About The Annual Gathering Meeting
The CAAN Annual General Meeting is a key moment each year when members, Elders, staff, and partners gather to review the past year, celebrate progress, and set the direction for the work ahead. As a member-driven organization, the AGM is where Indigenous voices shape the future of our collective response to HIV, STBBIs, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, mental health, aging, and related issues.
The AGM provides a national forum for accountability, transparency, and shared decision-making. Members receive reports on CAAN’s programs, research, advocacy, and finances, and they have the opportunity to vote on resolutions, elect Board members, and help guide the organization’s priorities.
Registration is now open for the 2026 CAAN Hybrid Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. CST.
This year’s AGM will take place in Calgary during the 2026 Summit and will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend either in person or virtually.
If you will be in the Calgary area, we would be pleased to have you join us in person.
CAAN’s AGMs are more than business meetings. They are grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Opening ceremonies, Elder guidance, cultural protocols, and the presence of people with lived and living experience remain at the centre of how we gather and make decisions together.
Each AGM is also a time to look forward. Members help shape CAAN’s strategic direction, support ongoing visioning work such as Wapiwin Akinê, and strengthen the alliances and networks that keep Indigenous communities at the heart of the response.
- CAAN has been a member-driven organization for more than 25 years. The Annual General Meeting is one of the clearest expressions of that commitment.
- At the AGM, voting members review the year’s work, consider financial statements, elect Directors, and propose or vote on resolutions that guide CAAN’s future priorities.
- The AGM often includes time for the Indigenous people living with HIV and AIDS (IPHA) caucus, skills-building sessions, and updates on research and community initiatives.
- Whether you attend in person or virtually, the AGM is an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, share knowledge, and strengthen the national Indigenous response.
CAAN AGM History
CAAN has held Annual General Meetings since its early years as a national organization. In the 2000s, the AGM grew to include a national skills-building component and a full-day gathering of the Indigenous people living with HIV and AIDS (IPHA) caucus. These additions reflected CAAN’s commitment to member leadership, capacity building, and culturally grounded decision-making.
In-person, virtual, and hybrid gatherings Over the years the format of the AGM has adapted to the needs of members across the land. Some meetings have been held fully in person, while others have been virtual or hybrid. The September 2023 AGM, for example, welcomed members both in Vancouver and online, allowing broader participation while still honouring traditional protocols and shared decision-making.
Continuing the tradition Whether in person or online, the AGM remains a space where members review the year’s work, elect Board Directors, consider resolutions, and help set CAAN’s direction. This mix of business, culture, and community voice has been part of CAAN’s practice for more than two decades.
