Strategies for Culturally Safe Care Practices with Mi'kmaw Clients and Communities

Saturday, June 7

Presenters Dr. Margot Latimer and Ms. Julie Francis will provide a brief overview of the history and geography of the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia and Indigenous people in Canada, as well as content related to health, healing and care strategies. They will also discuss related calls-to-action and articles associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples; the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the National Pain Task Force report. Community-identified and evidence-based considerations for culturally safe care for Mi'kmaw and Indigenous peoples will be shared. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions and discuss. 

About the presenters

Dr. Margot Latimer is a settler Canadian of Scottish ancestry living and working on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq. She earned her PhD in nursing from McGill University in 2006. She is a professor in the Faculty of Health and is cross-appointed in the Department of Medicine at Dalhousie University. Dr. Latimer is the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chair in Indigenous Health Nursing in Nova Scotia and holds a scientific appointment at IWK Health. Since 2008 she has been working closely with First Nation communities to mobilize Indigenous knowledge to improve health-care experiences and access to culturally safe education. Dr. Latimer co-leads several projects with community researchers, including the CIHR-funded the Aboriginal Children’s Hurt and Healing initiative, the Chronic Pain Network and the Research Nova Scotia–funded W'loti Etuapmunk: Using Mi'kmaw Knowledge to Create Health and Wellness Solutions.

Ms. Julie Francis is a mother of three children, a registered nurse from Eskasoni First Nation and the Director of L'nu Nursing with Tajikeimɨk. Her work and life have been guided by a passion for Indigenous health and improving outcomes for Indigenous people. She works with others to bridge the gaps in knowledge, services and programs for community members of all ages. After graduating from St. Francis Xavier University’s School of Nursing in 2010, she worked as a community health nurse in Eskasoni for 12 years. She was the nurse research coordinator with IWK Health and Aboriginal Children’s Hurt and Healing initiative. In 2022, she went on to Cape Breton University’s Unama'ki College as Chair of L'nu Health. Ms. Francis received a Master of Science in Nursing from Dalhousie University in 2023. In 2024, she joined Tajikeimɨk to establish the office of L'nu Nursing, to support present and future L'nu nurses to flourish and thrive in the profession, which will significantly contribute to improving the health and wellness of Mi'kmaq communities and people.