Report to Leadership The First Nations Information Governance Centre

1. Report to LeadershipThe First Nations Information Governance Centre Assembly of First Nations Special General Assembly Gatineau, Quebec December 16, 2010 Presented by: Ceal Tournier, Chairperson Bonnie Healy, Treasurer,

2. The FNIGC Mandate Over the past year, a mandate and support, through national and regional resolutions have been received for the development of TheFirst Nations Information Governance Centre including: • Assembly of First Nations Chiefs Committee on Health (June 2009) • AFN Executive (July 2009) and • Special Chiefs in Assembly, December 2009 , Resolution No. 48/2009 passed unanimously by consensus. • Regional Resolutions of Support received from 9 Regions to date: (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, NWT). We are pleased to report that dedicated efforts have been made since December 2009 to make the Centre a reality for First Nations. We have opened the doors effective August 1, 2010!

3. Framework of the Centre First Nations now have a dedicated Centre that will serve as the home of the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (RHS) and build upon that successful process to provide: • Credible First Nations Information • Increased Research Capacity • Training Opportunities • Data collection, analysis and dissemination services to First Nations at the local, regional and national levels What is The First Nations Information Governance Centre? www.fnigc.ca

4. The First Nations Information Governance Centre and Regional Offices • The Centre is designed to be a network of regionally controlled centre's supporting national, regional, and local research. • At the centre of this network is a national office or “hub” that supports, to the degree necessary, the regional affiliates. • Each First Nation Region is different from the next and the regional infrastructure is the backbone in building capacity for research and knowledge generation. • FNIGC and the regional offices follow a First Nations research agenda in a framework that ensures integrity, ethics and a cultural values. The development of Regional Centre's will be determined by each Region based on regional interests and strategic direction

5. Focus of the Centre The First Nations Information Governance Centre will: • Be the permanent home of the RHS • Be the premier source of First Nations information • Be devoted to First Nations  • Make the most of research and information that will truly benefit the health and well being of First Nations • Strive to partner with entities that seek to achieve success in working with First Nations, through the use of credible information and processes that respect First Nations jurisdiction to own, protect and control how their information is collected, used and disclosed  • Promote and advance the First Nations Principles of OCAP • Assist in building First Nations capacity in research, information technologies, health surveillance and data analysis • Measure improvements to First Nations health and well-being through the RHS and specialized surveys 

6. Federally incorporated entity under the Canada Corporation Act. Bylaws developed relating to the organization and transaction of the business and affairs THE FIRST NATIONS INFORMATION GOVERNANCE CENTRE CENTRE DE GOUVERNANCE DE L’INFORMATION DES PREMIÈRES NATIONS Corporate Structure of the Centre Members of the Organization Delegates Board of Directors of the Corporation

7. The FNIGC By Law General Provisions • Head Office: Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne (Ontario) • Regions mean the following ten territorial divisions: • New Brunswick/PEI, • Nova Scotia/Newfoundland, • Quebec/Labrador, • Ontario, • Manitoba, • Saskatchewan, • Alberta, • British Columbia • Yukon Territory • Northwest Territory • Each Region shall have the right to exercise one vote, through their appointed Delegate • Quorum is 70% or seven Regions • Board Term of Office – Directors shall remain in office until replaced or removed according to bylaws • Officers include Chairperson, Co-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer – appointed by resolution of Board and who form the Executive Committee • Decisions of Board shall be made as far as possible by consensus. If all efforts are exhausted; a positive vote of 50 + one of the attendance of Directors shall constitute a decision • Financial Disclosure – audited financial statements shall be distributed and be approved at each Annual Meeting of Members • Provide Annual Report to Chiefs in Assembly to reflect membership structure and importance of First Nations accountability

8. FNIGC By Law General Provisions By laws of the Corporation may be repealed or amended by By-law enactment by a majority of the Directors at a meeting of the Board and sanctioned by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Members at a Members meeting

9. We are proud to report to the First Nations Leadership that The First Nations Information Governance Centre opened it’s doors on August 1, 2010 and Celebrated it’s Open House on October 15, 2010 The FNIGC Offices are located at: Head Office: 49 Ford Lane, Unit 1, Akwesasne, ON Fax: 1-613-936-8974 Ottawa Office: 170 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 904, Ottawa, ON Fax: 613-241-7072 Telephone: 1-613-733-1916 Toll Free: 1-866-997-6248 Website: FNIGC.CA Board Members: L-R - Nancy Gros Louis Mc Hugh, QC/LAB, Bonnie Healy, AB, Lori Duncan, YKN, Tracy Antone, ON, Kathi Avery Kinew, MB

10. Implementation Milestones For the remainder of this fiscal year; The Centre will focus on 4 major objectives in this initial year of Operation: 1. Seek funding opportunities & secure long term, operational funding 2. Establish effective communications with First Nations at all levels to • promote and advance the RHS data utilization and access, • promote training opportunities, • support evidenced based decision making and • promote First Nations Principles of OCAP 3. Continue developing effective partnerships with organizations to seek mutually beneficial outcomes with: • federal, provincial , territorial governments, • the public health network, • academia, • students, and • aboriginal organizations 4. Develop and deliver a series of training programs

11. 2010-11 Key Activities of the Centre • Start Up and Operationalize the Centre and Head Office • Funding Proposal Development • Convene Quarterly Board Meetings (June, October, January, March) • Staff the Centre (funding permitted) • Implement Communication Strategy to introduce the Centre and its services • Progress Report to AFN Chiefs in Assembly, July & December 2010 • Develop and Disseminate Promotional Materials on Centre • Coordinate National Logo Contest • Develop RHS Research Data Centre • Develop and Launch Website • Develop and Release Training Schedule • Host Open House • Advance promotion of RHS – Phase 2 Data Release • Coordinate the RHS Release Conference – March 2011, Ottawa • Annual Evaluation and Report to Members at Annual Meeting A lot to accomplish in a short timeframe ….but we hit the road running…….

12. What Information is Available to First Nations leadership? As the Home of the RHS; First Nations will have access to a wealth of information based on the national data which targets many important aspects of our communities, e.g. housing, water quality, health and wellness, children, youth and adult specific information, demographics, migration, environmental impacts, economic indicators, etc. This, coupled with your RHS Regional Results, can create a strong story that will support lobby efforts and proposal developments. This process can only be strengthened by continued participation in the RHS and other potential specialized surveys and to build the regional and national infrastructure that will support data collection, analysis and dissemination.

13. How is the Centre financially supported? At the present time, the Centre has started operations based on the existing RHS national funding and from funding derived from data tabulation services. For this final year of RHS Phase 2 funding (2010-11), an Agency Agreement has been approved by the AFN Executive and the FNIGC Board of Directors that outlines responsibilities and accountabilities for the RHS funding to flow from the AFN to the Centre to meet the deliverables under the current Health Canada funding agreement. Funding proposals for the RHS Phase 3 and the FNIGC will be developed to secure long term, sustainable funding for both the FNIGC and the Regional Offices.

14. Don’t be confused with all the organizations out there proclaiming to address First Nations Health Information & Research Issues “He who holds the Data, Holds the Gold” The FNIGC is the only First Nations mandated information and research entity that is directly accountable to First Nations

15. We are often asked: “Why are we creating another organization when we have others”. The answer is: the Mandate and Structure of the FNIGC is NOT the same as these two organizations: The National Centre for First Nations Governance (NCFNG) The National Centre for First Nations Governance (NCFNG) is aservice and research organization offering a set of nation re-building services to First Nations. NCFNG provides a bridge between traditional and contemporary governance models. Services are developed and delivered by experienced and educated Aboriginal staff. The Centre is in the unique position of applying research through its services and learning from the work done in communities NCFNG has a two-pronged mandate. 1. supports First Nations to implement effective self-governance and 2. assists First Nations in the further development of their day-to-day government operations and supports First Nations in their efforts to develop their jurisdictional authorities. NCFNG is a non-profit organization. It is governed by First Nations professionals and operates independently from the Government of Canada and our own political organizations. The Centre models effective First Nations governance on five important pillars. They are: The People | The Land | Laws and Jurisdiction | Institutions | Resources First Nations Statistical Institute (FNSI) FNSI was created in 2005, as part of the federal government’s First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act (FSMA), a Crown Corporation, along with the First Nations Taxation Commission (FNTC), the First Nations Financial Management Board (FNFMB) and the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA).  The four organizations share a common objective of strengthening First Nations real property tax regimes and creating a First Nation bond financing regime.  This work supports and promotes First Nations economic development. FNSI also has a broader mandate to support the data and statistical needs of First Nations so they can better meet their own policy and planning needs.  This work will also involve increasing knowledge of the importance of statistics in First Nations communities and to increase their capacity to gather, analyze and apply statistics in evidence-based decision making processes. To accomplish the mandate, FNSI has established four key objectives: • Engage strong partnerships; • Support promotion of First Nations’ Economic Development • Develop and maintain data / information systems; and • Continue to develop and build a strong organization.

16. We have been asked….why do we use the term “Governance” in our name? The term governance is used to reflect the long history of the RHS process. The RHS process changed how research is currently conducted in First Nations communities in Canada. The RHS is about “self determination” in the area of research and it is First Nations themselves that will govern how its information is collected and used by outsiders. It means governance over ‘information” and governance over “information management”. We collect quality data from our First Nation communities and it is our First Nation leadership that will use this information to showcase the realities of First Nation communities based on sound quality data and lobby for policy changes etc. Simply said, we provide the data for our leadership to bring about change for our communities.

17. Introducing the FNIGC Board of Directors Notice: First Nations Regions Organizations will be required to submit applications for membership to The FNIGC and appoint your Delegate and Board of Director representative. A Template for this process has been provided to the AFN Executive and can also be obtained through your First Board of Directors Representative provided Officers: Chair: CealTournier, Saskatchewan Co-Chair: Jon Thompson, AFN Secretary:Kathi Avery Kinew, Manitoba Treasurer: Bonnie Healy, Alberta • Regional Chief Angus Toulouse, Ontario, AFN • Sarah (Sally) Johnson, NS/Newfoundland • Peter Birney, NB/PEI • Nancy Gros-Louis Mc Hugh, Quebec/Labrador • Tracy Antone, Ontario • Lori Duncan, Yukon • Ialeen Jones, NWT • BC - vacant www.fnigc.ca

18. SAVE THE DATE…..MARCH 1-3, 2011 RHS National Conference: Exciting Release of the RHS Phase 2 National Results! Information and results will be presented in exciting new ways Adult, Youth and Children Surveys conducted in 250 First Nations Communities with over 80% of the target sample achieved. Results from the new RHS First Nations Community Survey! Examine Changes in First Nations Communities since RHS Phase 1 (2002-03) Entertainment /Events to be announced that will feature First Nations celebrities and top entertainment that is sure to please everyone…… Come and Join Us! Crown Plaza Hotel (Soon the Delta Ottawa) Ottawa, Ontario Register Early! Mark Your Calendar! Information will soon be available on Agenda, Speakers, Workshops, Presenters, Info & Craft Booths, Adult, Youth & Elder Forums, Sponsorships. Follow developments on: www.fnigc.ca

19. In Closing…… Thank you for all the support provided to TheFirst Nations Information Governance Centre YOUR Information Governance Centre We are here to support the leadership at the local, regional and national levels. Information and research based on a First Nations Agenda can make a difference