The 2025 Karihwáhstha National Public Policy Circle Gathering, held Dec 8-9, in Wendake, Quebec, brought together Indigenous leaders and partners from across Canada to advance culturally safe, equitable healthcare through Indigenous-led dialogue and action. 

Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) was proud to be part of that work. 

Led by the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle (IDHC), Karihwáhstha is grounded in Indigenous knowledge, rights and lived experience. The initiative is committed to advancing equitable healthcare for Indigenous Peoples by bringing together leaders and organizations dedicated to Indigenous-led policy development, cultural safety and transformative policy reform. 

The 2025 gathering focused on practical action. Its priorities included fostering a culturally safe and equitable healthcare system through mandatory cultural safety training for healthcare professionals and supporting the meaningful integration of Traditional and Western models of care. 

DAC’s Executive Director, Tracy McQuire, contributed to the initiative as a member of the Karihwáhstha Advisory Committee and DAC’s Director of Patient Partnership; Linxi Mytkolli,was an invited guest. 

Their involvement reflects a much broader relationship between DAC and IDHC, built over many years through shared work in diabetic retinopathy screening, lower limb preservation, and community-led knowledge mobilization. In 2025, DAC and IDHC formalized that relationship through a collaborative relationship agreement grounded in reciprocity, Indigenous-led approaches, culturally competent education, Indigenous data sovereignty, and self-determination.

IDHC continues to shape DAC’s work through its seat on the Steering Committee. The partnership extends to DAC’s Research to Action Fellowship, where IDHC is a partner organization, and most recently at the Global Summit to End Diabetes Stigma in Jaipur, India, where members of IDHC joined DAC in highlighting Canada’s approach to patient and community engagement in diabetes. 

The gathering reinforced the value of collaboration rooted in relationships, shared learning, and action. Through Karihwáhstha, Indigenous leaders and partner organizations are advancing practical, policy-informed approaches to culturally safe and equitable healthcare. 

“It is a real privilege to work closely with IDHC and to be invited into spaces like Karihwáhstha. These are important conversations, and for DAC, being there means listening carefully, learning from Indigenous leaders, and continuing to build the kind of partnership that can support better care,” says Tracy.  

The 2025 Karihwáhstha gathering emphasized the importance of annual collaboration with partners, shared learning experiences and collective action to address systemic inequities in healthcare.

With the establishment of the national gathering in addition to the advisory committee and Karihwáhstha website, purposeful opportunities were created to support relationship-building and continuous knowledge exchange. 

More information about the Karihwáhstha can be found in the Karihwáhstha 2025 National Public Policy Circle Gathering Dialogue and Action Summary.