Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

The number of Manitobans living with chronic kidney disease is the highest per capita than any Canadian province and is growing. End-stage kidney disease is associated with low quality of life and significantly higher costs than other chronic diseases in Canada. The Centre for Manitoba Health Policy's 2015 report by Chartier et al., Care of Manitobans Living with Chronic Kidney Disease, provides background information on the kidney health status of Manitobans through an analysis of factors such as income, race, gender, and education, known as the determinants of health. They found that Indigenous adults and children were two to four times more likely than non-Indigenous counterparts to have end-stage kidney disease, while incidence in the non-Indigenous population has stabilized (Chartier et al., 2015). Health policy analysts urge a critical theory approach vs determinants of health in order to transform health outcomes (Kreiger, 2014; Hankivsky & Cormier, 2011; Hankivsky & Christoffersen, 2008). These findings indicate a need for further investigation in order to effectively address and mitigate rising costs associated with this treatment population in a Manitoban context. The present study fills a gap in the literature and offers a response to Call to Action 18 by contextualizing the findings of the 2015 report in history and acknowledging inter-generational trauma due to colonization (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). Acknowledging Indigenous history in policy describes a paradigm shift to cultural safety, and serves as a necessary step to improving health outcomes for Indigenous children and adults on the path to healing and reconciliation, in a sustainable way that honours freedom and human rights for all Canadians.