Process
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Consultation
This consultation was part of a broader process to co-develop policy with Indigenous Peoples. This stage of the consultation process involved exploring “policy ideas” and co-developing solutions with Indigenous Peoples. The policy proposals have been informed through in-person consultations with First Nations rights and title holders, Indigenous Peoples in urban settings, and Métis citizens within B.C. In-person sessions occurred from August to November 2023. A list of dates and locations is available on our Community consultation meetings in 2023 page. Several virtual meetings took place, including as a follow-up to in-person meetings.
Image: Stars indicate the locations of in-person sessions, mapped out on the First Peoples’ of B.C. map, including the various language families. Original source: First Peoples’ Map – First Peoples Cultural Council.
Report summary
The feedback provided during the in-person and virtual consultation sessions with First Nations, Modern Treaty Nations, Métis Citizens, and Indigenous Peoples in urban settings, and resulting policy proposals, can be summarized around five themes:
- Self-determination
- Consultation participants shared that the alignment of health information management with community-driven and Nation-based self-determination is important. This includes affirming government-to-government relationships and supporting the unique structures, protocols, and governance across First Nations, Modern Treaty Nations, and Métis.
- Participants shared the importance of First Nations and Métis having control and ownership over their personal health information to reach data-sovereignty.
- Accessing, sharing, and protecting personal health information
- Improved access to personal health information should be balanced with protecting personal privacy.
- There is a need for more consistency in information sharing across the health-care system and between providers, as First Nations communities are currently negatively affected by barriers to accessing health records for patient care. In addition to these gaps for providing patient care, community-driven and Nation-based health research, programs, and services are also impacted by the lack of data.
- Health research
- Health research should be about the strength and resilience of Indigenous Peoples and centre their diverse worldviews instead of focusing on a narrative of deficits. There was an emphasis on the need for engagement with each community to understand their unique protocols. Participants stressed the need for health research approaches grounded in First Nations and Métis-specific worldviews and the need for Indigenous Peoples to be involved in vetting health research proposals.
- Resources and change management
- Any health information management changes resulting from the proposed framework must account for funding, training, and change management support for proper implementation. Another important point of feedback was the need for additional dialogue and consultation with First Nations, as there were concerns the current sample size of participants was too small.
- Indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives
- While there was a slight preference to improve health information sharing without prior consent for timely patient care, several cautions were voiced including the need to handle Indigenous 2SLGBTQIA+ personal health information in a way that does not worsen already negative experiences in health care based on discrimination due to sexual orientation, gender identity and/or Indigenous identity.
For more information
You are encouraged to reach out if you would like to learn more about the overall policy framework. The team can be contacted at: HIMA@gov.bc.ca