Governance Tools for Communities
Self-Assessment Tools
To find the governance tools that will be most useful, a community can first identify its strengths and flag the capacity gaps it wishes to correct. A number of self-assessment tools exist. The tools available through Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations are directly relevant to First Nations:
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
- Governance Capacity Planning Tool
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
International Development Research Centre
Global Development Research Center
- Simple Capacity Assessment Tool
McKinsey and Company
- McKinsey Capacity Assessment Grid (PDF)
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Ten Core Functions of First Nation Governments
First Nations perform functions common to all governments. These have been described in different ways by organizations such as the United Nations and the Institute on Governance. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada provides funding and concrete help to First Nations communities interested in improving their governance systems. The department therefore uses a practical definition of governance which focuses on activities within ten core functions:
Table of contents
Here are some tools to help communities in each of these areas. Funding is also available through the Professional and Institutional Development Program when a community needs help that is not available through existing resources.
Leadership Tools
Leadership activities involve the fair and open leadership selection of government leaders, transparent compensation for their work, meetings of council, and the accountability of these leaders for government operations. Examples include leadership selection and election codes and processes, defining the roles and responsibilities of chiefs and councillors, and the government's policy-making processes.
Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada
- Resources, Toolkits, Best Practices & Reference Documents for Elected Leadership
- Strategic Management & Accountability for First Nations – Best Practices to Consider
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
- Backgrounder – Indian Act Elections
- Sample Leadership Selection Code
- Reviewing Custom Election Codes
Institute on Governance
- Clarifying Roles of Aboriginal Leaders and their Staff: A Model Governance Policy
Justice Canada
- Indian Act: Elections of Chiefs and Band Councils
- Indian Act: Indian Band Election Regulations
- Indian Act: Band Council Procedure Regulations
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Membership Tools
Membership activities involve recognizing those individuals who are formal members of First Nation communities. Activities include developing and applying policies which decide who is a member, registering individuals, and maintaining membership lists.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
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Law-Making Tools
Law-Making activities apply the legal powers of a First Nation such as through bylaws. Activities include drafting proposed community laws, passing and amending bylaws through meetings of council, and recording and making these laws public.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Justice Canada
- Indian Act: Powers Of The Council (by-laws)
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Community Involvement Tools
Community Involvement activities allow First Nation members to participate in government decision-making and to stay informed. This is often done by applying policies and tools for communicating with band members and by offering community consultations, appeal mechanisms, and dispute resolution measures.
First Nations in British Columbia Portal
- Policy Procedures for Community Based Decisions Template
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
- AHP-CII-UK (Going the Right Way) - A Handbook for Creating Lasting Change in First Nation Communities
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External Relations Tools
External Relations involve the interaction of the community administration with other government organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Activities include participating in intergovernmental forums and public-service professional associations and communicating with other governments and the broader Canadian public. Establishing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders can facilitate other important processes such discussions on land claims, resource rights, funding transfers, and public-private partnerships.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
- AHP-CII-UK (Going the Right Way) - A Handbook for Creating Lasting Change in First Nation Communities
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Planning and Risk Management Tools
Planning and Risk Management activities allow the First Nation government to organize, oversee, and report on its programs, to foster continuous improvement, and to plan ahead. This function includes ensuring services support a broader vision, identifying and mitigating risks, strategic planning, community planning, planning for capacity development, and monitoring, evaluating and reporting on program performance.
Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada
- Impact and Benefits Agreements Community Toolkit
- Resources, Toolkits, Best Practices & Reference Documents in Applied Management
- Strategic Management & Accountability for First Nations – Best Practices to Consider
British Columbia Assembly of First Nations
- First Nations' Governance Community Engagement and Self-Assessment Tool – BCAFN Governance Tool
First Nations in British Columbia Portal
- Template to Develop a Policy
- Community Strategic Planning Toolkit
First Nations Emergency Services Society
- Emergency Plan Template and Guide
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
- Comprehensive Community Planning Handbook for First Nations in British Columbia
- First Nation Self-Evaluation of Community Programs – A Guidebook on Performance Management
International Development Research Centre (Ottawa),
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
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Financial Management Tools
Financial Management entails planning, managing, and monitoring assets, liabilities, revenues and expenditures. Activities include setting financial policies, developing budgets, tracking financial transactions, completing and communicating audited financial statements, collecting revenues, and tendering and awarding contracts.
Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada
- Resources, Toolkits, Best Practices & Reference Documents
- Sample models of First Nation financial codes
- Sample templates and synopses of financial policies and procedures
- Financial Reporting by First Nations
- Workshop Presentation – Preparing Financial Statements Under the Common Government Reporting Model
- Sample First Nation Operations Manual
- Fiscal Planning Calendar
First Nations in British Columbia Portal
- High Bar First Nation Finance Policy and Procedures Manual
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
- Framework of a Financial Management Policy
- Governance Benchmark A reference document to assess the cost of proposals
- Benchmarks to Support the Evaluation of Funding Requests to develop Financial Management Policies and Human Resource Policies
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Human Resources Management Tools
Human Resources Management includes activities which hire, retain, and compensate the skilled people needed to meet the First Nation government's goals. This function includes developing policies (such as hiring processes, codes of ethics, and conflict of interest guidelines,) developing job descriptions, supporting volunteers, recruiting staff, organizing training, and administering salaries and benefits.
British Columbia First Nations Public Service Initiative
- First Nation Administrator Primary Duties and Core Competencies
First Nations in British Columbia Portal
- Ktunaxa Nation Council Position Description Template
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada
- Framework of a Human Resource Management Policy
- Benchmarks to Support the Evaluation of Funding Requests to develop Financial Management Policies and Human Resource Policies
- Recruiting the First Nation Administrator – A toolkit
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Information Management and Information Technology Tools
Information Management and Information Technology activities manage the data systems and maintain the business practices which ensure that administrators and community leaders have access to reliable and secure information on the government's services and on the needs of the people it serves. This function includes developing and applying policies on data security, on access to information and privacy, on document management, and on the purchase and maintenance of computer hardware and software.
First Nation Technology Council
- Community Technology Plan
- Information Management Toolkit
Basic Administration Tools
Basic Administration activities include the practices which govern the efficient day-to-day functioning of the community administration such as general office procedures and policies on core internal services.
Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada
- Sample First Nation Operations Manual
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