As the longer days mark the beginning of summer, Knox Presbyterian Church’s Pastor, Jim Pot, prepares to remind his congregation of an important call to action during his Sunday sermon. With National Indigenous Peoples Day on the summer solstice, June 21st, Jim reflects on the church's past role in the residential school system with soberness. At the same time, he is heartened by the strides his community has made towards Reconciliation through their support of Indigenous students at the Faculty of Medicine.
At one time, the Presbyterian Church of Canada ran 11 residential schools. In 1994, they issued a confession for their role in the system, with an official apology coming three decades later in 2024.
“Between 1994 and 2024, there was a lot of emotional, spiritual wrestling with our involvement in the residential schools and people from our local church, Knox Ottawa, were very involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” says Jim.
Looking for a way forward, Jim and members of his congregation turned to The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Within the 64 calls to action, churches are not only implored to educate congregations, clergy, and staff on their historic role in colonization and the residential school system but also urged to engage in projects that promote healing, reconciliation, education, and relationship-building.
“And so, it was Mr. Robert Hage, a former ambassador who's a member of our church, that came up with the idea of putting together a scholarship for Indigenous students as one small way to do our part,” says Pot.
Hage is an active member of both Knox and the uOttawa community. An Honorary Senior Fellow who has taught “Introduction to Modern Diplomacy” for the Faculty of Social Sciences, when Hage approached Pot about creating a scholarship, he knew uOttawa was the place to do it.
“We could have just set up our own scholarship and administered it, right? But he thought it would be better to have it administered through [the university],” says Pot.
To make the biggest impact, they knew they had to address a need not being met by existing Indigenous scholarships. In his research, Hage found two things: a need for support for Indigenous students in medicine and the story of an early whistle blower whose warnings were tragically ignored.
The Dr. Peter Bryce Indigenous Scholarship in Medicine supports Indigenous students pursuing an MD through the Indigenous UGME program at the Faculty of Medicine. The scholarship’s namesake, Dr. Peter Bryce (1853-1932), has deep symbolic significance: as an early voice in condemning the residential school system and for his strong connections to the city of Ottawa, the Presbyterian community, and the field of medicine.
“Dr. Peter Bryce was a member of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church just on the other side of downtown, right across from the Supreme Court,” Pot notes. “He was the chief medical officer for Canada at the time, and he spoke out against the health conditions of the Indigenous students at the residential schools. His warnings were not heeded.”
In 1907, Bryce submitted a report detailing the dire conditions and staggering death rates in residential schools, holding the federal government directly responsible. The government refused to publish the report, but details were leaked to the press, resulting in early calls for reform. He wrote about his outrage at the government’s inaction in The Story of a National Crime in 1922, which he published himself after leaving civil service. Bryce was buried in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa where a plaque commemorating his work and advocacy was erected in 2015.
Pot and others were aware how important it was to consult with Indigenous leaders on the focus, parameters, and the name of the scholarship.
“For the concept, we were concerned about the scholarship's focus, wanting to ensure we were addressing a real need” says Pot.
And while they also had the idea of naming the scholarship after Dr. Bryce because of his efforts to call out the unacceptable conditions of residential schools, they wanted to be sure it would be well received.
“We were definitely concerned about the very important principle of 'nothing about us without us' and wanted to ensure the scholarship's name was acceptable to Indigenous communities.”
Indigenous leaders in Ottawa were engaged in extensive consultations to refine the scholarship. At the end of this process the Dr. Peter Bryce Indigenous Scholarship in Medicine was born.
Simon Brascoupé, Special Advisor to the Dean on Indigenous Health at the Faculty of Medicine, and a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, recognizes the scholarship as a significant step forward in supporting Indigenous students.
"The Dr. Peter Bryce Indigenous Scholarship in Medicine represents an important act of reconciliation because it removes barriers and creates opportunities for talented Indigenous students to pursue careers in medicine,” Brascoupé notes.
“Every Indigenous medical student who is supported has the potential to become a physician who brings unique cultural knowledge, lived experience, and community connections to patient care, education, and research."
Since its inception, the Bryce scholarship has experienced increasingly broad support from the surrounding area. It has been awarded three times and is on track to support Indigenous students for years to come.
“I have a few medical doctors in my congregation as well,” says Pot. “They are quite excited about the fact that even their donations are contributing to the possibility of Indigenous students becoming professionals in the medical field.”
When asked what advice he has for others who want to support Reconciliation and uplift other communities that have been unjustly treated, Pot stresses the importance of placing the recipients’ needs before your own ego. “Consider not just what you want to do but consider where the needs are of those who are being or have been unjustly treated.”
Answer the call
Reconciliation is a commitment expressed through meaningful action. Through the Dr. Peter Bryce Indigenous Scholarship in Medicine, you can help remove financial barriers and create opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous physicians.
Your support helps talented students pursue their medical education while bringing their cultural knowledge, lived experience, and community connections to the future of health care.