D. Barron-McNabb
Preamble
The Federal Government is committed to the development and use of Gender-based
Analysis (GBA). Health Canada's Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis
(BWHGA) is mandated to promote, co-ordinate and evaluate the implementation of a
systemic GBA within Health Canada. To be most effective, gender-based analysis should
take into consideration the complexities of women’s and men’s lives, and the
intersections of biological features (sex), roles and responsibilities (gender), with culture,
geography, and other factors1. At present there is no Métis-specific Gender-based
Analysis Framework for health. Noting that, Prairie Women's Health Centre of
Excellence2 (PWHCE) undertook to develop a culturally relevant Métis specific genderbased
analysis framework for health that could be used by Health Canada, the federal
government and others, and that could serve as the basis for further work on Métisspecific
GBA related to health policy and research.
The purpose and intent of this project is to draft and develop one option of what a
culturally relevant "Métis specific gender-based analysis framework" document could
look like for consideration and application in Health and other GBA processes. In respect
to building upon the expertise and knowledge of previous work done with the Métis, this
document is timely for Health Canada and is intended to be:
- A draft culturally relevant Métis specific gender-based analysis framework
document for health for review and consideration by any interested parties;
- A document that will both complement and serve as an addition to the on-going
work of the Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis in culturally relevant
gender-based analysis;
- Incorporated in a planned-for Culturally-relevant Gender-based Analysis Toolkit;
- Most critically (due to the federal government’s commitment timelines), ensure
that a Métis specific GBA component can be included in Federal Government
processes in health and other dialogues;
- Utilized by the Federal Government;
- Widely available for use by not only the Federal government, but also Métis and
other organizations, agencies, researchers and individuals, as well as for
provincial governments, non-governmental organizations, political and other
bodies; and
- A jumping off point to assist Métis peoples’ participation in moving forward
themselves, with a Métis specific GBA process.
Intended Audience - Métis Peoples and Organizations, Federal Government and others.
This framework provides definitions, history and background information. Establishing
how the Métis population is distinct from other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in
Canada, legally and culturally, sets the context for the development of future tools and
guides that can further the process and application of GBA in health research, policy and
planning.
1 Gender-based analysis examines and illustrates which life factors are relevant to the question at hand, be it
income, race, gender power relations, and so on.
2 Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence supports and conducts community-based and policyoriented
research.
Editors’ note: PWHCE acknowledges that some of the definitions for “Métis Nation”
and “Métis” contained in this document are not agreed upon by the entire Métis
population. As the author states, this document is intended to be a starting place for
further discussions and work on Métis-specific gender-based analysis.
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