Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A Canadian research project working with First Nations communities aligns its data practices with guidance from FNIGC.
- Is an instance
A federal funder references FNIGC and OCAP when articulating expectations for projects involving First Nations data.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
A government data centre without First Nations governance is not FNIGC.
- Not an instance
A research project that uses First Nations data without engagement with FNIGC-aligned principles is not, in itself, an expression of FNIGC's mission.
Editorial commentary
The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) is a First Nations-led, incorporated non-profit organisation in Canada, established April 22, 2010, following a 2009 mandate from the Assembly of First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly. It grew out of the National Steering Committee of the First Nations and Inuit Regional Longitudinal Health Survey (est. 1998), which evolved into the First Nations Information Governance Committee and then into FNIGC. FNIGC is the steward and registered-trademark holder of the OCAP® Principles (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession).
What FNIGC does
FNIGC conducts the First Nations Regional Health Survey (RHS) and related national data on a First Nations-governed basis; operates the First Nations Data Centre, through which institutions request access to survey data under First Nations-controlled conditions; runs the Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative; publishes the First Nations Data Governance Strategy; delivers OCAP® training, including the Fundamentals of OCAP® course with Algonquin College Corporate Training; and administers the FNIGC National Student Bursary.
Scope: First Nations specifically
FNIGC’s mandate is First Nations in Canada specifically — distinct from bodies with a broader or differently scoped remit: the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) operates internationally and authored the CARE Principles; Te Mana Raraunga represents Māori data sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand; Maiam nayri Wingara represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data sovereignty in Australia. Don’t treat FNIGC guidance as applicable to Indigenous data governance generally, or substitute it for engagement with the specific community or governance body a project actually involves.
What this means for research administration
A Canadian project collecting, accessing, or reusing First Nations data should engage FNIGC or the relevant First Nation directly before finalising a data management plan — OCAP® compliance and RHS/First Nations Data Centre requests run through FNIGC-defined processes, not a standard institutional REB pathway alone. Funders and repositories citing OCAP® in policy language should link to FNIGC as source and trademark holder rather than paraphrasing the principles as generic Indigenous data ethics.
References
- First Nations Information Governance Centre, fnigc.ca.
- First Nations Information Governance Centre, "The First Nations Principles of OCAP®," fnigc.ca/ocap-training.
Also known as
FNIGC
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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