May 12, 2025
Addressing diabetes requires more than health care. It calls for leadership that centers people, builds trust, and shifts the systems that shape our lives.
We talk a lot about equity in Canada, especially when it comes to health. The word shows up in mission statements, strategies, and funding proposals. But for many communities facing chronic conditions like diabetes, equity still feels like something just out of reach. It is more concept than reality.
Diabetes is not just a health issue. It is a social and systemic one. Rates are higher in communities that have been historically marginalized, underserved, and left out of conversations that shape care. The drivers are not only medical. They include access to healthy food, housing, employment, education, and culturally safe care. So if our response to diabetes does not tackle these broader issues, we are not truly addressing the problem.
Putting people and context first
There is incredible work being done in this country by researchers, community health leaders, frontline workers, and people living with diabetes who have been advocating for change for years. But we cannot keep working in silos. A good program on its own is not enough. Research without application is not enough. Even the best intentions, if not followed by clear and coordinated action, fall short.
Leadership in this space means being able to connect the dots between what we know and what we actually do. It means creating real pathways for communities to be part of shaping solutions, not just receiving them. And it means being honest about where gaps still exist.
It also takes systems leadership
Whether you work in healthcare, education, or nonprofit advocacy, the challenges are often the same. How do you shift a system that was not designed with everyone in mind? How do you make progress when resources are limited and needs are rising?
In Canada, over 30% of the population is now living with diabetes or prediabetes. That number continues to grow, particularly in Indigenous, Black, South Asian, and low income communities. The health care system alone cannot carry this burden. It will take aligned efforts across housing, food systems, employment, education, and digital access. All of these factors impact health.
The answer is not found in a single plan or strategy. It is found in how we work together, how we build trust, and how we keep coming back to the core question. Who is being left behind and what will it take to change that?
This is why equity cannot be a side project. It has to be the way we make decisions. From what data we collect, to who gets hired, to how programs are funded and measured. Equity must be built in from the beginning. It cannot be added later as an extra layer of inclusion.
Looking ahead
If we want a better response to diabetes or a stronger public sector overall, we need leadership that is not afraid to stay in the hard conversations. We need more people who understand how change really happens. Slowly, through relationships, through persistence, and through learning from what is not working.
We have the tools. We have the knowledge. What we need now is alignment. Alignment between vision and action, between community and institution, and between what we say we value and what we actually prioritize. That is where the work begins. And that is where equity lives.
References
Public Health Agency of Canada (2022). Social Determinants of Health and Diabetes.
Diabetes Canada (2023). Diabetes 360° - Fact Sheet: Over 11 million Canadians (1 in 3) have diabetes or prediabetes.
Statistics Canada (2021). Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Diabetes Among Canada’s Population.