B.C.’s health minister says he thinks there will be protection for anyone who testifies before the probe into allegations about health staff betting on the blood alcohol level of primarily Indigenous patients.
Métis Nation British Columbia is looking to protect those who come forward and urged the province to create a tip line for anyone who has seen or experienced racism in the health-care system.
President Clara Morin Dal Col said she heard from numerous health workers in a 48-hour period that they reported racism to senior officials, only to be told they were the problem.
Adrian Dix said Monday he thinks there will “certainly” be protection for whistleblowers.
Dix said terms of reference are being developed with B.C.’s former representative of children and youth Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, who is tasked with heading the investigation.
“I expect that she will reach out to a number of groups over the weekend,” he said.
“I had meetings with a number of groups including the First Nations Council and others.”
Dix says the terms of reference will be made public once they are finalized.
Métis Nation British Columbia CEO Daniel Fontaine has said he notified the province when he heard about the allegations around the so-called “Price is Right” game.
He said he is also aware of reports from 2019 that “catalog literally dozens of incidents, almost as egregious as what we’ve heard with this Price is Right game.
Dix also said he has not been provided with two think tank reports on racism within B.C.’s health system, but they are evidence that there’s more work to do.
— With files from Jon Azpiri and The Canadian Press
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