Decolonising public health: avenues for social work resistance, advocacy, and allyship

The universal healthcare system in Canada has become an integral part of national identity. However, for those on the margins of society, universal healthcare is largely a myth. There is a significant gap in health equity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. However, this gap in health outcomes is not due to individual health behaviours or pathologies. Rather, public health in Canada, and health inequities among Indigenous peoples, are intricately connected to a history of colonialism and assimilation strategies. This settler history, that aimed to eradicate Indigenous cultures, deeply impacted traditional healing practices and knowledge systems. It also affected integral social determinants of health and key cultural protective factors that maintained health and well-being among Indigenous peoples and communities, both in the past and the present. Social workers played a key part in this history and have a responsibility to engage in the decolonization of public health. Due to their diverse roles, and biopsychosocial and ecological practice models that value social justice and allyship, they are equipped to effectively support Indigenous peoples as allies. This review highlights several avenues for social workers to engage in decolonization in social work practice, policy, research, and education.