The FNCS was created as a companion to FNIGC’s First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNRHS, or RHS) and First Nations Regional Early Childhood, Education, and Employment Survey (FNREEES, or REEES), and surveys select First Nations communities about a series of 12 themes, which represent the range of issues their community faces.

Unlike the RHS or REEES, which interviews thousands of people living in hundreds of First Nations communities in an effort to produces national averages, the FNCS is a targeted online survey that asks select community members a series of questions about real-world factors, ranging from shelter, infrastructure and housing to education, employment and social services.When taken with results from the RHS and the REEES, the FNCS offers a rare and valuable look at life in First Nations communities that can be used to advocate for change.

For example, the information collected in the FNCS will help First Nations communities understand how factors like a safe clean water system, a community centre, or a First Nations-run school can have positive impacts on the health and well-being of their people.