Author: Kinwa Bluesky, Senior Manager, Indigenous Initiatives at HELP

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, observed on September 30 alongside Orange Shirt Day, honours the children who never returned home, Residential School and Day School Survivors, their families, and communities. This history carries an enduring responsibility for institutions to act with accountability in the process of reconciliation. Since 2003, the Aboriginal Steering Committee has guided the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) in understanding Indigenous children’s health and well-being in the context of colonial history and the legacy of Residential Schools.

The Child Development Monitoring System now carries 83,772 responses from Indigenous children and youth across the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ), the Early Development Instrument (EDI), the Middle Years Development Instrument (MDI), and the Youth Development Instrument (YDI). These tools enable First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and youth to identify themselves in relation to their First Nations, Inuit regions and connections to Inuit Nunangat, Métis Nation Homelands, and Indigenous languages. These distinctions-based demographic data contribute to a fuller understanding of their development, health, well-being, experiences, and environments.

The Youth Development Instrument (YDI) is led by the Capturing Health and Resilience Trajectories (CHART) Lab at Simon Fraser University, working with HELP and the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Meaningful Access to Indigenous Children’s Data

Over three years, the Aboriginal Steering Committee guided the development of six Indigenous data sovereignty principles. These principles support ongoing efforts to strengthen ethical governance, cultural safety, relational accountability, and meaningful access to Indigenous children’s data. The six principles offer a foundation for HELP’s continuing work with Indigenous children’s data. They invite practices grounded in relationship, clear language, recognition of strengths, thoughtful stewardship, accountable purpose, and consent practices shaped through relational approaches.

“We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health in Canada is a direct result of previous Canadian government policies, including residential schools, and to recognize and implement the health-care rights of Aboriginal people as identified in international law, constitutional law, and under the Treaties”
TRC Call to Action 18

Data Sovereignty Principles in Action

HELP celebrates the launch of the South Island Indigenous Authority’s Blanketing Our Children, in collaboration with the BC First Nations Regional Information Governance Centre (BC RIGC). This First Nations-led demonstration project brings Indigenous Governing Bodies together around a data standard that supports their decision-making in relation to information about their children and communities.

Learn about Blanketing Our Children

“The South Island Indigenous Authority is an Indigenous Governing Body operating on southern Vancouver Island. We represent our Member Nations as we work toward reasserting our jurisdiction and managing our supports for children and families in our traditional territories.”
South Island Indigenous Authority

The BC RIGC is a First Nations-led organization providing free expert services to First Nations in support of their data needs. Their newsletter carries news of that work, and readers are welcome to subscribe through the BC RIGC website.

Learn about the BC RIGC

Inuit leadership in British Columbia is advancing distinct approaches to data governance. The Inuit Collective Society of BCmiut grounds its work in Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and Inuit priorities, strengthening pathways shaped by Inuit knowledge, relationships, and responsibilities.

Learn about Inuit data governance in British Columbia

“We’re here! Inuit living in BC. BCmiut is working with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer to ensure Inuit children and youth are visible in the refreshed ‘Is “Good,” Good Enough?’ report and that their experiences, strengths, and sense of belonging are reflected in provincial reporting on child and youth well-being. This work is made possible through the use of data from the CHEQ, the EDI, and the MDI, provided through HELP.”
Inuit Collective Society of BCmiut

Métis Nation British Columbia has advanced Métis-led public-health information through the Métis Public Health Surveillance Program, developed in partnership with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Ministry of Health. This program brings Métis data-governance standards and self-determination into a long-term approach to monitoring and reporting on the health and wellness of Métis citizens in British Columbia. The partnership’s Taanishi Kiiya? Miiyayow Métis Saantii Pi Miyooayaan Didaan BC baseline report established health and wellness priorities and targets for the coming decade.

Learn about Métis Nation British Columbia’s health work

Across British Columbia, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples are advancing distinct pathways, each grounded in enduring responsibilities to children, families, communities, and future generations. Together, these efforts show how reconciliation is carried forward through relationships, governance, and sustained action.

About the author

Kinwa Bluesky is Senior Manager, Indigenous Initiatives at HELP and a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program at the University of British Columbia. As a First Nations Information Governance Centre Mitacs Accelerate Fellow, Kinwa researches Indigenous data sovereignty and responsible artificial intelligence through relational, Grandmother-centred approaches to data governance.