A newly launched course at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine is aiming to tackle one of the most persistent issues in Canadian healthcare: systemic racism. But for residents of Parc-Extension — one of the country’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods — this initiative is far more than an academic experiment. It may signal the beginning of long-overdue change in how public health services are delivered in communities like theirs.
The course, titled PPHS 593 – Anti-Indigenous Racism and Intersectional Health Inequities, was rolled out this summer in response to growing demand for culturally safe care and the urgent need to address inequities in treatment outcomes across Canada. While the primary focus is on anti-Indigenous racism in medicine, the course also addresses racial bias affecting newcomers, racialized communities, and non-French speakers — challenges that mirror daily realities in Parc-Extension.
A neighbourhood on the front line of health disparities
With over 70% of residents identifying as immigrants or visible minorities, Parc-Extension often serves as a case study in how well (or poorly) public systems adapt to multicultural realities. From language barriers at walk-in clinics to uneven access to preventative care, many residents have long reported that the healthcare system doesn’t fully see or serve them.
“People avoid the CLSC or don’t go until it’s an emergency,” says Fatima A., a longtime community health worker in Parc-Ex. “It’s not just about availability. It’s about being understood — culturally, linguistically, humanly.”
Indeed, Quebec’s healthcare system — centralized, bureaucratic, and under strain — has been criticized for failing to provide consistent interpretation services or culturally adapted care. Stories of misdiagnoses, dismissive attitudes, and racially charged assumptions have become familiar across Montreal’s immigrant-heavy boroughs.
Training tomorrow’s doctors to do better
What makes McGill’s course unique is its immersive, interdisciplinary approach. Through case studies, testimonies, and workshops co-led by community advocates and health professionals, medical students and public health trainees are being challenged to confront their own assumptions and understand how policy, history, and prejudice continue to shape medical outcomes.
“This isn’t about blaming future doctors,” said Dr. Marie-Chantal Fortin, one of the course contributors. “It’s about giving them tools to recognize systemic patterns and to be aware of how their unconscious biases — or even institutional routines — can unintentionally harm the very people they are trying to help.”
The university is also partnering with community groups in Montreal North, Verdun, and Parc-Extension to provide real-world perspectives from residents and frontline workers.
Hope for structural change
Local organizations in Parc-Extension — including the Comité d’action de Parc-Extension (CAPE) and several newcomer support centers — have expressed cautious optimism. Some are already in talks with McGill’s faculty to create internship opportunities or site visits that allow students to learn from the community, not just about it.
“This course gives us hope,” says Joseph Singh, director of a local multicultural wellness initiative. “We’ve had decades of top-down health programs that never asked what we actually need. Maybe now, students will come into the system with a different mindset — one rooted in listening, respect, and equality.”
Not just a university issue
Healthcare advocates warn, however, that no curriculum — no matter how well-designed — can replace political will and investment. Parc-Extension still lacks a 24-hour urgent care clinic, mental health services are overstretched, and interpreter services remain inconsistent.
But for a neighbourhood where many feel unseen, the symbolism of one of Canada’s top medical institutions acknowledging racism in health care is meaningful. It’s a start.
“If one future doctor leaves that class remembering what it feels like to be dismissed or misunderstood in an exam room,” Fatima says, “then maybe one day, someone in Parc-Extension will feel safe, respected — and finally heard.”
