Engagement on Indigenous Perspectives on Medical Assistance in Dying

On behalf of Health Canada, Mahihkan Management is pleased to be hosting a series of dialogue sessions across Canada with Indigenous Peoples on medical assistance in dying (MAID). The goal of this engagement is to create a space to hear the unique and diverse views and perspectives of First Nations, Inuit and Métis on end-of-life care and MAID.

More information about the various activities supporting engagement with Indigenous Peoples on the topic of MAID can be found in a backgrounder found here. The knowledge and learnings shared in this and other federal engagement activities with Indigenous Peoples will help to shape evolving federal policy on MAID. They will also inform a What We Heard report that will highlight Indigenous perspectives, recommendations and reflections on MAID, to be completed in 2025.

Who Should Attend?

Health Canada recognizes the value of hearing from a diverse range of Indigenous voices and perspectives. It is vital to the success of the engagement process to meet and receive feedback from First Nations (with or without status living on or off reserve), Inuit (living within or outside of Inuit Nunangat) and Métis citizens across Canada. This includes Indigenous Peoples who are:

• Community Members
• Students and Youth
• Persons Living with Disabilities
• Persons with Life-Limiting Illnesses
• Health and Wellness Professionals
• Academics, Legal and Ethical Experts
• Traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders
• Community Health Leaders
• People with Lived and Living Experience and their families
• People living in Urban, Rural and Remote Areas
• Women, Two-Spirit, LGBTQQIA+ and Gender-Diverse People

Dialogue sessions

A series of dialogues sessions will be held in both virtual and in-person/hybrid formats between February 2024 and April 2024. Some sessions will be open to all Indigenous People in Canada and some will be distinctions-based. Sessions will be limited to groups of up to 30 individuals. Sessions will be 2.5 hours long and the virtual sessions will be held by Zoom.

We recognize that conversations on end-of-life and dying may be sensitive, triggering or difficult to deal with emotionally. An Indigenous facilitator and trauma counsellor will be present to enable a culturally safer and respectful environment.

Session Dates and Times

For a full list of dialogue sessions, dates and locations, and for instructions on how to register, please visit our website here.

Privacy

Any personal information you provide to Health Canada upon registration, and during the dialogue sessions will be collected by Mahihkan Management Solutions Inc. on behalf of Health Canada’s Indigenous End-of-Life Care Policy team, under Section 4 of the Department of Health Act and handled in accordance with the Privacy Act.

In line with Indigenous data sovereignty principles, such as the First Nations principles of OCAP®, the Manitoba Métis principles of OCAS , and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, all participants will be invited to attend virtual report back/wrap up sessions in May 2024 to validate and help interpret the information heard. Information shared by participants will be protected in accordance with privacy legislation and will be used for the purposes of creating a What We Heard report to inform MAID policy. Further, we will continue to work with interested National and Regional Indigenous Organizations and Governments in the interpretation of all data collected and the building of the What We Heard report.

Attendance Support

We recognize that you may currently be receiving multiple requests to consult and cooperate on numerous federal and provincial projects across a wide range of issues, and that you may need to prioritize which you choose to participate in. Although we are aware that we will not be able to completely alleviate this strain, Mahihkan will assist with participant funding.

• Participant Funding

In appreciation of participants’ time and contributions, we are offering an honoraria of $100 per participant who attends on their own time(virtual or in-person).

Other Ways to Provide Feedback

An alternative way to provide feedback is through the Health Canada online engagement tool on Indigenous Perspectives on MAID. Click here to access the online engagement tool, which will remain open until June 30, 2024. Information collected from this tool will also feed into the What We Heard report in 2025.

Questions?

Please contact us via email at events05@vgnresources.ca.

Mahihkan Management is pleased to be supporting Health Canada with event management and facilitation services for this upcoming engagement process.

We look forward to hearing your perspectives on medical assistance in dying (MAID).