Addressing hepatitis C in Indigenous communities requires a commitment to reconciliation, equity, and Indigenous-led approaches. Indigenous peoples are a priority population in Canada’s response to hepatitis C, bearing a disproportionate burden of the disease. This burden is not due to inherent risk, but rather to the ongoing effects of social and structural inequities rooted in colonial policies and practices.

CanHepC is committed to advancing reconciliation through meaningful action, such as:

• Continuing to support Indigenous leadership, knowledge, and priorities for hepatitis C research and training. The network’s Indigenous platform is currently conducting an extensive review of network policies and practices to assess Indigenous inclusion and engagement throughout CanHepC and to develop recommendations to inform future actions towards reconciliation. The platform meets monthly with a Community Guiding Circle, comprised of Indigenous service providers, clinicians and people with lived/ living experience of hepatitis C from across Canada, who offer guidance and direction to inform network activities.
• Facilitating regional collaboration and partnerships with Indigenous communities to accelerate progress towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat in Canada. Following the release of the Blueprint to Inform Hepatitis C Elimination Efforts in Canada, CanHepC has supported the development of regional Roadmaps to tailor elimination recommendations and action plans to local contexts and community priorities. To date, two Roadmaps have been publicly released (Ontario and the Prairies region), with more expected to be released in the coming year. Each Roadmap has been developed through extensive consultation, including with Indigenous communities.
  • The Ontario Hepatitis C Elimination Roadmap includes nine recommendations focused specifically on Indigenous wellness. These were developed by an Indigenous working group and emphasized Indigenous-led, whole-person care; trauma-informed and culturally safe mainstream services; and support for rural and remote communities. This group continues to guide implementation efforts in Ontario.
  • The Prairie regional Roadmap, Journeys to Wellness, prioritized the experiences of people with lived and living experience of hepatitis C, including Indigenous peoples. The Prairie Roadmap was coordinated by Waniska, an Indigenous-led research centre, and the project integrated Indigenous ways of knowing and doing through hosting sharing circles and centering creative expression, stories and wholistic, person-centred approaches to health and wellness.
  • A National Indigenous Roadmap for hepatitis C elimination is also in development. The project leads, in collaboration with a Community Guiding Circle, have conducted a literature review to provide important context about hepatitis C and Indigenous peoples in Canada as well as to identify wise practices for implementation, interventions and evaluation. The next phase of Roadmap development will include ‘community conversations’ with Indigenous peoples with lived/ living experience of hepatitis C across Canada and a survey of service providers.

On this day of reflection and commemoration, we reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation—not just in words, but through sustained action, partnership, and accountability.