Barriers and Levers for the Implementation of OCAP™

Abstract

This article discusses the obstacles to and supports for the implementation of the First Nations Principles of OCAP™, specifically in the context of data holdings within Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) and the Government of Canada. It cites three types of barriers (legal, knowledge and capacity, and institutional) that obstruct OCAP™ and examines how federal legislation such as the Privacy Act and Access to Information Act undermine these First Nations Principles. It continues by exploring supports available to help operationalize OCAP™, including legal, policy, knowledge and capacity-based levers. It concludes by outlining how ANNDC’s increased knowledge about OCAP™ could help support capacity building in First Nations communities.