Members:
Evan Accettola
Courtney Blake
Lisa (Mona) Bourque-Bearskin
Christina Chakanyuka
Sherri Di Lallo
Stephanie Gilbert
Carla Ginn
Margot Latimer
Maria Nelson
De-Ann Sheppard
Elder TBD
Terms of reference:
Purpose of the council
The Indigenous advisory council is one of six councils within the Canadian Nurses Association that will support the board of directors in an advisory capacity with respect to activities and decisions being considered and undertaken by the board.
Responsibilities
The Indigenous advisory council will provide guidance, wisdom, and recommendations to the CNA board of directors from the unique perspective of Indigenous persons.
- Review and provide guidance to CNA on its organizational priorities and strategies from the lens of Indigenous Peoples
- Provide guidance on ways CNA projects and services can be adapted to be inclusive and to meet the needs of Indigenous nurses and patients across Canada
- Engage nursing students (undergraduate and graduate) and nurses in practice on their experiences as and with Indigenous nurses and patients
- Identify issues, opportunities, and barriers related to Indigenous nurses in Canada and determine organizational directions in response
- Investigate relevant existing initiatives, internal and external to CNA, and identify gaps
- Advise the CNA board on ways the organization can communicate and collaborate with federal, provincial, and territorial governments and non-profit and non-government organizations dedicated to Indigenous issues in nursing and health care
- Collaborate with external expert organizations related to Indigenous nurses when formulating guidance for the board of directors
- Assist the board and other councils as needed in raising awareness of Indigenous nursing issues in their own work
- Consider implications for responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action
Accountability
The council is accountable to the board of directors.
Composition
The council will be appointed by the board and be composed of the following:
- One chair with experience leading committees/councils
- 12 members-at-large to be recommended by the chair in consultation with the CEO and approved by the board of directors
- Ideally the members include practicing nurses and students from each regulated category
- Members should be representative of Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities
- All practicing nurses, nursing students and retired nurses must be CNA members
- CEO, invited CNA staff, and CNA board members have the right to attend all council meetings.
To inform dialogue and support strong decision making, to reflect CNA membership and the community CNA members serve, and to identify and question biases, the chair and board will consider the following criteria when selecting members to be part of the council:
- Representation from the four regulated nursing categories and students in programs leading to careers in the four regulated categories
- Diverse nursing practice experiences, backgrounds, and specialties
- Diverse identity representation from a variety of ethnic, language, gender, cultural and historical backgrounds and perspectives
- Indigenous voices to ensure that deliberations and decisions are informed by, and include and respect Indigenous perspectives
- Geographic diversity to reflect the reality that practice environments, access to health care, and the health-care system vary throughout the country’s provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities, and across six time zones
Frequency of meetings
There shall be at minimum four council meetings per year to be scheduled at the beginning of the fiscal year with ad-hoc meetings scheduled as needed. All meetings will be held online. Technology should be incorporated to enable attendance for members across the country.
Decisions
Decisions shall be made based on consensus, and where a vote is required, motions shall be carried by a simple majority of the members in attendance. All decisions and recommendations are advisory to the board who shall receive all such information as non-binding on the board.