Review and Evaluation of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Coast Guard Arctic Region and the DFO/CCG-Inuit Nunangat Co-Governance Committee

Project Overview

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) is seeking a consultant to conduct a review of the implementation of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Arctic Region and the implementation and operationalization of the DFO/CCG-Inuit Nunangat Co-Governance Committee (‘National Co-Governance Committee’).

The principal tasks required of the consultant are the following:

• Research (document review and interviews)
• Development of written report including recommendations

The purpose of the review is to gather lessons from the implementation of the DFO/CCG Arctic Region that could be used to inform how DFO/CCG and Inuit jointly move forward in continuing implementation and operationalization of the national co-governance committee.

Background

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK)

ITK is the national representational organization for the 65,000 Inuit in Canada, the majority of whom live in four regions, including the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (Northwest Territories), Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador). Collectively, these four regions make up Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland in Canada. Inuit Nunangat includes 51 communities and encompasses roughly 35 percent of Canada’s landmass and more than 50 percent of its coastline.

The comprehensive land claim agreements that have been settled in Inuit Nunangat form a core component of ITK’s mandate. These land claims have the status of protected treaties under the Constitution. ITK remains committed to working in partnership with the Crown to fully implement these land claims. Consistent with its founding purpose, ITK represents the rights and interests of Inuit at the national level through a democratic governance structure that represents all Inuit regions.

ITK advocates for policies, programs and services that impact the health, social, cultural, political and environmental issues facing Inuit today. ITK is governed by a Board that is composed of the following members:

• Chair and CEO, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
• President, Makivik Corporation
• President, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
• President, Nunatsiavut Government

In addition to voting members, the following non-voting Permanent Participant Representatives also sit on the Board:

• President, Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada
• President, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada
• President, National Inuit Youth Council

DFO/CCG Arctic Region and DFO/CCG-Inuit Nunangat Arctic Region Committee

In 2018, DFO and CCG announced the creation of the DFO/CCG Arctic Region. The new DFO and CCG region is inclusive of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat. This is the first time that a federal government department has been constructed in this way; most often, Inuit Nunangat is split into different regions and has not been considered as a whole entity.

In 2020, the Arctic Regions was endorsed at the Inuit Crown Partnership Committee Leaders meeting as a sub-priority area of the Inuit Nunangat Policy Space. The Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee serves to support collaborative and transformative action on issues affecting Inuit, and to advance the Inuit-Crown relationship. Within this endorsement, a commitment was made to support the creation of a National Co-Governance Committee to co-govern decision-making and to ensure a self-determined path forward that best serves Inuit and reflects the priorities, needs, and the realities of Inuit communities. The National Co-Governance Committee is currently co-led by DFO/CCG Arctic Region and ITK and includes members from DFO/CCG Arctic Region, each of the four Inuit Treaty Organizations (ITOs) and Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada as an observer.

The implementation of the DFO/CCG Arctic Region required the transfer of programs, services, personnel, and funding from the previously held DFO/CCG regions (Inuit Nunangat used to be split between the Central Arctic region, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec). In April 2021, CCG announced that its Arctic Region was fully implemented and operational and in April 2024, DFO announced that the DFO Arctic Region was fully implemented on its core programs.

Scope of Work

1. Information gathering/Research process: The consultant will work with DFO, CCG, ITK, and ITOs to develop questions in order to gather information on these issues:
   1. Overview of the policy framework of the Arctic Region, National Co-Governance Committee, and DFO/CCG generally
   2. Overview of the implementation of the DFO/CCG Arctic Region
   3. Overview of the funding and resource allocation
   4. Overview of staffing transition to the DFO/CCG Arctic Region

This information will be gathered via:

• Document reviews (provided by DFO/CCG, ITK, and ITOs)
• Information gathering meetings and/or interviews with DFO/CCG, ITK, and ITOs (10-15 people)

2. Written draft report: The consultant will produce and share a draft report summarizing the findings gathered in step one. This draft report will be presented and shared with ITK, CCG/DFO, and ITOs for feedback.
3. Development of recommendations: The consultant will support CCG/DFO, ITK and ITO staff to draft and refine a set of recommendations based on the findings in the draft report.
4. Written final report: The consultant will draft the final report based on feedback and input from CCG/DFO, ITK, and ITO staff during steps two and three. Final report to include draft report developed in step two edited to incorporate feedback and recommendations gathered in step three.

Project Timeline

The work shall be completed between July and November 2025

Roles and Responsibilities

To be considered, all proposals must include:

• ITK will act as the liaison to support the consultant and finalize the scope of work.
• ITK, DFO/CCG, and Inuit Treaty Organizations (ITOs) will provide access to relevant documentation and contact information for stakeholders to be engaged in the research process.
• A working group made up of relevant stakeholders from ITK, DFO/CCG, and ITOs will provide feedback on the research questions, scope of work, draft report, recommendations, and final report. The working group will meet periodically and be consulted in the different stages of the evaluation and contribute to the quality assurance of the deliverables.
• The consultant(s) will be responsible for their own logistics: office space, administrative and secretarial support, telecommunications, printing, travel (if required) etc.

Role of the Consultant

1. The successful consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
   Providing a planned approach for each component.
2. Conducting the work with input from ITK, DFO/CCG, and ITOs within the designated timeframe.

Deliverables

1. Draft report: To be delivered part way through designated time frame (5-10pages)
2. Slide deck summary of preliminary findings for review by the working group, to be used to validate findings and discussion about potential recommendations
3. Attendance at meetings to present and discuss findings with program partners and stakeholders
4. Final report: Clear and concise language with the body of the report not exceeding 15 pages

Proposal

To be considered, all proposals must include:

• A detailed plan for how you intend to develop and implement your review methodology
• A timeline of expected milestones and breakdown of expected costs
• A list of roles and responsibilities of your team members on the project, including resumes
• Brief summaries of comparable scopes of work.
• Your fee structure
• Three references and contact information of people/organizations, including Inuit organizations, for whom you have conducted similar work.
• All proposals must be submitted through the online platform

Selection Criteria and Process

The following are the criteria we will use in the selection process:

• Potential for an excellent working relationship;
• Experience completing similar work;
• The consultant’s cost proposal will be evaluated for its reasonableness, clarity, and alignment with the scope of work outlined in this RFP;
• Experience working with Inuit, knowledge of Inuit Nunangat, and knowledge of Inuit governance;
• Experience working with the Government of Canada and knowledge of Inuit-Crown relationships; and
• Strong recommendations from references.

Contact Information

If you have questions, please contact contracts@itk.ca

Your electronic submission should be sent by 5:00 pm EST on June 27th, 2025, via Responsive.  Please click on the link below to submit your application.