Submission ID 129572
| Issue/Objective | Health inequities persist not from a lack of evidence, but from a failure to shift power. Global health equity is increasingly threatened by fragmented governance, declining trust, and entrenched structural inequities. Indigenous communities experience these challenges acutely due to colonization, exclusion from decision-making, and underinvestment in culturally grounded systems. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A community-based participatory research approach (2023-2025) was conducted across five northern Saskatchewan communities in partnership with Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health Services. Guided by a Two-Eyed Seeing framework, data were collected through talking circles, land-based program observations, and wellness surveys. Thematic analysis was validated through iterative engagement with elders and youth. |
| Results | Indigenous-led governance, combined with land-based healing and revitalization of traditional food systems, strengthened trust, participation, and collective agency. Programs reported increased community participation and sustained engagement in wellness activities, alongside improved perceptions of cultural safety and relevance of services. Key upstream determinants identified included food sovereignty, cultural continuity, and local control over health priorities. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Equity-driven health systems require a rebalancing of power toward Indigenous governance and culturally grounded approaches. Governments and global health actors must move beyond consultation to co-governance, sustained financing, and policy reform that recognizes Indigenous jurisdiction. Embedding land-based wellness and Indigenous data sovereignty offers a scalable pathway to equity. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Adachioma Chinonso IHUEZE Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Adachioma Ihueze Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Adachioma Chinonso Ihueze Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Karen Kammermayer Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Lisa Mayotte Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Mary Carlson Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services Justina Ndubuka NITHA Yvette Carrie Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health services |
