64 Kelly Bannister
(community consent) as a precondition to the researcher seeking individual
consent from community members.
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 11)
The CIHR Guidelines pointed out that “meaningful consultation and participation are crucial components of a consent process”, which “should be undertaken in good faith and with relational accountability” and that “parties should
establish a dialogue allowing them to find solutions in an atmosphere of mutual
respect in good faith, with full and equitable participation” (Canadian Institutes
for Health (CIHR), 2007, pp. 19–20). The consent process should also “take into
account the community’s own legitimate decision-making processes regarding
all phases of planning, implementation, monitoring, assessment, evaluation and
wind-up of a research project” and recognize “that consent is an ongoing process
and should be reaffirmed periodically, as appropriate to the research project”
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 21).
Additionally, the CIHR Guidelines highlighted some unique cultural
considerations related to consent:
Aboriginal societies are traditionally oral societies and written consent
may be seen as contrary to respecting Aboriginal approaches to research
initiatives. Oral consent is an appropriate alternative to obtaining written
consent. A researcher, however, should document the date, time and place
in which the oral consent of a participant was received. Language may be
an important consideration as well, and it may be appropriate to have a
written consent form translated into the community’s language.
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 21)
The CIHR Guidelines may have been one of the first policies of a Canadian
federal agency to explicitly incorporate FPIC, somewhat remarkable given the
federal government’s aversion to the term at the time. The CIHR Guidelines were
seen as part of an evolving culture of research and ethics that was redefining
research relationships as part of a “broader movement transforming the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society”, in which research is
understood as having “a critical role to play in creating the knowledge base for
mutually respectful relationships and full participation in Canadian life, with all
its responsibilities and benefits” (Aboriginal Research Ethics Initiative (AREI),
2008, p. 5).
TCPS2 Core Principles
The CIHR Guidelines remained in place until 2010 when they were superseded
by a new and completely revised version of the TCPS, called TCPS2, which
was further revised in 2014 and 2018. TCPS2 (Canadian Institutes for Health
(CIHR) et al., 2018) is premised on the underlying value of Respect for Human
(community consent) as a precondition to the researcher seeking individual
consent from community members.
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 11)
The CIHR Guidelines pointed out that “meaningful consultation and participation are crucial components of a consent process”, which “should be undertaken in good faith and with relational accountability” and that “parties should
establish a dialogue allowing them to find solutions in an atmosphere of mutual
respect in good faith, with full and equitable participation” (Canadian Institutes
for Health (CIHR), 2007, pp. 19–20). The consent process should also “take into
account the community’s own legitimate decision-making processes regarding
all phases of planning, implementation, monitoring, assessment, evaluation and
wind-up of a research project” and recognize “that consent is an ongoing process
and should be reaffirmed periodically, as appropriate to the research project”
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 21).
Additionally, the CIHR Guidelines highlighted some unique cultural
considerations related to consent:
Aboriginal societies are traditionally oral societies and written consent
may be seen as contrary to respecting Aboriginal approaches to research
initiatives. Oral consent is an appropriate alternative to obtaining written
consent. A researcher, however, should document the date, time and place
in which the oral consent of a participant was received. Language may be
an important consideration as well, and it may be appropriate to have a
written consent form translated into the community’s language.
(Canadian Institutes for Health (CIHR), 2007, p. 21)
The CIHR Guidelines may have been one of the first policies of a Canadian
federal agency to explicitly incorporate FPIC, somewhat remarkable given the
federal government’s aversion to the term at the time. The CIHR Guidelines were
seen as part of an evolving culture of research and ethics that was redefining
research relationships as part of a “broader movement transforming the relationship between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society”, in which research is
understood as having “a critical role to play in creating the knowledge base for
mutually respectful relationships and full participation in Canadian life, with all
its responsibilities and benefits” (Aboriginal Research Ethics Initiative (AREI),
2008, p. 5).
TCPS2 Core Principles
The CIHR Guidelines remained in place until 2010 when they were superseded
by a new and completely revised version of the TCPS, called TCPS2, which
was further revised in 2014 and 2018. TCPS2 (Canadian Institutes for Health
(CIHR) et al., 2018) is premised on the underlying value of Respect for Human