On-Reserve Income Assistance Program: First Nations-led engagement 2018
Current Status: Closed
An income assistance pre-engagement was launched in July 2018 and completed in September 2018. Based on the pre-engagement, a First Nations Led engagement was carried out from September 2018 to June 2019.
ISC provided First Nations with an engagement summary report for their consideration as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Finalization of the report was completed following 2 virtual Income Assistance Reform Workshops in winter 2021 led by First Nation host organizations.
Why
As announced in Budget 2018, the Government of Canada is committed to engaging with First Nations to understand how to make the On-Reserve Income Assistance Program more responsive to the needs of clients and communities. We sought input on how to best support First Nations individuals in the transition from income assistance to employment and education. The results of this First Nations-led engagement, supported by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), will inform the development of policy options for the program and facilitate ongoing discussion on broader transformation at ISC.
Who
The Government of Canada engaged with:
- First Nations Leadership
- First Nations income assistance technical workers
- First Nations income assistance clients and dependents
What
The engagement plan has been developed with First Nations in respective regions in order to capture the unique needs of the communities in the area.
The engagement:
- gathered information on how well the current On-Reserve Income Assistance Program is working, including best practices
- identified the needs of On-Reserve Income Assistance clients and dependents (for example, barriers to completing education, obtaining job training, or finding and retaining employment)
- sought views on how to improve the Income Assistance program from diverse stakeholders (for example, challenges that can be addressed through income supports, services that lead to meaningful results)
- developed recommendations on the future of income assistance policies and programming with First Nations
Engagement activities varied by region. ISC has provided funding to First Nations to organize or host engagement activities. Activities included:
- attending face-to-face meetings in communities
- conducting community visits to reach clients
- engaging with other relevant stakeholder groups (such as women's associations or economic development organizations)
How to participate
There were four ways to participate:
- Attend a face-to-face meeting organized by a First Nation organization in your region
- Complete a regional online survey hosted by a First Nation organization in your region
- Send a letter to the address in Contact us
- Send an email to aadnc.revenu-income.aandc@canada.ca
When and where
Because of the First Nations-led and region-specific nature of the engagement, each region coordinated and hosted their unique set of engagement activities.
Contact us
On-Reserve Income Assistance Program engagement 2018
10 rue Wellington 24th floor
Gatineau QC K1A 0H4
Email: aadnc.revenu-income.aandc@canada.ca