FNIGC became an independent, incorporated non-profit entity on April 22, 2010. But our history can be traced back to 1996, when the Assembly of First Nations formed a National Steering Committee to design a new national First Nations health survey in response to a decision from the Federal Government to exclude First Nations people living on reserve from three major population surveys.
Our History
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1994
In 1994, the Federal Government made the decision to exclude First Nations people living on-reserve from three major national population surveys. Concerned with the resulting data gap, First Nations advocates and academics came together and the roots of the First Nations Information Governance Centre were formed.
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1994
In 1994, Health Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs recognized the need for comparable information on the Indigenous population outside the Territories. In January, they contracted the Northern Health Research Unit at the University of Manitoba to conduct a study to explore the feasibility of a national longitudinal Indigenous survey.
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1996
In 1996, the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was published. It recognized the need for First Nations to govern their own data and recommended “First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders establish a working group, funded by the federal government, with a two-year mandate to plan a statistical clearinghouse controlled by Aboriginal people to: a) work in collaboration with Aboriginal governments and organizations to establish and update statistical data bases; and b) promote common strategies across nations and communities for collecting and analyzing data relevant to Aboriginal development goals.”
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1996
In 1996, the Assembly of First Nations formed a National Steering Committee (NSC) with the goal of creating a new national First Nations health survey. The NSC members included a coalition of First Nation thinkers, academics, and leaders from across Canada including: Doug Kelly, Marlene Poitras, Ceal Tournier, Audrey Leader, Cathryn George, Jane Gray, Wendy Paul, Sharon Rudderham, Debbie Milne, Gail Mc Donald, and Nancy Gros-Louis McHugh, among others.
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1996
In 1996, the National Steering Committee began work on the First Nations Inuit Regional Longitudinal Health Survey led by Survey Coordinator Gail Mc Donald.
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1997
In 1997, the First Nations Inuit Regional Longitudinal Health Survey Pilot report was published. It is the only First Nations-governed national health survey in Canada and collects information about First Nations health based on Western and traditional understandings of health and well-being.
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1998
In 1998, the First Nations principles of OCAP® were established during a National Steering Committee meeting. The acronym OCAP® began as “OCA” with members of the NSC affixing a “P” soon after to acknowledge the importance of First Nations’ people possessing their own data. OCAP® stands for ownership, control, access, and possession.
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2000
In 2000, the National Steering Committee transitioned into the First Nations Information Governance Committee.
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2002
In 2002, data collection began for the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey Phase 1 as a solely First Nations survey, with Yukon and the Northwest Territories added as regions.
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2005
In 2005, the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Survey Cultural Framework was published in February.
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2005
In 2005, the First Nations Information Governance Committee’s survey work was independently reviewed and verified by Harvard University. They concluded that “compared to other national surveys of Indigenous people from around the world, the 2002/2003 RHS was unique in First Nations ownership of the research process, its explicit incorporation of First Nations values into the research design and in the intensive collaborative engagement of First Nations people and their representatives at each stage of the research process.”
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2006
In 2006, the First Nations Information Governance Committee published the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey Phase 1 report, representing data from more than 22,600 surveys (80 percent of the target sample) gathered in 238 First Nations communities.
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2007
In 2007, the First Nations Information Governance Committee (FNIGC) published the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey: Peoples’ Report (FNRLHS, or RHS). The report was produced because FNIGC felt the data gathered by the FNRLHS needed to be understood by the people who contributed the information.
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2008
In 2008, data collection began for the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey Phase 2.
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2008
In 2008, data collection began for the First Nations Oral Health Survey, a partnership with the Office of the Chief Dental Officer at Health Canada. It is the first survey of its kind, looking at the oral health conditions of children, youth, and adults living on-reserve and in Northern communities across Canada.
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2009
In 2009, the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly passed Resolution #48/2009 which mandated the creation of the First Nations Information Governance Centre, a stand-alone non-profit intended to replace the First Nations Information Governance Committee. The Resolution states “the Centre will promote, protect and advance the First Nations Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP®) principles, the inherent right to self determination and jurisdiction in research and information management.”
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2010
In 2010, on April 22 the First Nations Information Governance Centre was incorporated as a non-profit, operating with a special mandate from the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly, and moves into its offices in Akwesasne, Ontario and Ottawa, Ontario.
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2011
In 2011, FNIGC undertook a feasibility study to determine if it should continue the longitudinal approach to its foundational survey, the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (FNRLHS). The study concluded that given funding realities and administrative complexities, FNIGC should forgo the longitudinal methodology in favour of a cross-sectional one which would enable a snapshot in time for the population. From this point on, the FNRLHS would be known as the First Nations Regional Health Survey.
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2011
In 2011, FNIGC established its National Student Bursary, which is awarded annually to exceptional First Nations students enrolled in college or university studying in fields related to the advancement of First Nations data sovereignty. Since it was established, the National Student Bursary has awarded grants of up to $2,500 and free registration to The Fundamentals of OCAP® course to numerous outstanding students.
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2011
In 2011, FNIGC received a mandate from the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly (Resolution #19/2011) to conduct a new survey, the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey to address a long-standing gap that existed around information on early childhood education and development, youth employment and education, adult employment and education, and labour-market conditions in First Nations communities.
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2012
In 2012, FNIGC’s survey work was independently reviewed and verified by Johns Hopkins University, who conclude: “The Regional Health Survey is indeed a powerful tool for collecting data on the health and well-being of First Nations communities. Despite the challenges that are commonly faced when implementing a survey of this size, the designers and implementers of this survey have overcome numerous barriers and prevailed. The survey, in and of itself, is a landmark victory for building the research capacity of First Nations.”
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2013
In 2013, data collection for the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey began in 250 First Nations communities across Canada.
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2013
In 2013, FNIGC’s new website, www.fnigc.ca, launched in June as a replacement for the previous RHS website (www.rhs-ers.ca).
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2015
In 2015, FNIGC released “The Power of Data” campaign, a series of articles that focus on the real-world benefits our survey data has in First Nations communities. Featuring interviews with community members and original photography, the Power of Data launched with stories from Eskasoni First Nation (Nova Scotia) and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation (Yukon), but expanded to include stories from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake (Quebec), Saik’uz First Nation (B.C.), and Bigstone Cree Nation (Alberta).
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2015
In 2015, FNIGC launched The Fundamentals of OCAP®, the first—and only—online training course dedicated to the First Nations principles of OCAP®. Developed in collaboration with Algonquin College’s Corporate Training, the course offers unprecedented access to FNIGC’s breadth of knowledge about the First Nations principles of OCAP® in an easily accessible and user-friendly platform.
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2016
In 2016, FNIGC published Now is The Time: Our Data, Our Stories, Our Future The National Report of the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey in June. The report contains the first data from the First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey and offered an unprecedented look at family, school, and work conditions in First Nations communities in Canada. The report showed strong associations between the importance First Nations people place on language, culture, and family and the educational, employment, health, and well-being outcomes in their communities.
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2016
In 2016, during the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Niagara Falls, Ontario, First Nations leaders from across Canada endorsed a Resolution (Resolution #57/2016) that recognizes Indigenous data sovereignty as a cornerstone of nation rebuilding. The Resolution directed the federal government to fund:
- engagement on data governance between First Nations leadership within each respective region.
- the establishment of a First Nation data governance champion in each region, identified by First Nations regions themselves.
- the development of fully functional regional First Nations information government centres, and
- coordination of First Nations regions, data governance champions and national partners to establish a national First Nations data governance strategy.
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2018
In 2018, FNIGC began data collection on the First Nations Labour and Employment Development (FNLED) survey, the first major national survey initiative focused on information on employment, labour, jobs, and skills in First Nations communities across Canada. An extension of the foundational work begun by the First Nations Regional Early Childhood Education and Employment Survey, the FNLED survey focused on filling the gap in data surrounding the labour market in First Nations communities.
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2018
In 2018, the Federal Government’s Budget 2018 earmarked $2.5 million over three years “to support the First Nations Information Governance Centre’s design of a national data governance strategy and coordination of efforts to establish regional data governance centres.”
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2018
In 2018, FNIGC’s Board of Directors approved a new Vision and Mission and established core strategic objectives for the organization.
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2019
In 2019, FNIGC and the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre hosted the First Nations Data Governance Strategy Summit in Calgary in February. The two-day event gathered nearly 100 First Nations data champions, researchers, and academics from across the country.
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2019
In 2019, Budget 2019 committed to permanent funding of FNIGC’s survey processes, stating “Budget 2019 proposes to provide $78.9 million over seven years, starting in 2019–20, with $13.7 million per year ongoing, to permanently fund the Surveys on Indigenous Peoples and the First Nations Regional Health Survey. These surveys provide important information on education, health, employment and language proficiency—information that is needed for decision-making in First Nations communities and for designing programs and services tailored to community needs.”
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2020
In 2020, following the World Health Organization’s March 11 announcement that COVID-19 was a pandemic, FNIGC shared an important message regarding COVID-19.
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2020
In 2020, FNIGC released RHS Statistics for Shaping a Response to COVID-19 in First Nations Communities in May.
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2020
In 2020, FNIGC submitted A First Nations Data Governance Strategy (FNDGS or the Strategy) to Indigenous Services Canada, a report which envisions a First Nations‑led, national network of regional information governance centres across the country equipped with the knowledge, skills, and infrastructure needed to serve the information needs of First Nations people and communities.
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2020
In 2020, FNIGC marked its 10th anniversary as an incorporated non-profit on April 22, and unveiled an updated logo and an anniversary logo (pictured).
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2020
In 2020, FNIGC launched its new website in December, the first update since the site launched in 2013.
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2021
In 2021, Budget 2021 included funding for the continued development of the FNDGS, stating:
“Access to reliable and culturally relevant data on Indigenous peoples is critical to building a complete portrait of Indigenous lived experiences, unmasking inequalities, and ensuring delivery of effective policies and programs. Indigenous-led data strategies can further self-determination by providing First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation governments and organizations with the data they need to support their communities.
Budget 2021 proposes to invest $73.5 million over three years, starting in 2021-22, to continue work towards the development and implementation of a First Nations Data Governance Strategy.”
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2023
In 2023, FNIGC unveiled a new logo for The First Nations Principles of OCAP® as part its celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark data sovereignty standards. Reflective of the First Nations nature of FNIGC’s work and employing a drum motif representing the heartbeat of Mother Earth, the new logo was revealed at a special event during the Assembly of First Nations 44th Annual General Assembly in Halifax, steps away from the location where OCAP® was first established in 1998.