Departmental Results Report 2021 to 2022

Gender-based analysis (GBA) Plus

Access to health care is widely acknowledged as a social determinant of health. Research has shown that access to care in Canada is not equal, nor equitable. For Indigenous Peoples, there are several contributing factors that impact access to care, including, but not limited to, the lack of Indigenous presence in health systems, or Indigenous health human resources. ISC continues to work to ensure that quality and timely services were delivered to Indigenous Peoples, particularly in health-related services where improvements to health outcomes is critical.

Through Budget 2021 funding, the department took action to foster health systems free from racism and discrimination where Indigenous peoples are respected and safe. Work began to implement new Indigenous health system navigators, patient advocates and cultural safety training for medical professionals to improve supports for Indigenous patients to more safely navigate federal, provincial and territorial health systems. This also included improvements to increasing access to culturally-safe services, with a focus on services for Indigenous women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, people with disabilities and other marginalized groups who may have experienced intersecting discrimination. This provided for the expansion of Indigenous midwives and doulas initiatives; strengthened funding for Indigenous Women's organizations and regional and grassroots organizations; and supports for youth sexual health networks. ISC's Cultural Safety Partnership Fund, in collaboration with Health Canada's Addressing Racism and Discrimination in Canada's Health Systems Program, supported the adaptation of health systems through the integration of cultural and patient safety at the local and systems levels. It also contributed to training and education programs aimed at increasing Indigenous representation in health professions.

In June 2021, Canada committed to actions that will contribute to the creation of health systems free of racism and discrimination and better health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This included working to co-develop distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to improve access to high-quality and culturally relevant services. This includes distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation and implementation co-developed with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation, backed with the investments needed to deliver high-quality health care for all Indigenous Peoples, access to high quality, timely, stable and culturally relevant distinctions-based services, including a patient-centered approach to health service delivery, and preparedness and response services enhanced to address public health emergencies in a way that aligns with Indigenous priorities, builds local capacity and is responsive and sustainable.

United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

In 2021-22, ISC contributed to Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 – Good Health and Well-being by:

• collaborating with partners to implement measures to address systemic discrimination. This included actions to address anti-Indigenous racism in health systems, enhancing supports for culturally sensitive policing and safety in Indigenous communities;
• supporting the National Action Plan launched to address the Calls for Justice outlined in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. All these initiatives reflect the broader Government of Canada commitment to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Canada's responsibilities under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and supporting holistic Indigenous community safety and well-being initiatives under the new Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Program that prioritizes and addresses the safety and well-being of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Result-based Innovation ^{Footnote 1}

ISC supported projects that sought and expanded results-based innovation solutions to improve the delivery of health and registration services to Indigenous Peoples.

In 2021-22, the department continued to promote the secure web accounts functionality for the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program. Users experienced greater access to view and update their personal information, see their claims history, benefit eligibility, status of pending requests, and electronically submit prior approvals and claims.

A Safety and Security Working Group was established with ISC and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) to oversee the implementation of work plans for nurses working in northern remote and isolated facilities. The group tracked and identified barriers to achieving expected outcomes, as well as possible solutions for consideration in consultation with interested parties. For ISC employed or contracted healthcare staff working in First Nations communities, the working group established a strategy and framework to ensure consistent, scalable and reliable safety and security services and solutions. This included mechanisms to identify and address safety and security issues on an ongoing basis. In the working group's first six months of operation, it performed a needs assessment and identified gaps in security personnel working in remote and isolated nursing stations.

For registration services, ISC launched an online tool for use in its service kiosks to provide a more user-friendly experience for the Secure Certificates of Indian Status application process. Fourteen of the sixteen service kiosks began using the online tool in this fiscal year. The vision is to move towards an improved, client-focused approach by centralizing all activities and transactions associated with an individual client in one overarching online solution.

Key Risks

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to require the department to respond quickly and adapt to ensure quality and timely services were delivered directly to Indigenous Peoples.

In response to the high demand for health professionals within the pandemic context, ISC developed a Nursing Health Human Resources Framework to provide a coordinated and comprehensive approach to recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many services remained suspended including oral health services in most communities for the better part of the year. As such, ongoing engagement of oral health care providers supporting the response to the pandemic in communities was done.

In addition, traditional treaty payment events were suspended. In lieu of holding the traditional in-person events, ISC and impacted First Nations co-developed alternative payment options that included:

• a First Nations-administered treaty payment event (i.e., payment event without the need for outsiders to enter communities);
• a limited ceremonial payment to Chief and councillors (involving one to two ISC staff delivering an in-person payment to First Nations leadership);
• deferral of payment event to 2022; and
• annuitants claiming their annuity through a cheque requisition process (this option has been promoted during the pandemic).

The program also continued to adapt its service model and implement strategies in response to COVID-19 public health guidance. For example, the pre-booking of appointments at service kiosks and alternatives to in-person oath commissioning for estates.

Health Legislation

The Government of Canada signaled the importance of the approach to co-developed distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation through the December 2020 mandate commitment to fully implement Joyce's Principle and to co-develop legislation to foster health systems that will respect and ensure the safety and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. Budget 2021 also invested $107.1 million over three years to continue efforts to transform health systems so that services are designed and delivered by First Nations communities, building on the government's commitment to improve access to high-quality and culturally relevant health care for Indigenous Peoples and advance self-determination.

In 2021-22, ISC provided funding to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners at national and regional levels to lead engagement with the people they represent to:

• support coordination of Indigenous-led engagement, wherever needed, including facilitating information sharing with provinces and territories;
• support the engagement of specific Indigenous groups, including women, youth, urban and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, through a targeted call for proposals; and
• host "An Open Dialogue on Indigenous Health Legislation: Restoring the Balance to do Honour to all People" that was guided by an Elders Advisory Circle, and designed to hear from Indigenous academics, legal experts, traditional knowledge keepers and Elders, students, youth, as well as some health professionals and others who may not be captured in other engagement streams.

Mental Wellness

The COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures are still having profound impacts on mental wellness in Indigenous communities. In many regions of the country, the COVID-19 pandemic is compounding ongoing public health crises related to high rates of opioid overdoses and related deaths as well as other acute substance use harms. Recent First Nations specific data shows that the opioid crisis continued to grow in 2021, specifically in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Budget 2021 provided $597.6 million over three years for a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategies with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. These investments were made to meet the immediate mental wellness needs of communities by supporting Indigenous-led suicide prevention, life promotion and crisis response, including through crisis line intervention services, and enhancing the delivery of culturally appropriate substance use treatment and prevention services in Indigenous communities. The investments also provided funding for mental health, cultural, and emotional support to Survivors of Indian Residential and federal Day Schools students and their families as well as those affected by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In August 2021, in response to confirmations of unmarked burials at the sites of former Indian Residential Schools, the Government of Canada announced an additional $107.3 million in 2021-22 to expand access to trauma-informed health and cultural supports to those most impacted by the legacy of Indian Residential Schools. While reporting for 2021-22 has not yet been received, the department is aware that through Budget 2021 investments Opioid Agonist Therapy wraparound sites are under development and received additional funding in 2021-22. Additionally, 14 new Mental Wellness Teams are in development and 37 Mental Wellness Teams received funding to enhance their existing teams in 2021-22.

While the majority of federally funded treatment centers' inpatient services closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health measures, several centres shifted to virtual approaches, including comprehensive wellness programs offering support through virtual and telephone counselling, and ensuring medication availability for opioid agonist therapy. Additional activities supported by Indigenous Services Canada included: the coordination of bulk purchases of nasal naloxone to respond to need and gaps in access as part of the department's opioids action plan; continued engagement and support for Métis mental wellness priorities; and continuing work with partners around workforce development.

Jordan's Principle and Inuit Child First Initiative

First Nations and Inuit families living in Canada continued to receive the help they need through Jordan's Principle to support other factors that impact health (education and literacy, childhood experiences, and social supports). Provision of various products, services, and supports, funding allocated through Jordan's Principle and other related initiatives continued to play an important role in the removal of significant access barriers for children with disabilities and/or physical and mental health concerns and their families. In 2021-22, 544,953 products, services and supports were approved for First Nations and Inuit children, approximately 2,890 requests were related to COVID-19 for a total of $1.1 million. Requests included laptops, tablets or other e-learning tools if they meet an identified health, education or social need. Since 2016, 1.4 million products and services were funded through Jordan's Principle, and since 2019, 62,000 products and services provided through the Inuit Child First Initiative.

Child and Family Services

The historic chronic underfunding of services, and the continued discrimination that Indigenous Peoples face has led to multiple social and economic disadvantages, or systemic factors, which contribute to the over-representation of Indigenous children in care. These systemic factors include low levels of education, high levels of unemployment, extreme levels of poverty, inadequate housing, and health disparities. The initiatives below seek to prevent the perpetuation of historical and current disadvantages, help ensure that children and families have the support they need to stay together, foster Indigenous-led and community-driven child and family services and address some of difficulties children, youths, families and communities are facing. They also recognize that Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people, are at a greater risk and experience higher rates of gender-based violence, a leading cause of child apprehension, compared to non-Indigenous women.

Services that keep families together are a foundational piece to provide distinctions-based social services. Budget 2021 provided $1 billion over five years, with $118.7 million ongoing to increase funding for the First Nations Child and Family Services Program to support the well-being of Indigenous children and families. This investment helped ISC to increase support to First Nations communities not served by a delegated First Nations agency, while continuing to fund prevention and well-being initiatives through the final year of the Community Well-Being and Jurisdiction initiative to respond to community needs.

In 2021-22, ISC supported First Nations communities in providing prevention and early intervention programming, of which over three-quarters (¾) of the Budget 2021 funding ($795 million over the next five years) will be exclusively available to enhance First Nations community prevention related activities that support keeping families together. Prevention funding is an essential component in supporting First Nations families. Parenting plays a critical role in child development and providing families with prevention supports allows families to meet their basic needs that promote multiple benefits. Prevention funding of $2,500 per capita focuses on community wellbeing in an effort to address the negative impacts of historic and ongoing oppression and discrimination against First Nations Peoples. In addition, over $73 million was invested over four years, 2021-22 to 2024-25, to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in exercising their inherent right of self-government in relation to child and family services, which includes concluding tripartite coordination agreements. For 2021-22, this included:

• 17 ongoing coordination agreement discussions with Indigenous Governing Bodies;
• two Indigenous governing bodies have brought their laws into force with a coordination agreement and fiscal arrangement in place (Cowessess First Nation, SK; Wabaseemoong Independent Nations, ON);
• 58 notices of intent to exercise jurisdiction received, representing more than 100 Indigenous groups and communities;
• over $100 million in capacity-building funding provided to 170 Indigenous Governing Bodies preparing to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services;
• over 100 court cases referenced, interpreted and/or enforced the Act since it came into force; and
• 34 sessions of engagement through formal bilateral governance structures through established Governance Engagement Mechanisms, which are Indigenous-led, distinctions-based engagement held at the community, regional and national levels.

In 2021-22, the department supported the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action by working directly with Indigenous partners at the community, regional and national levels to ensure a wide range of Indigenous voices are heard and taken into account on fully implementing the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families which came into force in January 2020 (Call to Action 4). In line with this, a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial Ministers and Indigenous leaders was organized in May 2021 to discuss the implementation of the Act.

ISC worked to ensure fair and equitable compensation for those harmed by the First Nations Child and Family Services Program (Call to Action 5) and continued work on the long-term reform of child and family services (Calls to Action 1 and 2).

On December 31, 2021, an agreement-in-principle on long-term reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program was reached and included approximately $20 billion over the first 5 years that will begin April 1, 2023, to ensure that the discrimination found by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) does not happen again. As part of negotiations, Canada and the parties jointly submitted amendments to the major capital orders (2021 CHRT 41) to the CHRT on January 14, 2022. Under the amended orders, Canada will fund the full cost of purchase or construction of major capital assets supporting the delivery of child and family services, as well as Jordan's Principle on reserve and in the Yukon, and the capital needs and feasibility studies required to support such assets.

Also on December 31, 2021, a second agreement-in-principle was reached on compensation and included approximately $20 billion in compensation for First Nations children on reserve and in the Yukon, who were removed from their homes between April 1, 1991, and March 31, 2022, and for their parents and caregivers. This also includes compensation for those impacted by the government's narrow definition of Jordan's Principle between December 12, 2007, and November 2, 2017, as well as for children who did not receive or were delayed receiving an essential public service or product between April 1, 1991, and December 11, 2007.

ISC will continue to work together with the Parties of these agreements-in-principle to reach final settlement agreements on both compensation and long-term reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program.

In February 2022, the Quebec Court of Appeal found that the inherent right of self-government of First Nations, Inuit and Métis is recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. This is the first time a court has recognized that Indigenous Peoples have a constitutionally protected right of self-government. The Quebec Court of Appeal also confirmed that the national standards established by the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families are valid.

The Government of Canada, of which ISC was a key contributing department, announced the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in June 2021. It affirmed that measures would be taken to improve and expand support and services to Indigenous children, families and communities based on their particular histories, cultures, and circumstances to keep them mentally, spiritually and physically well (Call to Action 4).

Long-Term and Continuing Care Engagement

In an effort to better address the long-term and continuing care needs in First Nations and Inuit communities, Budget 2019 provided $8.5 million for ISC to work with First Nations and Inuit communities on developing a new and more holistic long-term and continuing care framework that could cover the full spectrum of programs and services from supports for people living with disabilities and physical and mental health issues, 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples, and low income individuals; to approaches to aging in place, improvements to facility-based care, and services for those previously served under Jordan's Principle. Family members, in particular women, would benefit from this continuum of care approach, as they are responsible for the majority of unpaid care that takes place in the home. Also, enabling Indigenous seniors and elders to remain in their home communities while receiving care would have a collective benefit for the community given their fluency in Indigenous languages and their roles as cultural and traditional knowledge keepers. Findings from the engagements, including intersectional factors impacting experiences with long-term and continuing care facilities as identified by First Nations and Inuit communities, will inform the new Long-Term and Continuing Care Framework.

As part of a joint initiative between ISC's Assisted Living Program and First Nations and Inuit Home and Community Care Program, the department is supporting ongoing regional Indigenous-led engagement activities that are expected to conclude in the fall of 2022 and aim to gain input from a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to, clients, families, communities, health and social services directors and/or other system representatives, federal/provincial governments where appropriate, members of Academia, and Indigenous leadership to gather valuable insight on the elements of a holistic continuum of long-term and continuing care. This new, more holistic continuum of care will better respond to the needs of Indigenous First Nations and Inuit peoples and will cover the full spectrum of services from supports for people living with disabilities, to aging in place approaches, to improvements to facility-based care, and could include services for those previously served under Jordan's Principle. The engagement guide shared with regions and partners makes the recommendation to consider specific GBA Plus inclusion criteria when completing regional and national engagement activities. ISC encouraged engagement activities to include special opportunity groups like youth, 2SLGBTQQIA+, Indigenous women's groups, elders, and others, as key stakeholders to this important work, enabling communities to share their expertise and to ensure that the framework is responsive to their needs.

In 2021-22, ISC provided funding to roughly 35 participating First Nations Organizations who will be providing their regional-level reports in September 2022 that will be summarized into a single national report that will then be shared with partners for validation in early 2023. Once validated, the national report will be used to inform the new Indigenous Long-Term and Continuing Care Framework that looks beyond the design of existing programs to a systems and services perspective that puts individual needs at the center and leverages the strengths of communities.

Income Assistance

In 2021-22, ISC worked with the Assembly of First Nations and other First Nations partners to co-develop policy options; this work has led to the development of key principles, which will form the basis of future program design and service delivery. The program reform process is expected to be completed by March 2023 with options for a new needs-based Income Assistance program that incorporates greater First Nations control over social development and reduces socio-economic gaps on reserve.

Budget 2021 invested an additional $618.4 million over 2 years to continue to address essential needs, increased program demand, case management, and support to help people find work. While data compilation and reporting for this program is typically one year behind, COVID-19 has further impacted the collection of 2021-22 results and will likely delay reporting until September 2023. It is also anticipated that the pandemic has impacted the department's ability to decrease the percentage of residents living on reserve who are supported by Income Assistance.

Family Violence Prevention

Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience family violence in Canada as a result of colonialism, lack of housing options, as well as residual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. ISC's goal is to help reduce instances of family violence against Indigenous women by funding the operations of its network of 46 emergency shelters as well as community-led family violence prevention projects. These measures will help reduce instances of family violence experienced by Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people by ensuring that survivors have a safe place to go to escape family violence as well as by supporting prevention activities within Indigenous communities.

In June 2021, 12 recipients were selected as part of the joint Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation – ISC Shelter Initiative for Indigenous Women and Children (launched in 2020) to create 12 new shelters in First Nations communities on-reserve across the country for those escaping family violence.

In November 2021, the Government of Canada announced an additional $724.1 million to expand supports for Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people escaping gender-based violence including the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative. The Initiative was launched by the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation and Indigenous Services Canada to support the construction and operations of an additional 38 shelters and 50 transitional homes across Canada. This additional funding, in response to Calls for Justice 4.7 and 16.19 of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, is expected to further address gaps in family violence prevention and provide culturally relevant supports to Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples. This includes new emergency shelters and transitional (second stage) housing across the country for First Nations, Inuit and Métis, including in the North and in urban centres.

Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples

ISC continued to support urban Indigenous organizational capacity and program funding to address gaps in services for Indigenous Peoples living in urban centres. The department provides funding to organizations that support the most vulnerable and at-risk urban Indigenous populations (women and girls, seniors, persons with addictions and disabilities, and youth).

Often these populations are underserved and experience barriers in accessing much needed programs and services. Providing funding to organizations to support access to culturally appropriate and safe spaces improves physical and emotional safety and increases Indigenous participation in socio-economic activities including employment or educational opportunities. While both Indigenous women and men benefit from these aspects, they benefit in distinct ways. Indigenous women and other vulnerable populations are likely to benefit from increased social participation if they have access to safe community spaces. Through this program, ISC continues to contribute to service transfer and self-determination by working with Indigenous service providers to enable greater autonomy over how they deliver their services.

In 2021-22, ISC worked closely with key partners including the National Association of Friendship Centres, the Ontario Federation of Friendship Centers, Métis organizations across Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami:

• $40.3 million in funding was provided to these organizations to support their program funding for Inuit organizations;
• over 60 other urban Indigenous organizations received support for their organizational capacity and services for vulnerable populations including women and girls, seniors, persons with addictions and disabilities, and youth;
• 36 coalitions across Canada were developed to build partnerships with all levels of government, Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, and the philanthropic sector to support coordination and collaboration with a variety of agencies in order to streamline services and provide culturally safe spaces for Indigenous Peoples.

Funding from the infrastructure stream supported investments in projects in urban areas, and improved the capacity, safety, security and accessibility of facilities that offer urban programming. In 2021-22, as a result of the call for major infrastructure proposals under the infrastructure stream of Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples, 17 major and two minor infrastructure projects were approved for a total of $35.1 million.

Departmental Result 5: Indigenous students receive an inclusive and quality education

Every Indigenous child deserves the best start in life. Access to culturally relevant, high-quality, and inclusive elementary and secondary education provides a solid foundation for future success, as well as pride and confidence in cultural identity. It lays the foundation that supports Indigenous Peoples, families and communities to contribute to and fully benefit from the Canadian economy by accelerating socio-economic growth and reducing barriers to employment.

In 2021-22, over 500 First Nations that administered education programs on-reserves across the country were funded through the Elementary and Secondary Education Program, benefitting close to 109,000 First Nations students attending schools both on and off reserve.

There was an 11.82% increase over the last 3 years in the percentage of students attending First Nations administered schools who were taught at least one subject in a First Nations language (82% in 2019-20 to 91.69% in 2021-22).

In December 2021, the Minister was mandated to advance the priorities of Indigenous communities to reclaim full jurisdiction in the areas that matter to them, including education. ISC supports service transfer through Regional Education Agreements and is actively working with First Nations partners interested in developing agreements.

As of March 2022, eight regional education agreements have been concluded and signed to support approximately 17,000 students. Discussions are underway with over 60 First Nations and First Nations education organizations to advance education agreements across the country.

In 2021, First Nations developed the First Nations Post-Secondary Education Policy Proposal through the Assembly of First Nations to enable First Nations to implement their vision of post-secondary education in their community, territory, and/or region. Feedback was received for the First Nations-led engagement on regional post-secondary education models and the First Nations policy proposal is expected to contribute to co-developed program improvements that advance First Nations' goals and improve outcomes.

Building on the co-developed policy and funding approach implanted in 2019, Budget 2021 announced further investments of $1.7 billion over five years and $300 million ongoing which included:

• $112 million to extend COVID-19 support so children on reserve can continue to attend school safely, including personal protective equipment for students and staff, laptops to support online learning, and more teachers and other critical staff;
• $726 million over five years and $188 million ongoing to refine funding formulas in critical areas such as student transportation; provide predictable and stable funding; and increase First Nations control over First Nations education by concluding more Regional Education Agreements;
• $350 million over five years to expand access to adult education by supporting First Nations people on reserve and in the Yukon and Northwest Territories who wish to return to high school in their communities and complete their high school education;
• $515 million over five years and $112 million ongoing to support before and after school programming for First Nations children on reserve; and
• implementation of the Menstrual Product program which provided funding for menstrual products to be made freely available to all First Nations students on reserve.

Further investments were also announced to support Indigenous post-secondary students to complete their studies and ensure that Indigenous-led post-secondary institutions and community-based programming can provide online services and continue to implement health and safety measures:

• $150.6 million over two years to support Indigenous students through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, the University and College Entrance Preparation Program, and the Inuit and Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategies. This support aims to help offset lost income that many Indigenous students rely on to pay for tuition, books, housing, and other living expenses.
• $26.4 million through the Post-Secondary Partnerships Program and the Inuit and Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategies to support Indigenous post-secondary institutions and community-based programming during COVID-19.

The 2020 Fall Economic Statement also committed $80.1 million in additional funding for 2021-22 for the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy. From this additional program investment, a one-year pilot project was created between ISC's Income Assistance and First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy programs. ISC will continue working alongside First Nations partners to advance their control of First Nations elementary, secondary and post-secondary education.

Water and Wastewater

The 2021 Speech from the Throne stated that reconciliation requires a whole-of-government approach and to rethink how to accelerate our work, including eliminating all remaining long-term drinking water advisories. The commitment to taking action was further supported through the Minister's mandate in December 2021 which directed the elimination of all remaining long-term drinking water advisories on reserve and long-term investments to prevent future advisories.

In 2021-22, ISC worked in partnership with First Nations communities towards eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves. From April 2021 to March 2022, 25 long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves were lifted; 34 long-term drinking water advisories remained in effect in 29 communities.

Although COVID-19 restrictions caused supply chain delays and access issues, ISC continued to support continuity of water and wastewater services in First Nations communities throughout the pandemic, including continued work to lift additional drinking water advisories.

Budget 2021 provided $1.04 billion over two years, starting in 2022–23, for the First Nations Water and Wastewater Enhanced Program. This funding supports ongoing activities such as planning, procurement, construction, and commissioning of water and wastewater capital projects for new builds as well as system repairs and upgrades in First Nations communities. As of March 31, 2022, ISC invested more than $2.68 billion of targeted funds to support 950 water and wastewater projects, of which 464 (or 49%) are complete. These projects will benefit 586 communities serving approximately 466,000 people.

All water and wastewater assets have operations and maintenance formulas that are being funded at 100 per cent including considerations for remoteness and are scheduled for annual updates to account for factors that impact costs.

In December 2021, the Federal Court and the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba jointly approved an agreement to settle class action litigation related to safe drinking water in First Nations communities. As part of the settlement agreement, the Government of Canada committed to making all reasonable efforts to introduce legislation to repeal the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act by March 31, 2022, and to develop and introduce replacement legislation, in consultation with First Nations, by December 31, 2022. In March 2022, ISC led virtual engagement with key Indigenous groups and organizations on the proposed legislative repeal. Unanimous support was expressed by First Nations participants for the proposed repeal.

The department also signed a framework agreement with the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority to facilitate the transfer of responsibility for water and wastewater services.

Housing

Access to adequate housing is a key social determinant of health. The safety, suitability, quality, and location of dwellings impact the wellness of individuals and families that live there. These effects, which compound on a community-wide scale, impact the socioeconomic well-being of each community.

The Assembly of First Nations projected the 2021 on reserve infrastructure gap for housing alone to be about $43.7 billion, based on robust data collection project among First Nations on reserve. The Government's commitment to close the infrastructure gap by 2030 was supported through the Minister's mandate to make immediate and long-term investments to support ongoing work, with a particular focus on expediting investments in Indigenous housing.

Since 2016, over $1.24 billion has been invested to address immediate housing needs and advance First Nations' housing priorities on reserve. With funding support from ISC and Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation, as of December 31, 2021, First Nations initiated the construction, renovation and retrofitting of 25,102 homes on reserves, of which 17,432 (or 69%) have been completed.

Health Facilities

Investments in health facility infrastructure through expansion, renovation and/or new construction on reserve increase access to health care programs and services. Across all demographics, upgraded health facilities enable First Nations communities to provide enhanced health programs and services to its members, thus reducing the necessity for individuals to leave their community in search of care. Many First Nations communities suffer from disproportionately high rates of chronic disease, and other factors, such as overcrowding, can exacerbate the spread of diseases such as COVID-19. Investments in health facility infrastructure are crucial to mitigating against the effect of chronic disease and the pandemic.

ISC worked with communities to identify priorities and allocate funding announced in Budget 2021 to capital projects related to First Nations community infrastructure, midwifery, health professional accommodations, Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care, and health infrastructure operations and maintenance funding. This included 19 major capital projects for a total of $20.1 million. These supported the planning, design, and construction of First Nations health facilities in support of First Nations' community infrastructure. This included continued funding and implementation of the Social Infrastructure Fund, substance use treatment and prevention services, Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, and the Ventilation Improvement Initiative in relation to COVID-19 mitigation. In supporting pandemic response efforts in First Nations communities, ISC supported more than 426 COVID-19 Surge Health Infrastructure initiatives, including: funding the acquisition of more than 183 mobile structures, identifying more than 19 existing community spaces that could be upgraded, or re-tooled to provide additional protections to clients and staff, and more than 111 smaller building repairs, upgrades and small site servicing projects to create safe and operational spaces.

ISC's support of First Nations' health infrastructure was underscored through multiyear capital projects and high priority repairs. Since 2016, ISC has supported 221 investments in health support infrastructure, addictions treatment centres, and Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve sites. A total of 204 (or 92%) of these projects were completed by March 31, 2022. This included supporting the Norway House Cree Nation to construct a Health Centre of Excellence, which is expected to be substantially completed in January 2023.

ISC established agreements with the communities and works in collaboration with the province of Ontario to strengthen tri-lateral partnerships for the construction of Mercury Treatment Centres in two First Nations communities affected by mercury contamination – Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek (ANA) and Wabaseemoong First Nations (WIN). In 2021-22, the department made strides towards supporting both communities in the construction and governance of the community-led mercury treatment centres.

Additionally, a new water treatment plant will accompany the Mercury Care Home in ANA. In 2021-22, WIN began conducting their Community Health Assessment to inform the health services and supports that will be provided at the Mercury Treatment Centre. Upon the completion of ANA's Mercury Care Home and WIN's Mercury Wellness Centre, the department anticipates the socio-economic gaps caused by mercury-related needs will be reduced, allowing community members access to health services and supports for mercury-related needs. The provision of health services and programs in the mercury centres are expected to be managed by ANA and WIN respectively, aligning with the department's mandate to transfer programs and services to Indigenous partners.

Education Facilities

The pandemic emphasized the need for safe and enhanced infrastructure in schools. The Government of Canada committed to investing $2.34 billion until 2024-25 in First Nations School Facilities including $22.5 million to be delivered through ISC to improve ventilation in public buildings on reserves to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, a portion of which is reflected under School Facilities.

In 2021-22, ISC has improved educational facilities which benefit school-aged First Nations children by supporting the creation of quality learning environments that are safe and healthy, promoting better educational outcomes for students living on reserve. This can translate into future socio-economic benefits for these individuals as they enter the workforce. These investments include new constructions as well as additions, renovations and major repairs to existing schools in First Nations communities.

For example, the new Harvey Redsky Memorial School, completed in 2021-22, allows the kindergarten to grade 8 students of Shoal Lake No. 40 First Nation the opportunity to attend school in their own community. The building, which resembles an eagle in flight, was designed to be a vibrant and active community hub as well, with a large community kitchen and gymnasium.

Other examples of schools completed in 2021-22 include Mantou Sakahigan Kiskinamakewikamik in God's Lake First Nation and Manto Sipi Cree Nation School in Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Manitoba, Elsipogtog First Nation Community School in Elsipogtog, New Brunswick, and the Tus Tuk ee Skaws Junior and Senior High School in Frog Lake and Chief Aranazhi School in Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Alberta.

Since 2016 and as of March 31, 2022, the department has invested more than $1.53 billion of targeted funds excluding operating expenses to support 247 school-related infrastructure projects (169 are complete). These projects will result in the construction or renovation of 195 schools (135 are complete). These include the construction of 68 new schools, (42 are complete); and renovations or upgrades to 127 existing schools (93 are complete).

Other Community Infrastructure and Activities

Other Community Infrastructure is central to the development, protection, and connection of the buildings, services and people that make up a community. It connects people with basic services and ensures that infrastructure such as housing, schools, water treatment, health facilities and solid waste management facilities and programs can serve the community. In 2021-22, ISC continued to invest in Other Community Infrastructure in First Nations communities including energy systems, connectivity, fire protection, roads and bridges, structural mitigation against natural disasters, cultural and recreational facilities, band administrative buildings and planning and skills development. These investments play a key role in growing strong, sustainable community economies that suit the needs of First Nations communities. Since 2016 and as of March 31, 2022, ISC has invested more than $1.61 billion of targeted funds to support 2,489 Other Community Infrastructure projects, 1,668 (or 67%) of which are complete. These projects will benefit 611 communities, serving approximately 469,000 people, with the potential to positively impact service delivery in areas such as health and education. In addition, the department:

• Supported First Nations communities to plan and implement projects that reduce dependence on diesel-powered electricity on reserves, such as the construction of the Ahtaapq Creek Hydropower facility project to generate power for the Hesquiaht First Nations community in British Columbia. With the completion of this project, there are currently 37 remaining First Nations communities that rely on ISC-funded diesel for electricity generation.
• Worked in partnership with 16 remote First Nations communities in northern Ontario to connect them to the provincial electricity grid. This First Nations-led and owned Northern Ontario Grid Connection Project (also known as the Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project) will provide clean, safe and reliable energy that will positively impact the health and safety of community members and expand infrastructure and economic development opportunities for the communities involved.
• Supported Peerless Trout First Nation, Alberta, in the construction of two towers and facilities in order to expand cellular wireless mobility. Cellular mobility coverage will be available in the residential areas of Peerless Trout First Nation, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake, and on Highway 686.
• Supported the Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation and the province of Saskatchewan to build, the first of three phases for an all-season road that provides year-round access to Hatchet Lake and the provincial hamlet of Wollaston Lake. Currently, access to the community is by ice road in winter, provincial ferry (barge) in summer, and by air year-round.
• Supported the Kashechewan First Nation in northern Ontario to advance detailed relocation studies as well as interim infrastructure repairs in Kashechewan's current location, including community drainage upgrades. The community is situated 6.5 metres above the normal river level and is vulnerable to ice-jam flooding each spring when the ice breaks up, as well as to localized flooding due to poor drainage.
• Supported Bunibonibee Cree Nation in the construction of a new band office. The First Nation's band office was torn down six years ago, as its site was contaminated, and the community has had to share office space with its health office.
• Provided over $154 million to First Nations communities through the Response & Recovery funding stream, including 77 First Nations communities who were impacted by an unprecedented fire season with over 15,000 First Nations evacuees. Additional funds were provided to support the unprecedented flood events in 2021. ISC provided funding for 188 non-structural mitigation projects and 94 FireSmart projects. In addition, ISC worked with other departments, programs and partners to identify linkages and address gaps within emergency management planning and mitigation. The department also supported 92 emergency management coordinator notional positions for building capacity specifically through the Building-Capacity funding stream.

Gender-based analysis Plus

Work advanced under this pillar supports addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Call National Inquiry Call for Justice 4.1, which calls for governments to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have access to safe housing, clean drinking water and adequate food. It also contributes to Call to Justice 3.2 to provide funding for Indigenous-centered and community-based health and wellness services that are accessible and culturally appropriate, and meet the health and wellness needs of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Impacts of social determinants of health are intertwined with access to reliable and sustainable infrastructure in Indigenous communities. Increasing availability of high quality, suitable housing options supports improving well-being outcomes for all community members, especially sub-populations facing the greatest barriers, including women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people; people with disabilities and/or chronic health conditions; children; and elders. This was particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the lack of housing led to overcrowding in homes and made the spread of illness difficult to manage. For multi-generational households, this placed them more at risk to transmission due to the lack of ability to self-isolate. This had implications for increasing the risk of vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised, elders or young children living in overcrowded homes.

Insufficient access to adequate housing is a significant risk factor which puts Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people at a far higher risk for targeted physical, sexual and emotional violence, and domestic abuse. Lack of housing also increases these groups' risk of experiencing homelessness and exploitation, which contributes to the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis.

As housing gaps are addressed, the additional demand for water and wastewater infrastructure must be considered to support growth to avoid creating a further strain on already insufficient infrastructure. The lack of access to clean water will further exacerbate the issues and impact all community members living on reserve, regardless of age, income status, or gender.

Improving access to clean water has important positive impacts in the context of social determinants of health and closing gaps for sub-populations facing the greatest barriers including individuals with disproportionate caretaking responsibilities, often women and/or single parents; low-income households; people who are pregnant or have underlying health conditions; disabled people; elders; and children. Boiling water or transporting bottled water can add hours to simple caregiving tasks, such as bathing and other personal hygiene, cleaning, cooking, preparing infant formulas, and/or doing the laundry. Additionally, boiling water or transporting bottled water requires additional labour that can be especially challenging for children, elders and persons with disabilities. Furthermore, costs associated with boiling water or purchasing bottled water disproportionately impact low-income households. Labour and resources which can be redirected away from accessing clean water to other priorities may also advance well-being, such as by pursuing education or purchasing more nutritious food.

In 2021-22, ISC and its federal partners supported and engaged Indigenous organizations to collect data on vulnerable sub-populations to understand the barriers they face, identify program and service gaps, and co-develop solutions to address them. Positive impacts on the type of housing, housing conditions, and availability of housing for all community members are influenced by increased economic self-sufficiency, self-determination and a self-reliant economic base, and is supported by programming which improves housing conditions and ultimately transfers the control and management of housing services to First Nations.

The Health Facilities Program continued to enhance its pre-capital process, including increasing direct engagement with First Nations recipients on the expected outcomes associated with new health infrastructure projects, such as how improvements are expected to address current health service needs. This will allow the program and First Nations recipients to better identify potential GBA Plus considerations related to health infrastructure projects, and which relevant data could be collected by First Nations to track performance.

The department continues its work to diversify the working landscape in water operations through engagement work with First Nations women and youth. A call for proposals launched in the spring of 2022, to identify innovative projects for 2022-23 that build capacity of water and wastewater operators, included a focus specific to diversity and cultural considerations. The call sought to support initiatives to empower women and youth, integrate and promote traditional water teachings with water science, and further safe working environments for 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Work undertaken in collaboration with First Nations partners, as well as provinces and territories, to support effective response and recovery efforts following emergency events benefits impacted communities holistically by meeting immediate needs during an emergency event and promoting longer term recovery and resilience. These benefits are especially clear for sub-populations most at risk during emergency events, including women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, people with disabilities, children, and elders.

To the extent possible, ISC applies an intersectional, distinctions-based lens to evaluations. For example, in the case in the Indigenous Entrepreneurship and Business Development program evaluation, a distinctions-based lens was applied to the designing of the evaluation Technical Advisory Committees to ensure that representation on the committee reflects the diverse knowledge and experience of partners involved in the program.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

In 2021-22, ISC contributed to Canada's implementation of the 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):

SDG 4 – Quality education

As of March 31, 2022, ISC has invested more than $1.53 billion to support school related infrastructure projects. These projects will result in the construction or renovation of schools, benefitting approximately 34,000 students. These projects will also be beneficial because the investments aim to upgrade existing facilities to ensure they are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.

SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation

In 2021-22, ISC worked towards availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. ISC continued work with the Assembly of First Nations to advance First Nation-led engagement on safe drinking water legislation aligns with the SDG goal. As of March 31, 2022, ISC has invested more than $2.68 billion of targeted funds (excluding operating expenses) to support 950 water and wastewater projects, of which 464 (or 48%) are complete. These projects will benefit 586 communities serving approximately 466,000 people. First Nations, with support from Indigenous Services Canada, lifted 25 long-term drinking water advisories between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.

SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy:

ISC is supporting First Nations to transition from fossil fuel to clean, reliable and affordable energy systems through a combination of alternative energy projects featuring solar, hydroelectric, wind and others. Budget 2021 committed $36 million, over three years, starting in 2021-22, through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative to build capacity for local, economically sustainable clean energy projects in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. With this funding, the Strategic Partnerships Initiative has stood up clean energy initiatives in Atlantic, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia (renewal), as well as entered into a partnership with Indigenous Clean Energy social enterprise. This investment plays a complementary and enabling role in the advancement of Canada's Strengthened Climate Plan and Indigenous Climate Leadership agenda, specifically as it relates to the co-development and co-implementation of regional and community clean energy initiatives. ISC is also supporting communities to improve and optimize energy systems through upgrades and energy efficiency projects. As of March 31, 2022, $289.5 million has been invested to support 169 Energy Systems projects, 114 (or 67%) of which are complete. These projects will benefit 177 communities serving approximately 193,000 people.

SDG 8 – Decent work and economic growth:

In continuation of support to help Indigenous entrepreneurs, communities, and businesses recover from the impacts of COVID-19, starting in 2021-22 the budget announced $42 million over three years to expand the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program; $2.4 million to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada; and, $117 million to renew the Indigenous Community Business Fund.

SDG 9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure

ISC collaborates with other government department s affiliated with connectivity infrastructure projects and as of March 31, 2022, will have invested over $79.6 million of targeted funds to support 41 of these projects, 26 (or 63%) of which are complete. Connectivity projects will benefit 285 communities servicing approximately 297,000 people by working to provide increased internet speeds which will provide significant improvements in how First Nations participate in the modern digital economy, allow effective operation and maintenance of vital community education, and emergency and public safety services. Sustainable and reliable broadband connectivity is the key basic element for modernizing community-level health services delivery (especially virtual care tools) in First Nations communities. The better the connectivity, the better the quality and range of virtual care services available to communities. Increased speeds will provide significant improvements in how First Nations participate in the digital economy, allow for the effective operation and maintenance of vital community infrastructure, and enhance the delivery of important socio-economic services such as healthcare.

SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities:

ISC is supporting First Nations communities and organizations to build safe, inclusive housing through funding support for capacity and skills development among community residents, on-reserve housing professionals and service providers, and First Nations governance organizations, including Band and Council. Support is also provided for renovation, construction, lot servicing and development, as well as for innovation. Ensuring First Nations communities have culturally appropriate, supportive and transitional housing for elders, people fleeing violence and members of all ages returning to community from educational, health or custodial settings are all important facets of bridging the housing gap. ISC supports access to different types of housing along the continuum in communities, which increases chances for healing and rehabilitation while keeping families intact. The Other Community Infrastructure and Activities program provides funding to First Nations on reserves for infrastructure projects to improve resiliency and sustainability, such as planning and skills development, energy systems and structural mitigation, amongst others, which are tailored to the needs of the community, comparable to off reserve communities. Since 2016 and as of March 31, 2022, ISC has invested more than $1.13 billion of targeted funds to support 1,402 Other Community Infrastructure projects, 878 of which are complete.

SDG 13 – Climate action:

In 2021-22, the Emergency Management Assistance Program provided funding for 188 non-structural mitigation projects, 94 FireSmart projects, and for 92 emergency management coordinator notional positions. The Other Community Infrastructure and Activities program supports SDG 13 through target 13.1 by investing in infrastructure projects that modify hazards, including removing, reducing or eliminating them, segregating hazards by keeping them away from people and assets, and altering the design and construction of assets to make them resilient to potential hazards. Since 2016 and as of March 31, 2022, ISC has invested $121.1 million to support 102 Structural Mitigation projects, 58 (or 57%) of which are complete. These projects will benefit 106 communities serving approximately 116,000 people.

Gender-based analysis plus

Indigenous-led and defined priorities make programs and services more culturally competent and impactful, reducing negative barriers. Supporting distinctions-based self-determination results in positive impacts on inclusivity and the responsiveness of services. However, in the context of self-determination, ISC's reporting requirements for funding recipients are kept to a minimum for many programs which means GBA Plus-related data is not always available.

As part of the effort to transfer services to communities, flexible funding arrangements are promoted by the national and regional offices. These flexible funding arrangements have less stringent reporting requirements and offer a stable source of funds over a long period of time. The New Fiscal Relationship Grant helps to advance self-determination by moving toward sufficient, predictable and sustained funding for First Nations communities. The intention is to move away from contribution funding and program-based reporting for First Nations that have demonstrated sound governance and financial management. Under this model, First Nations members will assess adequacy of services and hold their leadership accountable for management of services. It will advance the priorities of Indigenous communities to reclaim full jurisdiction in the areas that matter to them and can be tailored to their unique needs, such as child and family services, education, and health care.

Indigenous Peoples self-report poorer health than non-Indigenous Canadians, and data shows that disease and co-morbidity burdens are higher among Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, there are also discrepancies in the health outcomes of Indigenous men, women, and gender-diverse people which are driven by both systemic gender and racial discrimination and how these factors impact the social determinants of health and shape individuals' experiences. For example, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found that interpersonal violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals impact health significantly, particularly the psychological impacts of violence. This can also result in many health issues including injuries, chronic pain, gastrointestinal issues, sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancies, and gynecological complications.

The First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia is responsible for the delivery of health programs and services for First Nations in British Columbia, and as a result Canada does not have service delivery responsibilities in the province or control over data collected. However, the First Nations Health Authority encourages advancement of general equality goals, including for women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals, through the administration of their health programs and services. This includes working towards disaggregated data collection that will provide a broader gender-based analysis lens.

The National Outcome-Based Framework, which is a key component of mutual accountability in the New Fiscal Relationship, will provide disaggregated information, including by gender and other factors, such as age, geography and income, on the socio-economic gaps between First Nations and non-Indigenous Canadians. The type and level of disaggregation will vary with each indicator included in the framework, depending on the availability of data. Reporting on the framework is anticipated to begin in 2023-24. As mentioned above, the development of First Nations, Inuit and Métis data strategies through the Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data will help ensure the availability of disaggregated, robust, culturally competent data to support the National Outcome-Based framework, as well as to support Indigenous Peoples to tell their own stories in the context of Canada's national statistical system.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

ISC contributed to Canada's 2021 Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals; it offered information on how its programmes and efforts - by providing support opportunities for service transfer, advance self-determination, co-develop programmes and agreements, close socio-economic gaps and achieve substantive equality - contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The department also provided relevant data and statistics in relation to Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

ISC contributed to SDG 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions through continued support of the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The department worked with Public Safety Canada to provide resources for professional accommodation for First Nations on reserve policing. It is also advanced the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act by ensuring that the departmental legislations are consistent with the UN Declaration, including in the context of its ongoing work related to the development of a new Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, in partnership with First Nations.

Result-based Innovation

Through the Strategic Policy and Partnership Fund, the department funded ten initiatives in 2021-22 to support Indigenous innovation efforts, that follow the principles of Indigenous-led design and solutions in areas of advancing the transfer of services to Indigenous-led organizations, and supporting Indigenous policy and evaluation capacities, such as self-governance capacity building, justice system legislation reviews, international Indigenous trade policy and networks development, intellectual property rights analyses; Indigenous youth employment preparation, and Indigenous evaluation capacity development.

ISC is increasingly emphasizing models of co-development and co-creation with Indigenous partners in all evaluation projects. In the short to medium term, this includes ways to integrate Indigenous evaluation expertise, knowledge, world views and/or Indigenous capacity development at key points in evaluations (planning, methodology, data collections, and development of findings and recommendations). In the long-term, the ultimate goal is to support the establishment of Indigenous evaluation functions outside of government.

In general, the evaluation innovation projects have the following objectives:

• to support Indigenous evaluators, research institutes, think tanks, and/or organizations to advance the implementation of ISC program evaluations with a focus on service transfer;
• to support Indigenous organizations to strengthen their capacity to implement program evaluations, enhance and coordinate Indigenous policy and evaluation networks, and organize the Indigenous policy and evaluation field (e.g., conferences, a center of excellence, etc.); and
• to partner with Indigenous evaluators, researchers, think tanks, and/or organizations to advance evaluations tools, guides, policies, strategies.

Key Risks

Many Indigenous communities have shared concerns about the lack of appropriate capacity and infrastructure to advance self-determined services for Indigenous Peoples. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the administrative and governance capacity of First Nations, as they focused on keeping their members safe and healthy. Thus, fewer First Nations were able to devote resources to advancing self-determination activities, such as applying for the New Fiscal Relationship Grant, reporting results information to ISC and participating in engagement activities. The department expects that as the pandemic recedes, First Nations will have greater capacity, but many will still need additional supports from the department.

As stated in the legislated mandate, the primary end goal of ISC is to transfer the control of services to Indigenous partners, organizations and communities. The overall readiness for the transfer of services between the department, Indigenous partners, organizations and communities, is a critical component in ensuring that the transfer is properly paced and leads to successful and sustainable outcomes. This is also tied to direction from the Treasury Board Secretariat to Deputy Heads which requires that departments test new approaches and measure impacts to instill a culture of measurement, evaluation and innovation in program and policy design and delivery.

Multi-year, stable and flexible funding to advance the transfer of services will improve outcomes as the current/past models have not achieved the progress hoped. However, the more transfer advances the less we will have flexibility to change policy/funding directions and the less we will access data directly without a partnership arrangement. This may constrain ISC's ability to support Indigenous partners in course-correcting on service delivery; a period of piloting and scaling up transfer could mitigate this risk.

Work is underway to better understand concepts and measurement frameworks to assess and track readiness and progress towards service transfer, including a literature review. In the meantime, ISC has integrated lines of enquiry on the state of program and service transfer to each evaluation to understand early learnings and best practices. Efforts will also be necessary to determine how best to measure how the department integrates the principles of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into its frameworks.