RECLAIM

There is a wealth of data that has been collected on First Nations people living in over 600 communities across Canada, yet First Nations peoples in Canada experience significant health inequities because of past and ongoing colonialism. The Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action (TRC) and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) support inherent First Nations rights, to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State. There is a dire need for First Nations community leaders and stakeholders to access this data to inform program and policy development.

Linking First Nations data to existing population-based health and other repositories would provide unparalleled insights to leverage and utilize these data for their benefit. These datasets currently remain inaccessible for First Nations to utilize, because the data remains within universities and governments that exert ownership and control, and because of limited resources available to First Nations. Questions about the quality of and biases imbedded in these datasets have been raised but remain systematically unexplored in Manitoba.

We will be tackling this research question to highlight that greater First Nation control over their own data will lead to improved participation in health planning, decision-making, and evidence-informed policy and in the long-term, improved health outcomes.