Annex D: Example of collective consent obtained from an indigenous organization

MOTION

Whereas ....... of the ....... rely on traditional country food in the way of caribou, moose and fish to supplement their diets and to remain in touch with the land;

and whereas recent studies, such as the [name of study] funded by .......and other research, have indicated that industrial contaminants such as cadmium, mercury, organochlorines (DDT and toxaphene), and other man-made chemicals are present in virtually all parts of the food chain;

and whereas the missing gap to date in relating the scientific studies to the human health issue is the lack of dietary or consumption data for the various communities in the ....... . In other words, how much contaminated country food is being consumed;

and whereas one of the objectives of the …… Program is to protect the health of Canada’s northern people and northern ecosystem, as related to food chain contamination by taking action to implement a focused research program which includes a commitment to responsible northern research to quantify the effects of contaminants to the arctic ecosystems and the relative risks and benefits to humans from the consumption of harvested animals which may contain contaminants in order to develop human health and environmental protection measures;

and whereas another objective of the ....... Program is to provide timely advice to northern native people regarding benefits and potential risks of consumption of country foods in order to support their preferred way of life;

and whereas the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and the Environment (CINE) at McGill University is an independent research and training centre established with funding from … to conduct community-based research and provide training on the diets, nutrition and environmental health of native people, with special emphasis on the Arctic;

and whereas the ....... Nation is in an excellent position to propose a specific project relating to a dietary survey in the [place];

and therefore be it resolved that the ....... Nation work with the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and the Environment (CINE) at McGill University to develop a research project to define the levels of consumption of fish and other traditional foods in ....... and ....... communities to therefore understand the extent of traditional food use in order to define contaminant and nutrient intake, so that timely advice regarding benefits and risks of food consumption can be made.

and be it further resolved that application for funding of the research be made to [donor] no later than January 29, 19...