Digging up the Medicines: Urban Métis Women’s Identity and Experiences with Health and Social Services in Toronto, Ontario

Métis Peoples comprise over a third of the Indigenous population in Canada while experiencing major gaps in access to culturally safe health services. These gaps are problematic given the severe disparities in health determinants and outcomes that Métis Peoples experience, compared to the non-Indigenous Canadian population. To address the Métis health service gap, this qualitative study applied a conversational method to follow up with a subgroup of Métis women who participated in the Our Health Counts Toronto longitudinal cohort. Guided by a Decolonizing Praxis woven with Indigenous Feminist Theory, conversations explored Métis women’s perspectives on identity and their experiences with health and social services in Toronto. The three manuscripts presented in this dissertation expose the multitude of barriers Métis women face when trying to access services in Toronto. In the first manuscript, Métis women share about the influence of patriarchy in health and social services in Toronto. This included men dominating policies regarding Métis identity; cultural mentors crossing barriers; physicians who were judgmental and sexually violent; and being forced to advocate for basic services. This manuscript highlights the need for Métis women to be re-centered in positions of leadership. The second manuscript reveals the experiences with racism and discrimination that Métis women face when trying to access health and social services in Toronto. This included witnessing, absorbing, and facing racism, feeling unwelcomed, and experiencing lateral violence. This manuscript underscores the urgency and importance of understanding and addressing racism as a determinant of Métis Peoples’ health. The third manuscript provides recommendations by Métis women to improve access to health and social services in Toronto for the Métis community. This included having a Métis presence within services; culturally relevant design; Métis specific and/or informed services; welcoming reception; and service providers with an understanding of Indigenous Peoples’ histories and complexities. This research illustrates the multitude of barriers that Métis women have experienced when trying to access health and social services in Toronto. At the same time, this research demonstrates that Métis women hold practical solutions to develop culturally-specific, appropriate, and effective health programs and services for Métis Peoples in Toronto.Ph.D