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The First Nations of the land now called Canada have faced considerable hardship and deprivation that are only beginning to be redressed through the political system. On this page, you will find links to facts about the Aboriginal population of Canada, Native organizations, treaties, and other legal sources, as well as to self-government proposals. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has posted a collection of facts about Canada's Aboriginal population and a range of publications available on-line, which also include Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence 1998 and profiles of all the individual First Nations. The Library of Parliament has a useful research paper on Indian Status and Band Membership Issues. Statistics Canada provides a range of data about the Aboriginal population, taken from the 1996 Census. Much important work is conducted by the Indian Claims Commission, which oversees a wide variety of land claims, known as "specific claims," across the country. A brief introduction to Canada's Native Peoples is provided by the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University. The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People presents some useful information and perspectives on the history and current conditions of the Aboriginal peoples; see particularly Volume One. Many other recommendations for reform are contained in the other volumes. The federal government's response to the report is called Gathering Strength. To remain up-to-date on Aboriginal affairs, connect to Yahoo Canada's First Nations news site. Environics conducted a survey of Canadian
attitudes on First Nations issues in 1998. ABORIGINAL SELF-GOVERNMENTConsiderable attention has been paid in the last decade
to developing proposals for Aboriginal self-government. For an overview
of some issues, see Aboriginal
Self-Government, a 1995 INAC policy paper. The Library of Parliament's
research
paper on self-government is also useful reading. Several approaches
to self-government have emerged:
Dismantling the Manitoba Region of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development - an INAC initiative to provide Manitoba Bands with administrative autonomy
Another model - public government - has been
adopted to settle self-government claims by the Innu in what is now
the Northwest Territories. A new territorial government - Nunavut -
came into being in 1999 and is formed from the eastern half of the N.W.T.
This public model of Aboriginal self-government will allow all who live
in the territory to participate in the government; however, the government
will be controlled by Aboriginals since they compose the majority of
the population. For more information on Nunavut, see the Nunavut
Planning Commission Transition Team. You can also read the Nunavut
Act passed by the Parliament of Canada to provide the framework
for the territory's creation.
An ongoing issue in Aboriginal politics is how to accommodate First Nations people who live in urban areas. INAC has released a report on Models for Aboriginal Government in Urban Areas. You can read more about this topic in a conference report, Aboriginal Governance in Urban Settings: Completing the Circle. Note: this document requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader. The options open to Alberta's Métis population to achieve self-government are explored in a paper by Denis Wall. As part of their assertion of self-government, several First Nations in Québec have declared that they cannot be forced to be included in a future sovereign Québec. For example, the Grand Council of Crees in Québec have published a variety of documents on Quebec separation and how it would affect Cree interests. In particular, the Cree Nation believes it has just the same right to self-determination as the Québécois and can decide for itself whether to go with Québec. See their detailed examination of the issue in Sovereign Justice. INAC has produced a study of the issues surrounding moving toward sustainable development for Aboriginal communities, especially with respect to their relationship with INAC.
LEGAL LINKSYou can read the full text of the Supreme Court of Canada's
recent rulings on Aboriginal rights. One of its most controversial rulings
was on Aboriginal fishing rights in the Maritime provinces. After
its decision in R.
v. Marshall in September 1999 there were a number of violent
protests by non-Native fishers. The Court eventually clarified
its positions in a second
ruling on the case two months later, stating that it did not mean
that Native fishing absolute and could not be regulated by the federal
government.
Other important decisions dealing with Aboriginal issues include:
Aboriginal Law and Legislation Online includes links to the full text of recent Aboriginal cases from the Supreme Court of Canada. Aboriginal Policing issues are dealt with at a site run by the federal solicitor general. Aboriginal Rights Sections in the Constitution Act, 1982 Constitution Amendment Proclamation, 1983 The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations Confederacy Federal legislation relevant to Aboriginal concerns - from Indian and Northern Affairs Henderson's Annotated Indian Act Note: this is a LARGE file! Indian Act - in both text and folio format; includes regulations under the Act University of Saskatchewan Native Law Centre |
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