Indigenous students can succeed in health education in order to ensure communities can benefit from culturally safe, long-term healthcare providers, and asserts that this can be accomplished by letting Indigenous peoples lead in these areas. She points to the success of several Indigenous-led programs, but notes the system-wide changes needed to continue improving conditions for Indigenous students in health education. In particular, she encourages changes to address issues related to cost, K-12 education quality, and racism and isolation faced by Indigenous students.
