We must all step up to our role in reconciliation

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) asserts that reconciliation is a collective national responsibility, emphasizing that environmental and health outcomes depend on justice for Indigenous and racialized people. CAPE is implementing this through internal decolonization, the launch of an Indigenous Caucus on October 1st, and partnerships like the Place-Based Power Project, which addresses health and climate impacts from fossil fuel extraction in Northern BC, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. The organization also advocated for Bill C-226 and updates to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to recognize the right to a healthy environment and address disproportionate exposures on Indigenous lands.

• CAPE argues that environmental and health outcomes are inextricably linked to justice, noting that the health trajectories of Indigenous and racialized people serve as an indicator for how humanity will fare during the biodiversity and climate crises.
• CAPE has engaged in policy advocacy to secure environmental justice in Canada, specifically supporting Bill C-226 and seeking updates to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to include the right to a healthy environment and address the disproportionate exposures faced by Indigenous peoples on their lands.
• The Place-Based Power Project, a partnership between CAPE, the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, and Keepers of the Water, addresses the intersection of health, social justice, and the climate crisis caused by fossil fuel extraction, with a focus on fracking in Northern BC and tar sands tailings deposits in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
• To integrate Indigenous perspectives into its work, CAPE is launching an Indigenous Caucus on October 1st to bring together physicians practicing in majority-Indigenous communities and Indigenous physicians to provide advice and share knowledge on health, justice, and the environment.

APA

Bowman, S. (2024). We must all step up to our role in reconciliation. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/we-must-all-step-up-to-our-role-in-reconciliation/

Chicago

Bowman, Sabrina. We must all step up to our role in reconciliation. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2024. https://cape.ca/we-must-all-step-up-to-our-role-in-reconciliation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bowman |first1=Sabrina |title=We must all step up to our role in reconciliation |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=28 September 2024 |url=https://cape.ca/we-must-all-step-up-to-our-role-in-reconciliation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bowman2024must, author = {Bowman, Sabrina}, title = {{We must all step up to our role in reconciliation}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://cape.ca/we-must-all-step-up-to-our-role-in-reconciliation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }