Growing Culturally Responsive Leaders
Culturally responsive leadership means listening, learning, and taking action—aligning systems, teams, and behaviours so care is respectful, inclusive, and responsive to the people and communities served.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is committed to:
- Learning about Indigenous history and the impacts of racism.
- Leading with respect, fairness, and accountability.
- Strengthening leadership practices to help create lasting change.
- Creating an inclusive culture.
What is culturally responsive leadership and why does it matter?
Culturally responsive leadership is a leadership approach that actively recognizes, respects, and integrates diverse cultural perspectives—especially Indigenous worldviews—into how they lead, make decisions, and shape services. It goes beyond awareness by requiring leaders to address systemic inequities, reflect on their own assumptions, and create environments where people feel safe, valued, and included.
In a health care context, it means leaders:
- Model cultural humility by reflecting on their own biases and understanding the impacts of colonialism, racism, and trauma
- Create environments where staff and patients feel safe, respected, and included
- Support Indigenous self‑determination by partnering with Indigenous communities, Knowledge Keepers, and organizations
- Embed culturally responsive practices into everyday operations, policies, and care models—not just as initiatives, but as standard practice
- Actively address systemic barriers and inequities within the health system
Culturally responsive leadership matters because it improves care outcomes, builds trust with Indigenous communities, reduces racism and barriers, and drives meaningful, lasting change in the health system.
From Knowledge to Practice
Turning Our Commitment into Action
The following resources are designed to support leaders in building knowledge, strengthening practice, and driving system-level change toward culturally responsive and culturally safe care.
Resource | Author | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cultural Safety and Humility | First Nations Health Authority, BC | Find various resources on the journey to cultural safety in health care. | At your own pace |
| Foundational Obligations to Indigenous Peoples Training Series: Session 1 UNDRIP | Jorden Hendry, U&U Lab (Unlearning & Undoing Lab) | Provides overview of obligations to Indigenous Peoples starting with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). | 45 min webinar |
| Cultural Safety and Humility Action Series | Health Quality BC, First Nations Health Authority BC, Canadian Medical Association | Collection of webinars that discuss tools, resources and skills relating to cultural safety and humility. It highlights how health care providers can integrate cultural safety and humility into their practices and interactions with Indigenous peoples. | At your own pace |
| San'yas Indigenous-Specific Anti-Racism Training | San'yas | Training program for healthcare providers to address bias and improve culturally safe care. Note: FNMH also offers anti-racism training. | At your own pace * Cost |
| Allyship Resources | Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) | IPAC is an organization of contemporary medicine people that works to improve other Indigenous peoples’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and to impact the determinants of Indigenous health. | At your own pace |
| Indigenous Cultural Safety: An environmental scan of CS initiatives in Canada - Chapter 5 - Saskatchewan | National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health | Learn more about what is in place across the province related to Indigenous cultural safety. See other chapters for other provincial information. | 45 min read |
| Anti-Indigenous racism resources for health professionals | Government of Canada | Find a range of resources and links from across Canada to help transform your interactions with First Nations, Inuit and Metis patients. | At your own pace |
| Indigenous Health System Transformation | Indigenous Primary Health Care Council of Ontario | Learn more about the underlying concepts and terms to help inform true transformation. | 30 min read |
| Two-Eyed Seeing | Atlantic Indigenous Children's Healing Initiative, Nova Scotia | Provides insights into two-eyed seeing concepts and Indigenous and Western systems. | 3 min video |
| Allyship with Indigenous Peoples | First Nations University of Canada | Online course that focuses on allyship with Indigenous Peoples. The course engages participants to understand their positionality and fully engage with content. | At your own pace (*cost, 180 days to complete once enrolled) |
Resource | Author | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allyship Resources | Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) | IPAC is an organization of contemporary medicine people, that works to improve other Indigenous peoples’ physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health and to impact the determinants of Indigenous health. | At your own pace |
| Intercultural Development Inventory | Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) | The IDI is a widely used and effective cross-culturally valid assessment for building cultural competence. Our First Nations and Metis Health team can assist with administering the tool. | At your own pace |
| Indigenous Health Resources | Provincial Health Services Authority, British Columbia | Resources and tools for leaders and health researchers. | At your own pace |
| Indigenous Cultural Competency Training | Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres | Four cycles series that enables participants to build skills, knowledge, attitudes and values essential to fostering positive and productive relationships with Indigenous people. | At your own pace |
Resource | Author | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework: Implementation Guide | Thunderbird Partnership Foundation | Developed in partnership with First Nations, the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework presents a shared vision for the future of First Nations mental wellness programs and services and includes multiple practical steps, tools and activities towards achieving that vision. | At your own pace |