HDRN Canada Statement on Truth & Reconciliation

Background & Imperative

Historically, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have often had health research done on rather than with them. Communities have not always been meaningfully involved in research involving their data, nor have they had clear potential to benefit from it. Indigenous data includes information about identities, knowledges, bodies, languages, songs, artwork, tools, foods, cultures, lands, territories and other aspects of Indigenous life. Such data have too often been collected, accessed, used, governed, and stored without community agreement, framed by questions and interpretations from outside the community.

In many cases, this approach has caused harm. Research conducted within non-Indigenous frameworks may fail to reflect the priorities, perspectives, and needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. It can also reinforce harmful stereotypes and perpetuate stigma, with effects that extend into policy and public opinion and contribute to persistent inequities in health outcomes.

HDRN Canada is committed to advancing the rights, interests, and data priorities of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples through the responsible use of multi-regional health data. We are dedicated to supporting research that is respectful, community-informed, and aligned with Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles, fostering partnerships that promote equity, trust, and meaningful health improvements for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

Truth & Reconciliation

HDRN Canada’s work takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded and ceded territories of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that research involving Indigenous data has too often failed to benefit First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and, in many cases, has contributed to harm through colonial research practices, exclusion from decision-making, and theft or misuse of data.

HDRN Canada is committed to:

supporting Indigenous-led approaches to health data research that respect the rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples to determine how data about their communities are collected, accessed, governed, interpreted, used, retained, stored, and disposed;
supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities to lead and prioritize research that aligns with their needs, interests, and values, ensuring that research is conducted with reciprocity and respect;
promoting and supporting, where invited, Indigenous-led Data Sovereignty and Data Governance approaches as defined by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples;
advancing data infrastructure and governance models that uphold Indigenous Data Sovereignty and the inherent rights of self-determination;
fostering respectful, reciprocal, and long-term partnerships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, organizations, and researchers; and
continually learning, listening, and adapting our practices to support meaningful reconciliation.

We recognize that Indigenous-led partnerships are essential to research involving First Nations, Inuit, and Métis populations and data. Through collaboration, relationship building, and shared learning, HDRN Canada seeks to contribute to research that advances health equity while respecting Indigenous rights, knowledge systems, self-determination, and governance.

Our Journey So Far

Reconciliation is an ongoing journey rather than a destination. We have traveled the following paths on our journey so far:

Learning & Unlearning

HDRN Canada is committed to ongoing education about the histories and continuing impacts of colonization, systemic racism, and discrimination experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. Examples include:

at least one Big IDEAs About Health Data webinar dedicated to Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Indigenous research methodologies each year;
facilitating the HDRN Canada Unlearning Club, which explores systemic oppression in Canada and its relationship to health data collection, access, governance, and use; and
creating opportunities for staff and partners to strengthen cultural humility and Indigenous-informed research practices;
supporting HDRN Canada members to learn about and reflect on Indigenous Data Governance principles, including the First Nations principles discussed in The Fundamentals of OCAP® course;
supporting members of HDRN Canada’s Executive Committee to take Cultivating Safe Spaces training;
encouraging HDRN Canada members to learn about local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis knowledge and practices in their area.

Learning from an Indigenous Data Sovereignty Community

HDRN Canada is providing funding to support development of an independent and inclusive community of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners with expertise and interest in Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Governance. This community will engage in dialogue and take action on Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Governance initiatives, both within Canada and in collaboration with international Indigenous partners.

Understanding Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Data Governance Practices

HDRN Canada is working to better understand current policies, practices, and governance approaches across member organizations that respect or uphold Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Data Governance. This work identifies and highlights opportunities to further strengthen these practices and fill any gaps across the network.

Advancing Calls to Action

HDRN Canada is assessing how its work aligns with and can further advance the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This work will help ensure HDRN Canada’s policies, services, and initiatives continue to evolve in ways that support reconciliation and Indigenous self-determination.

Looking Ahead

HDRN Canada aims to work toward several other priorities, with direction from and in collaboration with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, organizations, and partners. Future priorities include:

expanding Indigenous-led Data Services initiatives across HDRN Canada;
embedding Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles within HDRN Canada’s implementation of the Five Safes Framework;
developing guidance and briefing materials to support IDEA and Indigenous Data Sovereignty considerations in HDRN Canada projects;
documenting sources of bias and error in administrative health data affecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and identifying potential strategies to address these biases and errors;
supporting the identification of Indigenous data in existing data sets;
strengthening Indigenous leadership and governance throughout HDRN Canada’s programs and services; and
measuring, reporting, and having accountability on progress toward reconciliation commitments.

Last Updated: September 2026