Aboriginal People Data Standard

Intended Audience and Contact Information

Contact	Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO
Intended audience:	Internal UBC
UDM Domain	Person

Purpose

This standard aims to achieve consistency around the data collected for Aboriginal Peoples and the format in which it is collected and stored in across the University.

This standard is based on the general Aboriginal Peoples data standards laid out by the UBC's Aboriginal self-identification guideline¹ and Government Standard for Aboriginal Administrative Data² published by the BC Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Intergovernmental and Community Relations.

This data standard has been reviewed and approved for adoption in its entirety with the exception of systems subject to dispensation (See Dispensation section).

Standard

Aboriginal Peoples Data Standard

Aboriginal peoples are broadly identified in accordance to the Constitution Act of 1982, Part II, Section 35(2), as "the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada".

For the purpose of UBC’s operational and reporting needs, Government Standard for Aboriginal Administrative Data will be adopted in its entirety.

There are two components of Aboriginal person identification data that need to be captured to facilitate various responsibilities of the University. The standard speaks to each of the components, their collection and respective reference values, where applicable.

For guidelines on usage of preferred terms for Aboriginal Peoples, please refer to Journalists for Human Rights - Style Guide for Reporting on Indigenous People.

Aboriginal Identity

Aboriginal identity refers to a person reporting that they identify with, or are a member of, an organic political or cultural entity that stems historically from the original persons of North America. The term includes the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.

Aboriginal Identity Attributes

Aboriginal Identity data must be collected through the following two attributes:

Attribute	Requirement	Definition	Suggested Question for Data Collection
Aboriginal Identity Indicator	Optional	An indicator of a person identifying themselves as an Aboriginal person.	Do you identify yourself as an Aboriginal person, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuit? Yes No
Aboriginal Identity Group	Optional	The specific Aboriginal group, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuit with which an individual identifies.	If you identify yourself as an Aboriginal person, are you: First Nations? Métis? Inuit?

Accepted Data Values for Aboriginal Identity Indicator

Following values are accepted at UBC for Aboriginal Identity Indicator.

Accepted Data Value	Definition
Yes	Response for a person identifying themselves to be a part of Aboriginal population.
No	Response for a person who does not identify themselves as an Aboriginal person

Accepted Data Values for Aboriginal Identity Group

Following values are accepted at UBC for Aboriginal Identity Group.

Accepted Data Value	Definition
First Nations	Officially called Indians in the Indian Act, this term refers to the indigenous peoples of North America located in what is now Canada, and their descendants, who are not Inuit or Métis.
Métis	Who self-identifies as Métis, is of historic Métis Nation Ancestry, is distinct from other Aboriginal Peoples and is accepted by the Métis Nation.
Inuit	Aboriginal inhabitants of the North American Arctic.

First Nations Details

The Canadian government categorizes First Nations people between Status and Non-Status. The Status information may be collected at UBC for various purposes.

First Nations Details Attributes

First Nations Details must be collected through the following two attributes:

Attribute	Requirement	Definition	Suggested Question for Data Collection
First Nations Status Indicator	Optional	An indicator of a person identifying themselves as a First Nations people with Status.	Are you registered under the Indian Act of Canada (i.e. a Status Indian)? Yes No
First Nations On-Reserve Indicator	Optional	An indicator corresponding to individual who is a First Nations person living on a reserve.	If you identify yourself as a First Nations person do you live on a reserve? Yes No

Accepted Data Values for First Nations Status Indicator

Following values are accepted at UBC for First Nations Status Indicator.

Accepted Data Value	Definition
Yes	Response indicating an individual is registered under the Indian Act of Canada..
No	Response indicating an individual is not registered under the Indian Act of Canada.

Accepted Data Values for First Nations Community Indicator

Following values are accepted at UBC for First Nations Community Indicator.

Accepted Data Value	Definition
Yes	Response indicating First Nations person lives on a reserve.
No	Response indicating First Nations person does not live on a reserve.

Compliance

This standard about Aboriginal Peoples Data must be complied with through every stage of the data lifecycle with the exception of any dispensations (see Dispensation section):

All applications must collect Aboriginal Peoples Data as recommended in this standard.
Enterprise Data Integration must adopt this standard.

Dispensation

Legacy systems are exempt from this data standard. As systems are replaced, adoption of this standard is required. Examples of legacy systems are:

Student Information System (SIS)
Human Resource Management System (HRMS)
Finance Management System (FMS)

As existing systems change to adopt this standard, the Enterprise Data Governance team needs to be informed.