First Nations Involvement in Health Policy Decision-Making: The Paradox of Meaningful Involvement

Indigenous people have been routinely excluded from health policy decision-making despite repeated calls to be meaningfully involved, and health inequities are persistent and increasing. This exploratory qualitative research investigates: what constitutes, and what can foster, meaningful involvement in the contemporary health policy climate?

A critical analysis of the perspectives of First Nations health policy leaders (N=20) revealed that meaningful involvement requires attuning to the power dynamics inherent in policymaking and transforming the policy system itself. Based on the analysis, a new framework for meaningful involvement is offered. This presentation concludes with a discussion on the implications of these findings and recommendations for meaningfully involving urban First Nations people in health policy decision-making in BC and beyond.

Alycia Fridkin recently completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at UBC in the area of First Nations health policy. She holds a Masters in Health Science in public health from the University of Toronto, and her interests include addressing health inequities through critical approaches to policy. Alycia is a White colonial settler who is delighted to be part of the San'yasIndigenous Cultural Safety team at the Provincial Health Services Authority of BC.