Background Despite a highly appraised, publicly funded health care system,access remains a challenge for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indigenous peoples have experienced racism, social exclusion, discrimination and stigmatization in accessing health care services. Indigenous peoples are over represented in opioid-related deaths and at the same time, Indigenous women face discrimination related to marginalization from mainstream health. Method A‘hybrid’ approach to the scoping review method which combines the five stages of the Arksey and O’Malley framework, and the recently refined Joanne Briggs Institute’s (JBI) approach to the conduct of scoping reviews. EBSCO Discovery database and Google scholar were used to search for literature. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria,total of six studies were included in the final analysis. Findings Salient themes emerged from this scoping review; the issue of safety in mixed gender settings, lack of culturally appropriate programs, racism and triple marginalization, lack of access and post treatment support, and treatment or child apprehension. Conclusion This scoping review provides opportunities for health care providers, especially nurses, to promote social justice across intersecting oppressions such as race, gender and class. In order to break the cycle of policy-based systemic oppression, the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action should be applied in all levels of nursing; education, practice, research and policy. The ongoing need for trauma informed care, cultural humility and eventually cultural fluidity is discussed.
