First Nations Information Governance Centre

First Nations Information Governance Centre
Name	First Nations Information Governance Centre
Formation	1996
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Region served	Canada

First Nations Information Governance Centre is a Canadian Indigenous-led research organization based in Ottawa, Ontario. It conducts national data collection, stewardship, and analysis related to Indigenous health and social conditions across provinces and territories, and works with Indigenous institutions including Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Métis National Council, Health Canada, and Statistics Canada to promote data sovereignty. The Centre developed methodologies aligned with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the OCAP® principles to support community-controlled information and evidence for policy and advocacy.

History

The Centre was established amid policy debates involving Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Native Council of Canada, and regional bodies such as Québec Native Women and Nishnawbe Aski Nation to address gaps identified after national surveys like the 1981 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and the 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey. Early work was influenced by leaders such as Phil Fontaine, Ovide Mercredi, and researchers associated with Universities Canada and the University of Toronto who sought Indigenous governance over statistics. Over time the Centre collaborated with organizations including Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Public Health Agency of Canada, First Nations Health Authority, and provincial ministries to expand the scope of the First Nations Regional Health Survey and related data programs.

Mandate and Governance

The Centre's mandate emphasizes Indigenous data sovereignty in line with calls from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and frameworks like the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (British Columbia). Its board comprises representatives from regional Chiefs' organizations such as Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, and Inuit and Métis institutions that oversee governance, finance, and research ethics. Operational governance draws on standards used by Tri-Council Policy Statement, Canadian Institute for Health Information, National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health, and international bodies including the World Health Organization and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Programs and Activities

Programs include national surveys, capacity-building initiatives, data stewardship services, and knowledge translation aimed at First Nations communities and tribal councils like Carrier Sekani Tribal Council and Miꞌkmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island. Activities span qualitative and quantitative research utilizing instruments informed by partners such as Canadian Research Data Centre Network, Indigenous Services Canada, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and community research committees tied to institutions like McMaster University and University of British Columbia. Capacity initiatives involve training linked to Indigenous Language Keepers Program, community-based participatory research with National Aboriginal Health Organization-affiliated groups, and methodological guidance aligned with standards from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

First Nations Regional Health Survey

The First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS) is the Centre's flagship survey series conducted in collaboration with regional organizations including Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs, Anishinabek Nation, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, and Northwest Territories Council of First Nations. Surveys have been administered across provinces and territories, producing data on health determinants comparable to datasets like the Canadian Community Health Survey and linked to administrative sources used by Provincial/Territorial Ministries of Health and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Findings have informed policy debates involving Canada Health Act, social programming administered by Employment and Social Development Canada, and interventions by agencies such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and regional health authorities like the First Nations Health Authority (British Columbia).

Partnerships and Collaborations

The Centre maintains partnerships with academic institutions including University of Ottawa, Dalhousie University, Simon Fraser University, and McGill University, as well as funding and technical collaborations with Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and provincial research bodies. It also engages with Indigenous governance entities like National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence, Indigenous Services Canada, Assembly of First Nations Youth Council, and international network partners such as Global Indigenous Data Alliance and the International Labour Organization for comparative research and standards development.

Impact and Criticism

Impact includes strengthening First Nations capacity for evidence-based advocacy before federal bodies such as Parliament of Canada, informing health programming with data used by Health Canada and regional health authorities, and contributing to scholarly literature cited by authors affiliated with Canadian Medical Association Journal and university presses. Criticism has come from researchers and policy analysts in contexts involving data comparability with Statistics Canada outputs, debates over sampling frames raised by provincial ministries, and discussions about funding dependency on federal agencies like Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Commentary in outlets linked to think tanks such as Institute for Research on Public Policy and legal scholars referencing cases in the Supreme Court of Canada has further debated governance arrangements and the balance between community control and national comparability.

Category:Indigenous organizations in Canada Category:Research institutes in Ottawa