Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle

Establishing a Foundation for Engagement

SARVAC is dedicated to respecting self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous communities and seeks to build strong, respectful and reciprocal relationships based on decolonization, reconciliation, and allyship. The Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle (IPAC) is comprised of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, or similar persons from the three populations collectively identified as being Indigenous in North America by the Government of Canada: Inuit, First Nations, and Métis. Within these groups there are a diversity of people with distinct languages, cultures, teachings, and traditions that SARVAC seeks to understand and honour as an ally. The mandate of the IPAC is to advise SARVAC’s Board of Directors regarding decolonization of activities, culture, and conduct on all levels. Additionally, the IPAC will advise and guide HWF responders on deployments that may impact Indigenous people; developing response plans that honour the traditions, values, and leadership of the community needing assistance and the people living in the area, with the intention of growing respectful collaborative relationships all across what is now called Canada. This is one way SARVAC is attempting to follow through in a concrete way on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Calls for Justice, and the Articles from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP).