Research Involving First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples of Canada

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First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have distinct histories, cultures, and traditions, and they emphasize the value of reciprocity in relationships between Indigenous and research communities.

As the landscape of research involving Indigenous peoples evolves, there is an increasing presence of Indigenous scholars and growing community awareness of the risks and benefits of research. Advancements in technology present opportunities and challenges in information governance.

Ethical Review

The University of Alberta follows TCPS2 and principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) to guide the ethical review of research applications involving Indigenous participants.

Required Engagement

Researchers must seek engagement with the relevant Indigenous community when the research is likely to impact their welfare. The following conditions require researcher engagement, among others:

  • Research conducted on First Nations, Inuit, or Métis lands.
  • Recruitment criteria that include Indigenous identity as a factor for the entire study or a subgroup.
  • Research seeking input from participants on cultural heritage, artifacts, traditional knowledge, or unique characteristics of the community.
  • Research analyzing data where Indigenous identity or membership in an Indigenous community is used as a variable.
  • Interpretation of research results that reference Indigenous communities, peoples, language, history, or culture.

Community Engagement

The level and nature of community engagement in a project are determined collaboratively by the researcher and the community, considering community characteristics and the research nature. The REB requires evidence of community engagement before approving an application, so researchers must have considered this BEFORE submitting to an REB.

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