Chronic diseases and mortality in Canadian Aboriginal peoples: learning from the knowledge.

It is a sad fact that Canada's Aboriginal people, whether living in rural communities or in urban centers, have a significantly lower life expectancy than non-Aboriginal Canadians.1a The gap in health status of Canada's Aboriginal peoples is a matter of ongoing concern;2 recognizing and understanding the social determinants of health is key to understanding the difference in health status and, in my view, key to achieving success in addressing and correcting this problem. However, it is important to realize that there are unique social determinants for Aboriginal peoples associated with their cultures, histories and colonization, and the current social, economic, political and geographic context.