Assembly of First Nations

Purpose

This 26-month project includes phase 1 and phase 2 of a five-phased approach for the development of the National Caucus of Elected Women Leaders (NCEWL). This project would support political advocacy work using a GBA+ lens, as identified by the NCEWL from across the regions in Canada. As a result of this project, a much broader leadership and holistic lens will be applied to the safety and well-being of First Nation women in Canada on national matters. The Assembly of First Nations will establish a National Caucus of Elected Women Leaders, comprised of all elected woman chiefs, tribal council chairs, and grand chiefs from across Canada to work cooperatively with the AFN Women’s Council on their existing priorities and processes. AFN and the NCEWL will draft terms of reference, roles and responsibilities, rules and procedures, scope of activities, and identify national priorities. AFN’s Women’s Initiatives Policy Unit will focus on developing the scope of ongoing work which will be based upon the identified priorities of the NCEWL in support of the political and social aspirations of First Nations women and girls. Ultimate Recipient agreements will be in effect with each region, with the exception of Ontario, to support the work of the National Caucus of Elected Women Leaders by region, as each one is unique in its histories, systems, priorities and aspirations for its First Nation Women and Girls. These regional approaches will feed into AFN’s national responses. Implementation of the First Nation GBA+ (FNGBA+) framework will help to improve the overall socio-economic status of women and girls, with attention paid to the social determinants of health. This FNGBA+ framework would undertake a systematic examination of how different women in First Nation groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision on a go forward basis. The FNGBA+ framework would then be used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions. The FNGBA+ framework will be a vital tool for preventing institutional gender-based racism in the First Nation context and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.