Aboriginal Canadians experience a disproportionate burden of ill-health and have endured a history of racism in accessing and using health care. Discusses how to utilize culture practices in palliative care. Using interview data collected from 31 formal and informal palliative care providers (May-September 2008), we thematically explore not only the existing challenges and contradictions associated with the prioritization and provision of Aboriginal palliative care.

Discuss findings from an ethnographic study in which we explored experiences of access to primary care services from the perspective of Aboriginal people seeking care at an emergency department (ED) located in a large Canadian city. Uses both observation and interviews to explore themes of 1. anticipating providers' assumptions; 2. seeking help for chronic pain; and 3. use of the ED as a reflection of social suffering.

Widespread health disparities continue for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Indigenous peoples experience lower health outcomes than non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, which is exacerbated by the lack of access to quality health care and lower socio-economic situation(as confirmed by the social determinates of health). Provides case studies to give examples of social determinants of health for Indigenous Canadians.

In the Canadian context, the persistence and growth of Aboriginal health and social inequity signals that we are at a critical public health policy juncture; current policy reflects an historic relationship between Aboriginal people and Canada that fai...