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- Mission Statement
- A.N.A.C. Objectives
- A.N.A.C. Background
- Board of Directors
- Honorary Members
- Becoming an A.N.A.C. Member
- Membership Form
- Organization Membership Form
- Contact the A.N.A.C.
- Annual General Meeting
- National Conference
- Press Releases
- Job Opportunities
- Request for Proposals
- Upcoming Events
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Jean Goodwill
Background of the ANAC
The official formation of the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada (A.N.A.C.) was in 1975. However, its origins precede this historic date by one year. In 1974 the groundwork was started for the actual formation of the association by several nurses who shared a common vision founded in their unique perspective as Aboriginal care givers to Aboriginal people.
The initial task facing two proponents of the organization, nurses Jocelyn Bruyere and Jean Goodwill, were to identify and contact other nurses of Aboriginal ancestry. This in itself proved to be a major undertaking since at the time there was no existing registry to help locate nurses according to their ancestry. However, through word of mouth and a lot of networking, a preliminary list of Aboriginal nurses was developed.
Almost a year later, 41 of these nurses came together in Montreal to discuss their common role in addressing the many health problems affecting Native People. Their commonalities in education and training, cultural background and concern for the health of their people resulted in a common vision and goal. The formation of what was then to be called the Registered Nurses of Canadian Indian Ancestry.
The association's founders initially came together to pool their skills, education and cultural heritages to ultimately improve what they witnessed first hand as nurses - the appalling overall health conditions faced by their own people.
They soon discovered that if their association was to survive and grow and successfully achieve the objectives that first brought them together, they would also have to become familiar with the culture of politics and bureaucracy, they would have to learn the subtleties of funding criteria and to develop new skills in the arts of diplomacy and persuasion. The founders were also faced with numerous administrative and legal hurdles integral to incorporating the new organization. However, these and the many other obstacles would be overcome and the evolution and development of the association continue today as the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada.
