The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Team and Indigenous Data Team (IDT) at HDRN Canada are creating a shared space to explore the limits and possibilities of equitable data research in Canada. We pose this space as a question, rather than an answer, as a way of committing to questioning where data comes from and what biases are inherent to their collection and use in academic research. Where appropriate we will offer methods, tools, theories, and more for data research with these limitations in mind.
The IDEA Team and the IDT have the common goal of addressing diverse population self-determination over health data in order to leverage data for improved health equity, Indigenous Data Sovereignty, and Nation-rebuilding. Our teams are working towards advancing a practice within the network that is grounded in anti-racism, anti-oppression, and anti-colonialism. All of these approaches require critical reflections of data and ongoing discussions around how effectively data can be yielded as a tool for equitable change.
While the IDEA Team and the IDT have their own unique priorities that are rooted in different laws, policies, action plans, and movements; there exists a space between them where initiatives and questions overlap.