Interim Service Standards for Culturally-Relevant Emergency Management Services

<!DOCTYPE html>   <html class="no-js" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8">  <title>Interim Service Standards for Culturally-Relevant Emergency Management Services </title> <meta content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1" name="viewport">   <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-NLBMCJ3');</script>    <meta name="dcterms.creator" content="Government of Canada; Indigenous Services Canada"> <meta name="dcterms.issued" title="W3CDTF" content="2024-10-09"> <meta name="dcterms.modified" title="W3CDTF" content="2024-10-18"> <meta name="description" content="The document provides guidelines on culturally-relevant emergency management services for use by organizations and partners funded by Indigenous Services Canada to provide emergency management services through the Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP)."> <meta name="dcterms.description" content="The document provides guidelines on culturally-relevant emergency management services for use by organizations and partners funded by Indigenous Services Canada to provide emergency management services through the Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP)."> <meta name="dcterms.language" title="ISO639-2" content="eng"> <meta name="dcterms.subject" title="gcinac" content="Aboriginal culture; 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</script> <main role="main" property="mainContentOfPage" class="container"> <h1 property="name" id="wb-cont">Interim Service Standards for Culturally-Relevant Emergency Management Services</h1> <p>Indigenous Services Canada's Emergency Management Assistance Program<br> Version date: July 31, 2024</p> <section class="panel panel-default"> <header class="panel-heading"> <h2 class="panel-title">Table of contents</h2> </header> <div class="panel-body"> <ol> <li><a href="#cp1" rel="bookmark"> Purpose</a></li> <li><a href="#cp2" rel="bookmark">Context</a></li> <li><a href="#cp3" rel="bookmark">Expectations</a></li> <li><a href="#cp4" rel="bookmark">Definitions </a> </li> <li><a href="#cp5" rel="bookmark">Guidelines</a></li> </ol> </div> </section> <section> <h2 id="cp1">1. Purpose </h2> <p>The document provides guidelines on culturally-relevant emergency management services for use by organizations and partners funded by Indigenous Services Canada to provide emergency management services through the Emergency Management Assistance Program (EMAP), including:</p> <ul> <li>First Nations communities, Tribal Councils and organizations;</li> <li>Provinces and Territories; and </li> <li>Third-party emergency management service providers. </li> </ul> <p>These guidelines are intended to help ensure that emergency services meet the needs of First Nations, that they are culturally-relevant, and that they address the needs of those facing greater barriers. </p> </section> <section> <h2 id="cp2">2. Context</h2> <p>As outlined in the <a href="/eng/1324572607784/1535123607689#cp4.4.2">Indigenous Services Canada National On-reserve All Hazards Emergency Management Plan</a>, through the Emergency Management Assistance Program, the department provides funding to First Nations communities and other eligible recipients so they can build resiliency, prepare for, and respond to natural hazards. </p> <p>For more information about the Emergency Management Assistance Program, please visit: <a href="/eng/1534954090122/1535120506707">Emergency Management Assistance Program</a></p> <p>ISC roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: </p> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li> ensuring First Nations have the assistance they need to prepare for and respond to an emergency event</li> <li>maintaining regular contact with provincial and territorial service providers, as well as First Nations communities <ul> <li>during an emergency event, ISC officials remain in contact with the First Nations until the emergency event has been thoroughly assessed</li> </ul> </li> <li>providing advice and support during an emergency event on EMAP eligibility and authority, as requested by the affected First Nations and province or territory</li> <li>after an emergency event <ul> <li> ISC officials process EMAP claims and, through EMAP, reimburse service delivery partners for eligible costs associated with emergency response and recovery</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>In order to ensure the delivery of culturally-relevant services, ISC supports the inclusion of First Nations at provincial tables by facilitating their participation in provincial coordination centres' planning, response, and after-action reviews, and by working with service providers to coordinate and complete their own After Action Reports.</p> <p>In November 2022, the Auditor General of Canada recommended that ISC should, in collaboration with First Nations, provincial governments and other service providers, ensure that First Nations communities receive the emergency management services they need by monitoring the EMAP-eligible services to ensure they are comparable to services provided to non-Indigenous communities, culturally appropriate and address the needs of marginalized groups. In addition, the Auditor General of Canada recommended that ISC identify and address shortcomings by monitoring emergency management service agreements and conducting lessons-learned exercises.</p> <p>Based on recommendations from regional offices and First Nations partners, ISC will address comparability to non-Indigenous communities by supporting First Nations to develop their own emergency management service standards, which will be integrated into future multilateral emergency management service agreements. Multilateral emergency service agreements provide an opportunity for First Nations to formalize their own emergency management service standards that are regionally specific, reflect realities of their socio-economic circumstances, are culturally appropriate, and address the needs of those facing greater barriers. The guidelines outlined in this document are intended to help ensure that emergency services are more culturally appropriate and better address the needs of those facing greater barriers until the finalization of multilateral agreements, which will take several years to negotiate and finalize.</p> <p>These Interim Service Standards and the associated <a href="/eng/1728497258463/1728497289528">After Action Report Guidelines and Template</a> were developed in collaboration with a steering committee made up of 12 First Nations emergency management practitioners through consultation with ISC regional offices, and with the support of documents published by the Native Women's Association of Canada <sup id="fn1-rf"><a class="fn-lnk" href="#fn1"><span class="wb-inv">Footnote </span>1</a></sup>.</p> <p>The guidance was developed in alignment with the <a href="https://www.undrr.org/publication/sendai-framework-disaster-risk-reduction-2015-2030" rel="external">United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction's Guiding Principles</a>, section 19(d):</p> <div class="mrgn-tp-lg"> <blockquote> <p class="mrgn-lft-lg">"Disaster risk reduction requires an all-of-society engagement and partnership. It also requires empowerment and inclusive, accessible and non discriminatory participation, paying special attention to people disproportionately affected by disasters, especially the poorest. A gender, age, disability and cultural perspective should be integrated in all policies and practices, and women and youth leadership should be promoted." </p> </blockquote> </div> <p>Finally, this guidance also aligns with the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf" rel="external">United Nation's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (PDF)</a> (UNDRIP's) principle of non-discrimination and seeks to advance the department's commitment to the implementation of the declaration and <a href="https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/bill/C-15/first-reading" rel="external">Canada's Bill C-15</a> which outlines the government's action plan to: </p> <div class="mrgn-tp-lg"> <blockquote> <p class="mrgn-lft-lg">"address injustices, combat prejudice and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination, including systemic discrimination, against Indigenous peoples and Indigenous elders, youth, children, women, men, persons with disabilities and gender-diverse persons and two-spirit persons." </p> </blockquote> </div> </section> <section> <h2 id="cp3">3. Expectations</h2> <p>Only First Nations can define what culturally-relevant services look like based on their specific cultural and historical contexts. The guidelines were developed from a national perspective.</p> <p>This guidance is not intended to replace First Nations-led service standards for cultural relevancy where they already exist, but to provide broad guidance and considerations for organizations that need a place to start. Organizations are encouraged to supplement this document with any relevant First Nations-led and specific resources. ISC will develop an annual report that analyzes the overall trends from After Actions Reports to be shared with contributing service providers, First Nations and Government of Canada staff in order to enable briefing on program strengths and weaknesses, and support continual program improvement. </p> </section> <section> <h2 id="cp4">4. Definitions</h2> <p>While there is no one clear definition of culturally-relevant services, consider the following aspects that impact service delivery: </p> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Culturally relevant emergency services will consider the historical and current issues by First Nations peoples affected by the emergency, including the legacy and continuation of colonial practices and intergenerational trauma that have led to difference exposure, impacts and capacity to respond to and recover from emergencies.</li> <li>Culturally relevant services take into account various intersectional lived experiences and considers the social, political and historical contexts.</li> <li>Culturally relevant services minimize the potential for harm and power difference.</li> <li>Culture is an evolving entity and culturally relevant services require a commitment from institutions and individuals delivering services to remain open and flexible to new ways of doing things.</li> </ul> </section> <section> <h2 id="cp5">5. Guidelines</h2> <p>Emergency management service providers should consider the following factors and engage First Nations, where relevant, when evaluating its operations:</p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12 mrgn-bttm-md"> <button type="button" class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"selector": "#toggle1, #toggle2, #toggle3", "group": ".grouped1", "type": "on"}'>Expand all</button> <button type="button" class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"group": ".grouped1", "type": "off"}'>Collapse all</button> </div> </div> <details id="toggle1" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>a. Centering Indigenous knowledge systems</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Have you engaged with the community to which you are providing services? For instance, have you engaged any local Indigenous organizations and knowledge holders to provide guidance or input?</li> <li>How has community guidance been incorporated? How have you compensated the community for their contributions?</li> </ul> </details> <details id="toggle2" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>b. Impacts of colonization</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>How will services account for the impacts of colonization? (Consider, for instance, the experiences of survivors of residential schools, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and the Sixties Scoop)</li> <li>Have you considered how trauma may impact someone's ability to access services? How do services address trauma from colonization?</li> <li>How do services promote safety, reduce and prevent harm?</li> </ul> </details> <details id="toggle3" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>c. Supporting inclusive and equitable services</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Who within communities has been historically disempowered or oppressed by influential and discriminatory groups? Who has been excluded from decision-making, public institutions and basic services?</li> <li>Who within communities has been left out by services provided? Why? Is there any way you could better incorporate them?</li> <li>How do services promote safety, reduce and prevent harm?</li> <li>What barriers or challenges may be facing some groups within communities, but not others? How can these barriers be mitigated to support equitable and inclusive emergency response?</li> <li>Which sub-groups in the community have unique needs? This may include, but is not limited to: <ul> <li>people living in poverty</li> <li>people with physical disabilities and/or chronic health conditions</li> <li>people with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders </li> <li>women, two-spirit, trans, or gender non-conforming people</li> <li>lesbian, gay, bisexual people</li> <li>children, youth and seniors</li> </ul> </li> <li>How are delivered services accounting for the needs of marginalized sub-groups?</li> </ul> </details> <p>These considerations will shape how emergency services are provided. At a minimum service providers should consider the following when evaluating how services can be most appropriately delivered to communities: </p> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12 mrgn-bttm-md"> <button type="button" class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"selector": "#toggle4, #toggle5, #toggle6, #toggle7", "group": ".grouped2", "type": "on"}'>Expand all</button> <button type="button" class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"group": ".grouped2", "type": "off"}'>Collapse all</button> </div> </div> <details id="toggle4" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>a. Staffing</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Are First Nations contractors and vendors used wherever possible?</li> <li>Are community members hired as support staff at host site wherever possible?</li> <li>Do personnel have adequate First Nations cultural awareness and sensitivity training? For example, leveraging First Nation directories of existing, publicly available trainings (for example, <a href="https://education.afn.ca/afntoolkit/learning-modules/" rel="external"><cite>It's Our Time Education Toolkit</cite></a> from the Assembly of First Nations).</li> <li>Are personnel aware of and respectful of Elder protocol?</li> </ul> </details> <details id="toggle5" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>b. Location / amenities</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>If relevant, is the host site for an evacuation in an Indigenous community?</li> <li>Have you consulted with community to ensure location isn't triggering for residential school survivors (for example, some communities may wish to avoid evacuating to a school setting)? Which host sites would a community prefer? </li> <li>Are facilities accessible and account for the needs of people with disabilities?</li> <li>Do facilities ensure the privacy and personal safety and security of evacuees?</li> <li>Are spaces provided for ceremonial and spiritual practices?</li> <li>Are bathrooms gender-inclusive, accessible and meet the needs of women, gender-diverse people and children (for example, changing tables, menstrual hygiene)?</li> </ul> </details> <details id="toggle6" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>c. Language of services</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Are key signage and documents provided in local languages or accessible plain language?</li> <li>Are there staff available to communicate key message and translate as required?</li> </ul> </details> <details id="toggle7" class="grouped mrgn-bttm-md"> <summary class="wb-toggle" data-toggle='{"print": "on"}'><b>d. Food and other essentials</b></summary> <ul class="lst-spcd"> <li>Is food provided nutritious and culturally relevant? How are specific dietary needs considered (for example, diabetes and allergies)? Can traditional food be provided? Are provisions required for infants and children (for example, diapers, wipes, formula)?</li> <li>How is the continuation of medical care ensured?</li> <li>Are there provisions necessary for ceremonial and spiritual practices?</li> <li>Are considerations and strategies in place to ensure family reunification and to prevent child welfare cases?</li> </ul> </details> </section> <aside class="wb-fnote" role="note"> <h2 id="fn">Footnotes</h2> <dl> <dt>Footnote 1</dt> <dd id="fn1"> <p><a href="https://www.nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/A-Culturally-Relevant-Gender-Based-Analysis.pdf" rel="external">A Culturally Relevant Gender-Based Analysis (CRGBA) Starter Kit: Introduction, Incorporation, and Illustrations of Use (PDF)</a></p> <p><a href="https://nwac.ca/assets-knowledge-centre/CRGBA_Framework_Roadmap_May11_2022-1_2023-02-21-141640_tiaz.pdf" rel="external">Culturally Relevant Gender-Based Analysis: A Roadmap for Policy Development (PDF)</a></p> <p class="fn-rtn"><a href="#fn1-rf"><span class="wb-inv">Return to footnote </span>1<span class="wb-inv"> referrer</span></a></p> </dd> </dl> </aside>  <div class="row row-no-gutters mrgn-tp-xl"> <div class="col-sm-7 col-lg-6"> <section class="gc-pg-hlpfl provisional"> <div class="well mrgn-bttm-0"> <form id="gc-pg-hlpfl-frm" action="#" method="post" autocomplete="off"> <input type="hidden" name="institutionopt" value="Institution acronym - required - must use same value EN and FR"> <input type="hidden" name="themeopt" value="Indigenous peoples"> <input type="hidden" name="language" value="Language - required - use EN or FR"> <input type="hidden" name="pageTitle" value="Page title EN - required"> <input type="hidden" name="submissionPage" value="Page URL - required"> <input type="hidden" name="sectionopt" value=""> <input type="hidden" id="helpful" name="helpful" value="Yes"> <div class="gc-pg-hlpfl-btn"> <div class="row row-no-gutters"> <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-7 mrgn-tp-sm"> <h2 class="mrgn-tp-sm h5">Did you find what you were looking for?</h2> </div> <div class="col-xs-8 col-sm-5 text-right"> <button id="btnyes" type="submit" value="Yes" class="btn btn-primary">Yes</button> <button id="btnno" type="button" class="btn btn-primary mrgn-lft-sm nojs-hide">No</button> </div> </div> </div> <p class="h3 hidden nojs-show">If not, tell us why:</p> <div class="gc-pg-hlpfl-no nojs-show"> <fieldset> <legend class="h4 mrgn-tp-0 mrgn-bttm-md">What was wrong?</legend> <div class="radio"> <label for="problem1"> <input name="problem" id="problem1" type="radio" value="I can't find the information" data-gc-analytics-wtph-value="I can't find the information-Je ne peux pas trouver l'information" data-gc-analytics-collect="notPrivate"> I can't <strong>find</strong> the information </label> </div> <div class="radio"> <label for="problem2"> <input name="problem" id="problem2" type="radio" value="The information is hard to understand" data-gc-analytics-wtph-value="The information is hard to understand-L'information est difficile 脿 comprendre" data-gc-analytics-collect="notPrivate"> The information is hard to <strong>understand</strong> </label> </div> <div class="radio"> <label for="problem3"> <input name="problem" id="problem3" type="radio" value="There was an error / something didn't work" data-gc-analytics-wtph-value="There was an error or something didn't work-Il y avait une erreur ou quelque chose ne fonctionnait pas" data-gc-analytics-collect="notPrivate"> There was an error or something <strong>didn't work</strong> </label> </div> <div class="radio"> <label for="problem4"> <input name="problem" id="problem4" type="radio" value="Other reason" data-gc-analytics-wtph-value="Other reason-Autre raison" data-gc-analytics-collect="notPrivate"> Other reason </label> </div> </fieldset> <label for="problem6" class="mrgn-bttm-0">Please provide more details</label> <p class="small"> <strong>You will not receive a reply. 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Interim Service Standards for Culturally-Relevant Emergency Management Services