What is IFSD?
IFSD Advisors Ltd. (IFSD) is a research consulting firm hosted at the University of Ottawa that engages in applied research in public finance and its intersection with public administration, politics, and public policy. Led by Kevin Page, Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), IFSD undertakes its work in Canada at all levels of government as well as abroad.
What is the goal of the project?
IFSD Advisors Ltd. is contracted by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to develop a First Nations-specific funding model for Income Assistance (IA) Program based on First Nations recommendations.
The project will assess the IA Program, define First Nations-led practices, develop a data approach and performance framework, and estimate costs for First Nations-developed reforms.
Why should my First Nation participate?
- Real data and experiences make this work relevant.
- First Nations participation makes this work possible, applicable, and useful.
- First Nations can share their vision and propose a new approach for the IA Program.
How can my First Nation get involved?
IFSD is inviting First Nations to contribute to the work on IA in one or both of the following ways:
- Participate in a questionnaire on IA in your First Nation.
- Participants will be entered into a draw for a $500 gift card (10 gift cards will be raffled). Access the questionnaire online.
- Participate as one of 20 First Nation collaborators.
- The collaborator group will work alongside IFSD for roughly one year.
- IFSD will commit to preparing profiles of each collaborator’s approach to IA.
- If you are interested in collaborating with IFSD, kindly email Dr. Helaina Gaspard (helaina.gaspard@ifsd.ca).
Read more about the in-depth collaboration
IFSD will engage in the following activities with in-depth First Nation collaborators:
- Conduct a site visit to meet with IA administrators to discuss the community context, IA practices in the First Nation, data capture and management systems, etc.
- Convene one or more working sessions for collaborators to discuss desired outcomes, performance indicators, program priorities, etc. (date and location to be determined).
- Review the First Nation’s approach to IA (e.g., training, administration) and to data collection and management.
- Capture the First Nation’s priorities for reforms to the IA program.
- Review any quantitative data the First Nation can provide to inform livable income, relevant top-ups, and operating realities.
- Produce a profile of the First Nation’s approach to IA, with consideration of their distinct starting points, successes and challenges
Collaborators may be asked to gather relevant materials related to their finances and operations to assist with costing reforms to the IA program. This information will be handled consistent with the data management practices and privacy considerations described in this document. The information being requested will assist IFSD in building a comprehensive profile of the First Nation’s operations, resource requirements, and data considerations based on the community context.
Collaborators will be asked to review materials, e.g., best practices, livable income benchmarks, etc., prior to being disseminated or made public. IFSD will request the collaborator indicate if they wish to be named or remain anonymous in any dissemination of findings.
IFSD will provide a research collaboration agreement for review and signature to collaborators.
How will information shared by First Nations be managed?
IFSD follows OCAP® Principles. IFSD’s senior team have completed the Fundamentals of OCAP® training course.
Read more about IFSD’s approach to OCAP® Principles for this project.
For this project, IFSD will comply with OCAP® Principles in the following ways:
Ownership: First Nations data will be anonymized and aggregated in any reporting. First Nations will own their own information. There is no licensing of any information shared by First Nations.
Control: First Nations determine what information is shared, how, and when. Any First Nation sharing data, can withdraw their participation at any time, and any data shared will be destroyed. Upon completion of the project, IFSD would hold copies of the data for research accountability for a period of five years (the data cannot be used for any other purposes), after which time the data will be destroyed.
Access: IFSD anticipates feedback and review from the AFN and Technical Working Group on Social Developm (TWGSD) throughout the research process. For engagement with IA Program administrators in First Nations, IFSD will request their review and approval of any case studies or other materials developed with the information shared. Any First Nation sharing data, can withdraw their participation at any time, and any data shared will be destroyed. Upon completion of the project, IFSD would hold copies of the data for research accountability for a period of five years (the data cannot be used for any other purposes), after which time the data will be destroyed. IFSD stores all materials associated to the project on encrypted IFSD research laptops and in OneDrive (accessible via multi-factor authentication), with Canadian residency of all servers.
Possession: First Nations retain their own data. IFSD anticipates engagement exclusively with IA Program administrators and/or their staff in First Nations. Personal information is not part of the project. Only information from the level of the First Nation, including administration-focused data, and aggregate portraits of First Nations pre-employment, training, support, and other IA Program related needs will be the focus of this project.
All research collaborator data and analysis will be anonymized. First Nations serving as collaborators will be asked to review and approve any anonymized profiles, models, or tools built based on their First Nation prior to public dissemination.
All data shared by First Nations will be held on password protected cloud-storage system (OneDrive), which are resident in Canada. Data shared will be accessible only to IFSD staff directly engaged in the project.
Collaborators and participants can withdraw at any time. Any data shared with IFSD will be destroyed.
Visit the Research Ethics section for more information.
How will results be reported?
IFSD will share interim results on its website and directly with First Nations collaborators. Collaborating First Nations own and control their information throughout the project. The project is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.
How will this benefit my First Nation?
Good data from First Nations can be a powerful tool for analysis. That analysis can be used for activities like advocacy, decision-making, and cost estimates.
IFSD’s previous work in First Nations child and family services and Jordan’s Principle benefitted from strong case study collaborations and working group support. The result is an evidence base with quantitative data to define context complemented by qualitative data to give it meaning. Good information is a foundation for change.
The work is expected to:
- Develop regional portraits: This project will provide a clearer picture of how the Income Assistance (IA) program works across different regions.
- Strengthen advocacy: First Nations can use the findings from this work to advocate for IA Program reform.
- Be a foundation for gap analysis and costing: This project will identify gaps in the IA Program and estimate how much it would cost to address them.
More questions?
Get in touch: info@ifsd.ca