The CIHR Guidelines for Health Research Involving Aboriginal People were recently presented to the CIHR Governing Council and have been unanimously approved. These guidelines offer the kind of safeguards that have long been missing for Aboriginal people participating in research. The ultimate result is the development of health research ethics guidelines that respond to the pressing needs of the Aboriginal community and the Aboriginal Capacity and Developmental Research Environment (ACADRE) centres, and help CIHR and its Institute of Aboriginal Peoples Health meet its fundamental obligation of accountability to Canadians. The resulting ethics guidelines for health research will contribute to the work of the Tri-Council National Consortium to revise section 6 of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, which addresses research involving Aboriginal people.
In 2004, CIHR initiated a project to develop Aboriginal specific health research guidelines to ensure adequate protections for Aboriginal research participants. CIHR's Aboriginal Ethics Working Group (AEWG) was established in March 2004 as part of this broad national endeavour. The AEWG is representative of Aboriginal interests and disciplines necessary to provide advice and support for the development of ethics guidelines for health research. The AEWG met over the course of 2004 for in-depth analysis and deliberation of Aboriginal and research issues. A series of background papers were commissioned to inform the deliberations of the AEWG. The drafting of research ethics guidelines occurred over the winter of 2004 and early spring of 2005.
A comprehensive nation-wide strategy for consultation with Aboriginal communities, researchers and institutions was built on the CIHR-IAPH National ACADRE Network. These broad consultations and vetting within the Aboriginal and research communities were initiated in April 2005 and occurred over the spring and the summer. Several consultations took place, at various stages, and Aboriginal communities were involved from the beginning and had opportunities to comment on several drafts. The ACADRE centres played an essential role in ensuring consultation with the Aboriginal communities from the start. They also enabled wider consultation with the research communities. The National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) collected comments from such communities. Input was sought from the Federal Government throughout the whole process. Feedback from the consultations formed the basis for revisions to the guidelines. Both Health Canada and Justice Canada endorsed the Guidelines in their final form.
The Guidelines are designed to be a collaborative tool for researchers, Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal individuals. The Guidelines provide the type of guidance that is needed for researchers who are eager to work with Aboriginal communities. The Guidelines are now becoming policy for CIHR-funded researchers. As suggested by the CIHR Standing Committee on Ethics, the Guidelines will be evaluated at least once every four years. These guidelines will promote health through research that is in keeping with Aboriginal values and traditions, as well as assist in developing research partnerships that will facilitate and encourage mutually beneficial and culturally competent research.
