Overview & Background
Indigenous Program Review in Brief
Between May 2017 and May 2019, the Institute reviewed the programs at Fisheries and Oceans Canada which support Indigenous involvement in commercial fishing and aquaculture operations and the collaborative management of fisheries, aquatic resources, oceans, and habitat.
Five programs were reviewed:
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Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy (AFS)
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Aboriginal Fishery Guardian Program (AFG)
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Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management Program (AAROM)
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Atlantic Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (AICFI)
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Pacific Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (PICFI)
We also engaged eligible participants in the development of a new Northern Integrated Commercial Fisheries Initiative (NICFI).
Indigenous Program Review Background
Indigenous Program Review was a technical examination of the function and evolution of each program to see what might need to change or be improved in order to maximize the benefits to Indigenous Peoples and communities across Canada.
The Institute began this review by examining evaluations, audits, proposals and practises internal to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well as program-related external reports. We also looked at other federal government programs with interconnected objectives or agendas. This part of our work was called a ‘desktop review.’
Based on the desktop review, we identified and discussed some common themes and issues, including with the national and regional officials at DFO who are responsible for administering these programs.
Then, we began to engage Indigenous people in a number of ways.
First, we prepared discussion papers with questions for groups and individuals to consider answering. Each paper described the program under review, a summary of desktop review findings, the results of our discussions, and the input of departmental officials.
Second, we met face-to-face with Indigenous communities and groups across Canada in program-specific workshops and other engagement sessions. This includes across Canada’s North.
Third, we kept multiple channels of communication open for people to feel welcome to share their views and to be able to ask questions. This includes social media (Facebook and Twitter), email, telephone and postal mail.
