Search

Background: Indigenous populations in Canada and the United States (US) have maintained reciprocal relationships with nature, grounded in respect for and stewardship of the environment; however, disconnection from traditional food systems has generated a plethora of physical and mental health challenges for communities. Indigenous food sovereignty including control of lands were found to be factors contributing to these concerns. Therefore, our aim was to conduct a scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature to describe Indigenous disconnection from Indigenous food systems (IFS) in Canada and the US. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SR) and Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, SCOPUS, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, and Bibliography of Native North Americans. Data was extracted from 41 studies and a narrative review completed based on study themes. Results: The overarching theme identified in the included studies was the impact of colonization on IFS. Four sub-themes emerged as causes for Indigenous disconnection from traditional food systems, including: climate change; capitalism; legal change; and socio-cultural change. These sub-themes highlight the multiple ways in which colonization has impacted Indigenous food systems in Canada and the US and important areas for transformation. Conclusions: Efforts to reconnect Indigenous knowledge and values systems with future food systems are essential for planetary health and sustainable development. Traditional knowledge sharing must foreground authentic Indigenous inclusion within policymaking. Highlights: • The main theme identified amongst the SR literature was the lasting impacts of colonization on Indigenous food systems in Canada and the US, which is described through four key areas: climate change; capitalism; legal changes; and socio-cultural changes. • Less than 20% of included papers report author positionality, with only 7% of included papers reporting Indigenous authorship, emphasizing an opportunity for more reporting and Indigenous engagement in the future. • Loss of cultural knowledge and practices was highlighted by many articles reviewed. • Revitalisation of IFS must include authentic Indigenous engagement, support Indigenous knowledge frameworks, community sharing networks, education programs and co-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been little exploration of the social and emotional wellbeing of young Indigenous populations who identify as gender and sexuality diverse. Given the vulnerability of this cohort in settler colonial societies such as Australia, Canada and the USA, wider investigation is called for in order to respond to their needs and aspirations. Using a scoping review, this paper maps existing research on the intersections of youth, gender and sexuality diversity, Indigeneity and wellbeing. The evidence points to the importance of historical and contemporary experiences tied to colonisation and intergenerational trauma. For young Indigenous gender and sexuality diverse peoples, heteronormative colonial value systems converge to produce environments characterised by racism, phobia and marginalisation. The evidence base includes deficit models based on trauma and negative outcomes. However, there is also an emerging body of research highlighting the resistance and resilience of Indigenous gender and sexuality diverse youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines patterns in recently published research addressing Indigenous capacity for collaborative natural resource development in Canada’s forestry, energy, and mining sectors. As Indigenous involvement in natural resource development increases, so too does the body of associated scholarship. We gathered information on several core metrics (year of publication, authorship, and gender, author affiliation, journal titles, citation counts and impacts factors, and keywords) to analyze research output, trends, and gaps. Our bibliometric analysis of 49 articles from peer-reviewed journals confirms that Indigenous natural resource development and capacity research has steadily increased over the past decade in terms of the number and range of papers, authors, institutions, and cases examined. Research output peaked in 2013 and 2015. Authorship is distributed evenly between male and female lead researchers, with teams located across southern Canada, with highest concentrations in urban population centers of British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. In contrast, the research sites are located in more northern, rural, and remote locations. That communities and projects under study are not currently matched with sites of research capacity raises questions about capacity building and the nature of research “on” versus “with” Indigenous peoples. Policies and programs designed to enhance Indigenous involvement and capacity must address these asymmetries in order to be representative, effective, and responsive to current Indigenous priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent changes in Canadian legislation have enabled First Nations to adopt property taxation and other forms of taxation on reserves, thereby allowing them to directly finance their local governments through local tax revenues. In this paper, we compile data on the passage of First Nations tax laws over a 30-year period from a centralized national database on First Nations by-laws, the First Nations Gazette. We combine those data with additional sources to analyze the factors that are associated with First Nations exercising their taxation authority. We find evidence of geographic policy diffusion consistent with First Nations learning from their neighbors and direct evidence that formal educational and institutional resources are important correlates of tax law adoption. Understanding that process informs the broader literature on the evolution of taxation structures and local political incentives, the analysis may contain important lessons for Indigenous tax jurisdiction in other contexts. It is also a critical first step towards assessing the long-term consequences of First Nations' new fiscal powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meaningful lessons about decolonising water infrastructure (social, economic and political) can be learned if we scrutinise existing governance principles such as the ones provided by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2021's Principles on Water Governance. Instead of using only Western frameworks to think about policy within Indigenous spheres of water, sanitation and hygiene, the Government of Canada can look to Indigenous ways of knowing to complement their understanding of how to govern areas of water, sanitation and hygiene efficiently. In this paper, the term Indigenous encompasses First Nations, Inuit and Métis populations. This paper is presented as a step out of many towards decolonising water governance in Canada, and is intended to show that it is necessary to make space for other voices in water governance. By highlighting the dangers in the case studies, three lessons are apparent: (1) there needs to be an addition of Indigenous Two-Eyed Seeing in water governance; (2) Canada must strengthen its nation-to-nation praxis with Indigenous communities; and (3) there needs to be a creation of space in water, sanitation and hygiene that fosters Indigenous voices. This is necessary such that there can be equal participation in policy conversations to mitigate existing problems and explore new possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an examination of the history of settler colonial violence against Indigenous peoples and lands in Canada, Palestine, and Australia, this paper exposes the links between colonialism and the penitentiary, across borders. This paper interrogates the differences and similarities between the use of prisons as a tool in settler colonial expansion in these three states. As a contribution to abolitionist thought and theory, this paper highlights the need for an intersectional analysis of the overlapping consequences of settler colonialism and international carceral regimes. Efforts to resist carceral expansion around the world must include efforts to resist colonial expansion, and the voices of Indigenous peoples must be centred throughout this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I am a professional Home Economist (PHEc) under the Manitoba Act (1990). In this paper I reflect on an approach to uncover my personal contribution (my “truth”) to colonisation of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. I examine my family life, education and career as a professional Home Economist. First Nation (people identified as Indian under the Indian Act) and Métis authors have guided my learning on the impact of colonisation. Historical references related to the practice of Home Economics within the provincial department of agriculture are used to clarify the colonising focus on which my career was based. The intention is to discover a pathway for myself and my profession to learn and acknowledge our colonising impact on Indigenous Peoples. This process is offered to other Home Economists who are exploring ways to decolonise Home Economics and build a respectful, relevant service with Indigenous Peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Indigenous children living in high income countries have a consistently high prevalence of mental health problems. We aimed to identify psychosocial risk and protective factors for mental health in this setting. Methods: A systematic review of studies published between 1996 and 2016 that quantitatively evaluated the association between psychosocial variables and mental health among Indigenous children living in high income countries was conducted. Psychosocial variables were grouped into commonly occurring domains. Individual studies were judged to provide evidence for an association between a domain and either good mental health, poor mental health, or a negligible or inconsistent association. The overall quality of evidence across all studies for each domain was assessed using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines. Results: Forty-seven papers were eligible (mainland US 30 [64%], Canada 8 [17%], Australia 7 [15%], Hawaii 4 [9%]), including 58,218 participants aged 4-20 years. Most papers were cross-sectional (39, 83%) and measured negative mental health outcomes (41, 87%). Children's negative cohesion with their families and the presence of adverse events appeared the most reliable predictors of increased negative mental health outcomes. Children's substance use, experiences of discrimination, comorbid internalising symptoms, and negative parental behaviour also provided evidence of associations with negative mental health outcomes. Positive family and peer relationships, high self-esteem and optimism were associated with increased positive mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Quantitative research investigating Indigenous children's mental health is largely cross-sectional and focused upon negative outcomes. Indigenous children living in high income countries share many of the same risk and protective factors associated with mental health. The evidence linking children's familial environment, psychological traits, substance use and experiences of discrimination with mental health outcomes highlights key targets for more concerted efforts to develop initiatives to improve the mental health of Indigenous children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international context of Indigenous mental health and wellbeing has been shaped by a number of key works recognizing Indigenous rights. Despite international recognitions, the mental health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples continues to be negatively affected by policies that ignore Indigenous rights, that frame colonization as historical rather than ongoing, or that minimize the impact of assimilation. Research institutions have a responsibility to conduct ethical research; yet institutional guidelines, principles, and policies often serve Indigenous Peoples poorly by enveloping them into Western knowledge production. To counter epistemological domination, Indigenous Peoples assert their research sovereignty, which for the purposes of this paper we define as autonomous control over research conducted on Indigenous territory or involving Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous sovereignty might also be applied to research impacting the landscape and the web of animal and spiritual lives evoked in a phrase such as “all my relations.” This narrative review of material developed in the Canadian context examines the alignment with similar work in the international context to offer suggestions and a practice-based implementation tool to support Indigenous sovereignty in research related to wellness, mental health, and substance use. The compilation of key guidelines and principles in this article is only a start; addressing deeper issues requires a research paradigm shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, The Truth and Reconciliation Report (TRC) was released in Canada, outlining 94 Calls to Action which, include pushing Canadian post-secondary institutions to ethically engage Indigenous communities and knowledge systems. This paper seeks to respond to the TRC by offering a spatial analysis of the differences, broadly conceived, between Indigenous and western ontological structures. We consider these differences in terms of 'circles and lines' through a novice, settler understanding of how Mi'kmaw concepts of etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing), netukulimk (conservation laws) and m'sɨt No'kmaq (all our relations) can be brought to support decolonial teaching and learning about such important and urgent matters as climate change. A related goal in this paper is pedagogic: we hope our own ambivalent learning here can be used as an example to reflect deeply on how settlers like us might/should/can't work with the ethical, political, and practical challenges of responding to the TRC in our research, involving, and considering Indigenous ways of knowing and being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How nurses understand and integrate their understanding of place is important to nursing practice. In this paper, we explore the concept of place in relation to our varied backgrounds, with the understanding that this concept differs from one person to another depending on their experiences. By coming together to talk about place, and the intersections between our common circumstances, interests, and beliefs, we share and discuss the realm of place as home, as relationship(s), as memory. Each of our unique and distinct identities-Mi'kmaw, M'etis, Jewish, and newcomer to Canada-brought varied perspectives on how place is integrated into our lives and our work as nurses. When we pay close attention, we can begin to understand that nursing research, practice, and education are intertwined with place. Along with spirit and healing, these factors have implications in our health and wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (QLD) (ACHA) removes the Queensland Government from any direct role in the regulation of Aboriginal cultural heritage, and operates by encouraging and in certain circumstances, requiring agreements between developers and Aboriginal groups. This paper argues that these agreements constitute a form of private governance. Agreements between developers and Aboriginal groups have traditionally been seen as falling outside private governance literature as they are domestic and contractual in nature. However, private governance theory has recently been used to understand agreements between developers and Indigenous groups in Canada and this paper will demonstrate that the approach of the ACHA constitutes a form of private governance. This paper will analyse the ACHA against key principles for good governance and explore the challenges for the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage when the state is removed as regulator. The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) (ACHA) removes the Queensland Government from any direct role in the regulation of Aboriginal cultural heritage, and operates by encouraging and in certain circumstances, requiring agreements between developers and Aboriginal groups. This paper argues that these agreements constitute a form of private governance, raising challenges for the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, Canada was ordered to implement Jordan's Principle by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. In response to the order, Canada created the Child First Initiative to provide federal funding for provincial and territorial organizations supporting First Nations children's health, education, and social service needs, including service coordination. In the shifting national landscape of Child First Initiative funding, there is a lack of evidence on how pediatric healthcare services are addressing the serious health and healthcare inequities experienced by many First Nations children. This paper describes the implementation of a Child First Initiative by the First Nations Health Consortium in the Alberta region and research findings that provide insights into the complexity and challenges of advancing First Nations children's health and health equity within the current federal Child First Initiative mandate in this province. This paper highlights the need for transformative pediatric healthcare approaches that expand beyond an individual and demand-driven system and orient towards practices and policies that are sociallyresponsive. Also, this paper highlights that First Nations leaders and Jordan's Principle initiatives play a leading role in the design and delivery of all pediatric healthcare services with First Nations communities, families, and children across Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Canada, Indigenous populations are disproportionately threatened by wildfire smoke and the associated adverse health impacts. This paper presents the results of a narrative review of 51 academic and related resources which explored protective action decision making during wildfire smoke events within Indigenous communities in Canada. A search of scholarly articles and other relevant sources yielded resources which were subject to thematic analysis and described in order to present a narrative review of current knowledge and gaps in research. A small and growing literature provides insights into protective actions taken by the general population during wildfire smoke events, but very little is known about protective actions taken by Indigenous peoples in Canada during wildfire smoke events. This lack of understanding hinders the capacity of decision makers to improve emergency management and minimize community health impacts of wildfire smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence-based guidance on the management of a positive human papilloma virus (HPV) test and to provide guidance around screening and HPV testing for specific patient populations. The guideline was developed by a working group in collaboration with the Gynecologic Oncology Society of Canada (GOC), Society of Colposcopists of Canada (SCC), and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The literature informing these guidelines was obtained through a systematic review of relevant literature by a multi-step search process led by an information specialist. The literature was reviewed up to July 2021 with manual searches of relevant national guidelines and more recent publications. The quality of the evidence and strength of recommendations were developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. The intended users of this guideline include primary care providers, gynecologists, colposcopists, screening programs, and healthcare facilities. The implementation of the recommendations will ensure an optimum implementation of HPV testing with a focus on the management of positive results. Recommendations for appropriate care for underserved and marginalized groups are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that Canadian climate policy under the Trudeau government is both self-defeating and immoral. Focusing on the central facet of the government's strategy – which trades a small carbon price for significant expansions of oil pipelines – the paper develops this argument in three principal ways. First, it situates the strategy in relation to the global warming potential of new extracted/exported emissions facilitated by new pipelines, which would overwhelm the savings created by the carbon price. Second, the paper focuses on the policy's potential to exacerbate a perilous national accumulation strategy that leaves workers and communities highly vulnerable to unstable global commodity markets. Finally, it situates the policy in relation to a centuries-old process of colonial theft of Indigenous lands to facilitate extractive development. The paper closes by considering what an environmentally sound and morally just Canadian climate policy would look like along eco-socialist lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rigorously designed longitudinal studies can inform how best to reduce the widening health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children.Methods: A systematic review was performed to identify and present the breadth and depth of longitudinal studies reporting the health and well-being of Indigenous children (aged 0-18 years) globally. Databases were searched up to 23 June 2020. Study characteristics were mapped according to domains of the life course model of health. Risk of bias was assessed using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Study Quality Assessment Tools. Reported level of Indigenous involvement was also appraised; PROSPERO registration CRD42018089950.Results: From 5545 citations, 380 eligible papers were included for analysis, representing 210 individual studies. Of these, 41% were located in Australia (n = 88), 22.8% in the USA (n = 42), 11.9% in Canada (n = 25) and 10.9% in New Zealand (n = 23). Research tended to focus on either health outcomes (50.9%) or health-risk exposures (43.8%); 55% of studies were graded as 'good' quality; and 89% of studies made at least one reference to the involvement of Indigenous peoples over the course of their research.Conclusions: We identified gaps in the longitudinal assessment of cultural factors influencing Indigenous child health at the macrosocial level, including connection to culture and country, intergenerational trauma, and racism or discrimination. Future longitudinal research needs to be conducted with strong Indigenous leadership and participation including holistic concepts of health. This is critical if we are to better understand the systematic factors driving health inequities experienced by Indigenous children globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based monitoring (CBM) is a widely used form of scientific data collection in which local community members directly participate in ecosystem research and also help the process by sharing traditional ecological knowledge and local understanding of land and resources. This paper presents a review of the challenges and opportunities associated with CBM projects in Canada and internationally. While Canadian cases are the primary focus, international examples are drawn on to provide additional context. Based on our review of 121 documents and publications, we found that CBM helps fill science research gaps by providing access to continuous data sets on the ecosystems being studied. CBM also increases the credibility of the data among users, as the community itself takes part in the environmental monitoring process. CBM supports cross-cultural learning and the co-production of knowledge by using traditional ecological knowledge with science, thereby enabling researchers, scientists and community members to learn from one another. Our review suggests that although there are multiple successes, CBM faces several challenges that constrain its progress including funding shortages, lack of support for local stewardship, and inadequate training for local users in the operation of equipment and data collection methods. Data sharing and rights on the use of data are also constraining to the long-term success of CBM programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: This discursive paper provides a call to action from an international collective of Indigenous nurse academics from Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA, for nurses to be allies in supporting policies and resources necessary to equitably promote Indigenous health outcomes. Background: Indigenous Peoples with experiences of colonisation have poorer health compared to other groups, as health systems have failed to address their needs and preferences. Achieving health equity will require leadership from Indigenous nurses to develop and implement new systems of care delivery. However, little is known about how Indigenous nurses influence health systems as levers for change. Design: A Kaupapa Māori case study design. Methods: Using a Kaupapa Māori case study methodology, coupled with expert Indigenous nursing knowledge, we developed a consensus on key themes. Themes were derived from three questions posed across the four countries. Themes were collated to illustrate how Indigenous nurses have provided nursing leadership to redress colonial injustices, contribute to models of care and enhance the Indigenous workforce. Results: These case studies highlight Indigenous nurses provide strong leadership to influence outcomes for Indigenous Peoples. Five strategies were noted across the four countries: (1) Indigenous nationhood and reconciliation as levers for change, (2) Indigenous nursing leadership, (3) Indigenous workforce strategies, (4) Development of culturally safe practice and Indigenous models of care and (5) Indigenous nurse activism. Conclusions: In light of 2020 declared International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we assert Indigenous nurses' work must be visible to support development of strategic approaches for improving health outcomes, including resources for workforce expansion and for implementing new care models. Relevance to clinical practice: Curating strategies to promote Indigenous nurse leaders around the world is essential for improving models of healthcare delivery and health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warming temperatures in the circumpolar north have led to new discussions around climate-driven frontiers for agriculture. In this paper, we situate northern food systems in Canada within the corporate food regime and settler colonialism, and contend that an expansion of the conventional, industrial agriculture paradigm into the Canadian North would have significant socio-cultural and ecological consequences. We propose agroecology as an alternative framework uniquely accordant with northern contexts. In particular, we suggest that there are elements of agroecology that are already being practiced in northern Indigenous communities as part of traditional hunter-gatherer food systems. We present a framework for agroecology in the North and discuss its components of environmental stewardship, economies, knowledge, social dimensions and governance using examples from the Dehcho region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Finally, we discuss several challenges and cautions in creating policy around agroecology in the North and encourage community-based research in developing and testing this framework moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a meta-review of 66 peer-reviewed articles published between 2008-2020 concerning Indigenous Peoples' interactions with protected areas in the United States of America and Canada. Our meta-analysis centered on characterizing this literature's response to the concerns of critical Indigenous studies by examining the topical, geographic, and disciplinary scope of the literature, as well as authors' backgrounds and the journals where research is published. We additionally considered the presence of Indigenous persons as authors and participants. We found the literature is published widely, across many journals and disciplines. The research is concentrated in a handful of states and provinces. One article explicitly used Indigenous research methods, although Indigenous research participants were common in articles outside of the disciplines of history and law. Yet, those two disciplines dominate the current literature. We conclude that the community of scholars for whom relationships between parks and Indigenous Peoples are the central research question is smaller than those for whom it is one aspect of their research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opioid crisis is disproportionately impacting Indigenous communities in Canada. There is a need to evaluate practical approaches to recovery that include community-based opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and integration of cultural treatment models. Naandwe Miikan, translated as The Healing Path, is an OAT program that blends clinical and Indigenous healing concepts and providers in a community-based setting. Aside from OAT pharmaceutical treatment, clients work with Indigenous counsellors that integrate culture with treatment, such as land-based activities, that reconnect the community to Indigenous teachings and harvesting. In this paper, we present a case study showcasing community advocacy in creating innovative funding models and engaging with clinicians to provide a shared care OAT model with traditional Indigenous counselling, cultural programs, and data sovereignty. Policy needs are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Social Work Review / Revue Canadienne de Service Social is the property of Canadian Association for Social Work Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: Drawing on historical constructions of Indigenous peoples, this paper analyses the continued impact of settler discourses of Indigenous families, parenting, and children on child welfare policy in Canada today. Findings: In this work, two provincial children's Advocate reports on the deaths of Indigenous children in care, Tina Fontaine and Alex Gervais, are critically assessed in order to explore the processes through which these colonial constructions operate to create adverse outcomes for Indigenous people. Through this analysis, a number of contemporary colonial narratives are made visible, including the belief that Indigenous parents are inherently incapable of caring for their children, and the gendered construction of Indigenous men and boys as criminal and deviant and Indigenous girls as sexually exploitable. Application: These findings suggest that greater critical reflection is needed when working with Indigenous peoples, including greater awareness of the ongoing impact of settler colonialism and the necessity of engaging in anti-colonial work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many community leaders in Canada have asserted the need for improved school attendance to promote educational success and well-being among Indigenous students. This paper reviews the extant literature from researchers, government agencies, school districts, and other organizations that have identified factors that improve school attendance among Indigenous students in Canada. The reviewed literature and reports indicate a need for more culturally relevant supports, as well as a more holistic approach for Indigenous students and their families. This review also highlights the dearth of research on this topic and demonstrates the need for studies and initiatives that closely examine contributing factors at various levels (i.e., administrative, policy, community, classroom, household, individual), and that deeply engage families and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research into the effectiveness of antenatal education classes is crucial for Indigenous Peoples from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States who experience poorer maternal and infant health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous populations. Our systematic review questions were intended to determine the extent of Indigenous Peoples prioritisation and involvement in antenatal education classes, and to understand the experience of Indigenous Peoples from these countries in antenatal education classes. Methods: Using a standardised protocol, we systematically searched five electronic databases for primary research papers on antenatal education classes within the four countries noted and identified 17 papers that met the criteria. We undertook a qualitative meta-synthesis using a socio-critical lens. Results: Systematic review of the academic literature demonstrates that Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States are not prioritised in antenatal education classes with only two of 17 studies identifying Indigenous participants. Within these two studies, Indigenous Peoples were underrepresented. As a result of poor engagement and low participation numbers of Indigenous Peoples in these antenatal education classes, it was not possible to understand the experiences of Indigenous Peoples. Conclusion: Given that Indigenous Peoples were absent from the majority of studies examined in this review, it is clear little consideration is afforded to the antenatal health needs and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United States. To address the stark antenatal health inequities of Indigenous Peoples, targeted Indigenous interventions that consider culture, language, and wider aspects of holistic health must be privileged. Trial registration: PROSPERO Registration ID: CRD4202017658 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Healthcare organisations serve clients from diverse Indigenous and other ethnic and racial groups on a daily basis, and require appropriate client-centred systems and services for provision of optimal healthcare. Despite advocacy for systems-level approaches to cultural competence, the primary focus in the literature remains on competency strategies aimed at health promotion initiatives, workforce development and student education. This paper aims to bridge the gap in available evidence about systems approaches to cultural competence by systematically mapping key concepts, types of evidence, and gaps in research. Methods: A literature search was completed as part of a larger systematic search of evaluations and measures of cultural competence interventions in health care in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Seventeen peer-reviewed databases, 13 websites and clearinghouses, and 11 literature reviews were searched from 2002 to 2015. Overall, 109 studies were found, with 15 evaluating systems-level interventions or describing measurements. Thematic analysis was used to identify key implementation principles, intervention strategies and outcomes reported. Results: Twelve intervention and three measurement studies met our inclusion criteria. Key principles for implementing systems approaches were: user engagement, organisational readiness, and delivery across multiple sites. Two key types of intervention strategies to embed cultural competence within health systems were: audit and quality improvement approaches and service-level policies or strategies. Outcomes were found for organisational systems, the client/practitioner encounter, health, and at national policy level. Discussion and implications: We could not determine the overall effectiveness of systems-level interventions to reform health systems because interventions were context-specific, there were too few comparative studies and studies did not use the same outcome measures. However, examined together, the intervention and measurement principles, strategies and outcomes provide a preliminary framework for implementation and evaluation of systems-level interventions to improve cultural competence. Identified gaps in the literature included a need for cost and effectiveness studies of systems approaches and explication of the effects of cultural competence on client experience. Further research is needed to explore the extent to which cultural competence improves health outcomes and reduces ethnic and racially-based healthcare disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joseph Kerski has identified five converging global trends—geo-awareness, geo-enablement, geotechnologies, citizen science, and storytelling—which contribute to the increased relevance of geography for education and society. While these trends are discussed by Kerski in the context of the proliferating significance of geography in teaching and education, they also provide a useful lens for considering the increasing ubiquity of critical approaches to cartography both in general and in the context of teaching and education, where mapping can include participatory collaborations with individuals from a variety of knowledge communities and extend to the mapping of experiences, emotions, and Indigenous perspectives. In this paper, we consider these trends and related ideas such as Kerski's "geoliteracy" and metaliteracy in light of some relatively current examples and in light of the evolution of research and teaching linked with a series of interrelated map-based projects and courses that take a multidimensional approach to teaching and learning about the Residential Schools Legacy in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the field of sport for development (SFD) while considering Indigenous resurgence amidst Canada's neoliberal settler-colonial landscape. While sharing challenges encountered within their practice, program staff from the Promoting Life-skills in Aboriginal Youth program revealed high levels of constructive self-criticism and reflexivity. There are three emergent themes, the adoption of which appeared essential for transforming the sector in recognition of Indigenous resurgence: growth and pace; Indigenous agency and knowledge; and political engagement. Grounded in settler colonialism and resurgence, this paper also reflects on the field of SFD and what it would mean to decolonize the practice. The article concludes by asking if non-Indigenous scholars can study SFD by subverting the colonial status quo that is also reproduced in this research field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the disproportionate alcohol-related consequences experienced by North American Indigenous youth, there is a critical need to identify related risk and protective factors. Self-compassion, which has been found to mitigate the effects of trauma exposure, may serve as one such protective factor given the high degree of historical trauma and contemporary discrimination identified as contributing to the alcohol-related disparities experienced by Indigenous communities. However, no research has examined how self-compassion (i.e. the ability to be kind and accepting and to extend compassion toward oneself) plays a unique role in Indigenous peoples' experiences with alcohol. First Nation adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 living on a reserve in Eastern Canada (N = 106, Mage = 14.6, 50.0% female) completed a pencil-and-paper survey regarding their alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and self-compassion. Self-compassion was significantly inversely associated with alcohol-related problems (b = -.51, p =.01, 95%CI [-.90, −.12], and significantly interacted with frequency of alcohol use in predicting alcohol-related problems (b = -.42, p =.04, 95%CI [-.82, −.03]). Simple slopes analyses revealed that the association between frequency of alcohol use and frequency of experiencing alcohol-related problems was significant and positive at low (b = 4.68, p <.001, 95%CI [2.62, 6.73]), but was not significant at high (b = -.29, p =.89, 95%CI [−4.35, 3.77]) levels of self-compassion. Binary logistic regression revealed that higher scores of self-compassion were associated with a lower odds of being in the high-risk group for AUD (OR = 0.90, 95%CI [0.83, 0.98], p =.02). Our results suggest self-compassion may be protective against experiencing alcohol problems in Indigenous youth and thus may be a target for behavioral interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intergenerational health and wellness promotion among Métis peoples in Canada is emerging as a priority for Métis communities. Our team is engaged with an intergenerational and lifecourse-oriented program of research on aging well in collaboration with a northern Saskatchewan Métis community (in Canada). We employ a community-engaged participatory action methodology that integrates Métis and Western perspectives through iterative cycles of planning, implementing, and action. Métis perspectives are provided by two Métis community leads and Western perspectives by two non-Métis team leads from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Our research program commenced with the development of a program logo which was created by two Métis community youth. We reflect on the intergeneratiaonl health and wellness symbols and significance of this research program logo as our research has progressed. It has become clear that the logo may provide a nascent Métis intergenerational wellness framework that aligns with what we are learning from Métis research participants (young and old). Further, the logo aligns with Indigenous theory and a framework that has informed our original research proposal. In this "advancing the field paper" we introduce the logo and describe its relevance to intergenerational wellbeing among Métis peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Etuaptmumk or Two-Eyed Seeing (E/TES) is foundational in ensuring that Indigenous ways of knowing are respected, honoured, and acknowledged in health research practices with Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This paper will outline new knowledge gleaned from the Canadian Institute of Health Research and Chronic Pain Network funded Aboriginal Children's Hurt & Healing (ACHH) Initiative that embraces E/TES for respectful research. We share the ACHH exemplar to show how Indigenous community partners take the lead to address their health priorities by integrating cultural values of kinship and interconnectedness as essential components to enhance the process of community-led research. E/TES is conceptualised into eight essential considerations to know in conducting Indigenous health research shared from a L'nuwey (Mi'kmaw) perspective. L'nu knowledge underscores the importance of working from an Indigenous perspective or specifically from a L'nuwey perspective. L'nuwey perspectives are a strength of E/TES. The ACHH Initiative grew from one community and evolved into collective community knowledge about pain perspectives and the process of understanding community-led practices, health perspectives, and research protocols that can only be understood through the Two-Eyed Seeing approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural homelessness is an emergent social concern in Canada but it remains overshadowed by urban homelessness policy and research agendas. Thus, it is rare to find extended academic discussions of rural homelessness and its causes. In this paper, we report on the findings of a mixed-method rural homelessness study in a small Alberta prairie town (Canada). We explore the nature of transitions and how they place individuals at risk of housing risk and/or homelessness, particularly in a rural context. Findings reveal a complex interplay between external and internal resources and drivers that cast an individual into the liminal space of housing risk and into homelessness, and that the rural context accentuates housing risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their inception in the mid-1800s, Indigenous-oriented welfare policies in Canada have presupposed and entailed a racialized subject: the "lazy Indian." This paper highlights continuities in how Indigenous peoples have been constructed in Canadian welfare policy discourse from 1867 to the present. Through this historical overview, we trace the emergence and recurrence of ethical tropes of "productive" and "unproductive" citizens, which effectively cast Indigenous peoples as non-workers and therefore undeserving of welfare relief. Our analysis indicates that further reform of welfare policies for Canada's First Nations must first puncture the persistent myth of the "lazy Indian" in order to attend to the lasting legacy of colonial dispossession and governance, contemporary barriers to self-sufficiency, and ongoing struggles for politico-economic sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the knowledge of an Indigenous Worldview as a meta collective of the values, beliefs, protocols of Indigenous cultures worldwide. The worldview is applied to the Canadian context which includes 600+ Indigenous cultures and languages. A description of the key concepts of Oneness, a spiritual foundation and relationship are coupled with concepts about family, education, life cycles, gender, and language. Application of these concepts are described, including the application to current research. It is essential that professionals and academics working with Indigenous Peoples understand that Western/European worldviews do not apply. Indigenous scholars and leaders in Canada have used the concept of the Indigenous worldview to lead the reclamation of original Indigenous Nations and languages. The term provides an information base from which differentiation of Indigenous values and protocols and beliefs can be made from Western/European forms. In order to achieve reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and Western nations, knowledge of the Indigenous worldview is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Indigenous Peoples in Canada continue to experience racism and discrimination when accessing health care. Competencies of health care staff urgently need to be improved through cultural safety education and training programs to inform culturally appropriate and safe care practice among care providers serving Indigenous individuals and families. This paper explores current educational strategies, the perspectives of Indigenous and non-Indigenous care providers on training approaches, and recommendations for improving training. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 participants to explore the current provision of culturally appropriate and safe care. Interviews were voice recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a thematic analysis was completed. The three key themes related to training that emerged from data analysis were (a) addressing the knowledge gaps, (b) challenges of current training approaches, and (c) recommendations for improvements in training. Each key theme had three subthemes that were further explored. Cultural safety training is a long and iterative process that has the potential to change care providers' behaviours and attitudes. Various challenges to existing education and training included issues with implementation, limited follow up with health care staff to support practice changes, and/or limited commitment from senior leadership to change organizational policies and practices. As such, there is a clear need for systemic change within health care institutions to support staff participating in cultural safety training and to put that training into practice to create a culturally safe space for Indigenous individuals seeking health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Geographer is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Cultural competency is often promoted as a strategy to address health inequities; however, there is little evidence linking cultural competency with improved patient outcomes. This article describes the characteristics of recent educational interventions designed to improve cultural competency in healthcare workers for First Nations peoples of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. Methods: In total, 13 electronic databases and 14 websites for the period from January 2015 to May 2021 were searched. Information on the characteristics and methodological quality of included studies was extracted using standardised assessment tools. Results: Thirteen published evaluations were identified; 10 for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The main positive outcomes reported were improvements in health professionals' attitudes and knowledge, and improved confidence in working with First Nations patients. The methodological quality of evaluations and the reporting of methodological criteria were moderate. Conclusions: Cultural competency education programs can improve knowledge, attitudes and confidence of healthcare workers to improve the health of First Nations peoples. Providing culturally safe health care should be routine practice, particularly in places where there are concentrations of First Nations peoples, yet there is relatively little research in this area. There remains limited evidence of the effectiveness of cultural education programs alone on community or patient outcomes. Cultural competency is often promoted as a strategy to address health inequities, although evidence linking cultural competency to patient outcomes is scarce. We conducted a narrative review of the recent literature on cultural education programs and found 13 published evaluations, mainly reporting improvements in health professionals' attitudes and knowledge, and improved confidence in working with First Nations patients. Although cultural education has a positive short-term impact, none of the studies included measured improved patient health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education provides opportunities for adolescents to make developmental gains. Remote Indigenous adolescents not engaged in education programs need alternate learning opportunities to reach developmental goals. This review identifies attributes that contribute to an alternate model of education within the existing literature and reports on the quantity and nature of evidence. Thirty-seven databases and grey literature were canvassed using strict search criteria. Analysis of papers was conducted to find the enablers of alternate models by identifying the conditions, strategies and outcomes the intervention produced. Papers were categorised according to their nature by Canada's Hierarchy of Evidence and the Sanson-Fisher model. There was limited literature on alternate models of education for Indigenous adolescents in settings outside a school environment. Three papers were classified as descriptive and ten as intervention research. All papers were described as "emerging" and "promising" practices. The five attributes embedded within a model included 1) cultural connectedness and awareness; 2) being contextually designed; 3) fosters relationships with peers and adults; 4) specific teaching and learning strategies and; 5) holistic outcomes. The findings will contribute to the co-design of an alternate model of education for remote Indigenous communities. Gaps identified in the literature included examples of "best practice" models and highlighted the need for further research of innovative models that move from descriptive research to form an evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health, substance use/addiction and violence (MSV) are important issues affecting the well-being of Indigenous People in Canada. This paper outlines the protocol for a research-to-action program called the Mental Wellness Program (MWP). The MWP aims to increase community capacity, promote relationship-building among communities, and close gaps in services through processes that place value on and supports Indigenous communities' rights to self-determination and control. The MWP involves collecting and using local data to develop and implement community-specific mental wellness strategies in five First Nations in Ontario. Methods: The MWP has four key phases. Phase 1 (data collection) includes a community-wide survey to understand MSV issues, service needs and community strengths; in-depth interviews with individuals with lived experiences with MSV issues to understand, health system strengths, service gaps and challenges, as well as individual and community resilience factors; and focus groups with service providers to improve understanding of system weaknesses and strengths in addressing MSV. Phase 2 (review and synthesis) involves analysis of results from these local data sources and knowledge-sharing events to identify a priority area for strategic development based on local strengths and need. Phase 3 (participatory action research approach) involves community members, including persons with lived experience, working with the community and local service providers to develop, implement, and evaluate the MWP to address the selected priority area. Phase 4 (share) is focused on developing and implementing effective knowledge-sharing initiatives. Guidelines and models for building the MWP are shared regionally and provincially through forums, webinars, and social media, as well as cross-community mentoring. Discussion: MWP uses local community data to address MSV challenges by building on community supports and resilience factors. Drawing on local data and each community's system of formal and informal supports, the program includes sharing exemplary knowledge-to-action models and wellness strategies developed by and for First Nations people that can be used by other First Nations to identify shared wellness priorities in each community, and determine and execute next steps in addressing areas of main concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that interspecies justice is integral to rising decolonizing nationalist 'reconciliation' efforts in Canada and that such an interspecies perspective on reconciliation carries a significant promise for developing a new legal subjectivity for animals in settler colonial law to change the conditions of the lives of animals materially. I demonstrate that the personhood ascribed to animals in numerous Indigenous legal orders in Canada, as well as underlying non-anthropocentric worldviews where animals are not considered inferior to humans but are to be regarded as kin, should stimulate a new legal conversation in Canadian law about who/what animals are and the legal subjectivity and regard they merit among all those committed to reconciliation. Indigenous legal orders offer animal advocates a new and potentially transformative legal argument as to why the continued legal classification of animals as a property in Canadian law is exploitative and incompatible with a dominant legal order seeking to foster genuine reconciliation. Notwithstanding the residual anthropocentric elements of Indigenous worldviews promoting 'respectful' or 'reciprocal' relations with animals, and how such elements might be co-opted by settler society, this new reconciliation-originating animal-friendly argument has the potential, if adopted, to alter the material conditions of lives of many animals, most notably in intensive agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous women are grossly overrepresented both within the federal correctional system and among Sexually Transmitted Blood Borne Infection (STBBI) diagnoses in Canada. Mainstream approaches continue to fall short in addressing Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis C and other STBBIs within this population. In this paper, we argue that, in order to be successful, STBBI programs and services must hinge on meaningful community participation, community ownership, and incorporate Indigenous knowledge, perspectives and decolonizing methodologies. Further, they must take a strengths-based approach and focus on healing and resiliency rather than challenges and deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1967 until 2020, Pictou Landing First Nation (PLFN) has had 85 million litres of pulp and paper mill effluent dumped every day into an estuary that borders the community. A federal government appointed Joint Environmental Health Monitoring Committee, mandated to oversee the health of the community, has never addressed PLFN concerns about cancer in the community. In this study we accessed the 2013 Canadian Cancer Registry microdata file, and using the standard geographical classification code, accessed the cancer data for PLFN, and provided comparable data for all Nova Scotia First Nations, as well as the county, provincial, and national populations. We determined that digestive organ cancers, respiratory organ cancers, male genital organ cancers, and urinary tract cancers are higher in PLFN than at all comparable levels. Female breast and genital organ cancers are lowest in PLFN than at all other comparable levels. A limitation of this study was not being able to capture cancer data for off-reserve members at the time of diagnosis and the lapse in availability of up-to-date Canadian Cancer Registry data. As this study demonstrates, when governmental regulatory agencies do not fulfill their mandates, First Nations can mobilize to get the data they need. Moreover, as Indigenous scholars acquire the statistical skills to work with quantitative data to address concerns in their own and other Indigenous communities, we can achieve environmental health justice for Indigenous nations, not only in Canada, but around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The legacy of structural and colonial violence has disrupted attachment which has led to the breakdown of healthy relationships within some Indigenous families and communities. A key component of re-establishing attachment is through addressing the effect of historical and on-going colonalism (e.g., intergenerational trauma, cultural connectedness) on individual, family, and community relationships. Methods: We conducted a descriptive environmental scan of web-based resources and complemented it with community reports from conversations with key Indigenous stakeholders, to identify and describe what programs are available to Indigenous youth within community settings that focus on fostering healthy relations. Qualitative descriptive summaries were used to synthesize information, summary statistics and frequencies described commonalities across programs, and pattern analysis identified patterns within the data based on demographic factors. In total, forty-seven programs were found across thirty-four organizations. Findings: Programs integrated cultivating healthy relationships by focusing on skill training (55%), Indigenous cultural education and activities (42%), and mentorship (25%). Programs described the relationships they focused on in broad terms such as healthy relationships, intergenerational relations, and relationships with the land. Programs differed based on gender and age; programs designed for girls focused on self-empowerment and those for boys on violence prevention training. Programs for younger youth aimed to foster positive identity, those for teenagers on relationship building, and those for older youth on promoting mental health. Conclusion: These findings highlight distinct features of healthy relationship programming for Indigenous youth in Canada and offers promising avenues in the future development of such programming based on age and gender. These findings may be of interest to healthcare service research or decision-makers looking to develop healthy relationship programs in Indigenous contexts to develop culturally-relevant and trauma-informed programming to address the effects of historical and on-going colonalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently there is a severe lack of research on autism and Indigenous people in Canada. This scoping review explores this literature gap and assesses the same literature from an Indigenous perspective. Scoping reviews are an effective means to explore the literature in a specific area, in this case, autism and Indigenous people in Canada. We explored existing literature as it pertains to Indigenous populations and autism in Canada. To support this review, the Indigenous Quality Assessment Tool (QAT) was adapted to appraise the quality of literature. In total, there were a total of 212 articles identified of which 24 met the inclusion criteria: (1) some focus on autism, (2) a component specific to Indigenous people, and (3) specific to Canada. Of the 24 articles and reports, 15 were peer-reviewed and the rest considered grey literature. Most articles focused on program delivery with some literature using primary data (quantitative and/or qualitative). Overall, the quality of the research was appraised as poor, as determined by the QAT. Findings reaffirm the critical need for research that addresses autism in Indigenous communities within Canada and show the importance of having research done in full partnership with, or led by, Indigenous people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I explore several issues emerging in the discourse about the recording of indigenous law by drawing on several examples of my research and work with indigenous law in Canada. This is an important inquiry because there are limiting and disturbing fundamentalist premises underlying the debate regarding the recording of indigenous law. To take up these issues, I analyse and articulate the law and legal processes from two indigenous oral histories. The question under consideration is whether by this recording and analysis, I have somehow damaged Gitxsan law. In other words, did I break it? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. An emerging and important area of occupational therapy practice involves engaging with various individuals and population groups who live in marginalizing conditions that result in health inequities. Purpose. This paper calls for more critical and intersectional analyses of occupational therapy in the context of marginalized populations. Key Issues. Intersectionality has the potential to reveal important and complex interactions among social systems that create and sustain marginalization and to inform more nuanced, contextualized, and socially responsive forms of occupational therapy. Central to this process is the co-construction of knowledge with people who experience marginalization. Engaging in this work requires occupational therapists to undertake ongoing critical reflexivity to attend to our sociohistorical positioning of power and privilege in relation to marginalized populations. Implications. Complicating our discourse on marginalized populations is imperative to enacting our critical potential in working toward social justice and health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a part of the proceedings of the 2022 LACUNY Institute. In a panel presentation, the authors discuss personal instances and feelings of the imposter phenomenon (also known as imposter syndrome) as it relates to their Indigenous identities. Additionally, they describe how imposter syndrome may affect their ability to be successful in their careers, and the internal pressure they feel to present a more Indigenous identity (whatever that may entail) in their scholarship and their professional positions. The authors also share their experiences with external pressures to exhibit a more "stereotypical Indigenous" appearance for the sake of their role as Indigenous library staff members, peers, and appliers for academic opportunities and how these pressures relate in their interactions with other Indigenous people through their work. They address recent developments in academia regarding the hiring of Indigenous peoples and avoiding "pretendians" (people who falsely claim to have Indigenous ancestry). The goal of the authors is to encourage discourse in the vein of Truth and Reconciliation and to spread awareness about imposter syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North American Indigenous (NAI) youth suffers disproportionately from consequences associated with alcohol use. Previous research has found that positive alcohol expectancies are robustly related to alcohol consumption among NAI youth and that changes in alcohol consumption are associated with concurrent changes in happiness. However, no work to date has examined the relation between happiness and alcohol expectancies, or the influence of happiness on the association between alcohol expectancies and alcohol consumption. First Nation adolescents between the ages of 11 and 18 living on a rural reserve in Eastern Canada (N = 106, Mage = 14.6 years, 50.0% female) completed a pencil-and-paper survey regarding their subjective happiness, positive alcohol expectancies, and alcohol consumption. Moderation analyses revealed a significant main effect of subjective happiness (b = −.10, p <.001) but not alcohol expectancies (b =.02, p =.14) on alcohol consumption. The interaction of alcohol expectancies and subjective happiness was significant, (b = −.01, p =.002). Analysis of simple slopes revealed that the effect of alcohol expectancies on alcohol consumption was significant for those reporting low (b =.07, p =.001), but not high levels of subjective happiness (b = −.02, p =.25). Results of the present study provide preliminary support for the utility of positive psychological interventions aiming to increase adolescent's subjective happiness to indirectly target alcohol consumption. Future work should test the effectiveness of such interventions and aim to replicate these findings in larger samples. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Alcohol use is among the most pressing health disparities facing Indigenous communities. There is a call within these communities to understand factors which confer protection against adolescent alcohol use. Results of the present study highlight the potential utility of targeting happiness as a strengths-based means to buffer against the effects of alcohol expectancies and reduce alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]