Resource Law

"The arc of land and water forming the North Pacific Rim is a cut lace work of rivers running to the great ocean. The salmon, sacred to people who lived along the pathways of its journey, once engorged these rivers, but no more. Thirteen writers from cultures profoundly connected to salmon were asked to write about 'the fish of the gods' from both a historical and a contemporary perspective.

"Most activities in our lives involve electricity. Yet, how often do we recall that even the simple act of turning on a light is supported by a long history of debates over group vs. individual rights, environmental impact, political agendas and technological innovations?

"In conventional histories of the Canadian prairies, Native people disappear from view after the Riel Rebellions. In this groundbreaking study, Frank Tough examines the role of Native peoples, both Indian and Métis, in the economy of northern Manitoba from Treaty 1 to the Depression. He argues that they did not become economically obsolete but rather played an important role in the transitional era between the mercantile fur trade and the emerging industrial economy of the mid-twentieth century.

"The essays in this volume illuminate the process of indigenous autonomy and development in northern Quebec and Labrador.

"Permission to Develop is a unique, Canadian resource that legal practitioners, researchers, and policy-makers will find valuable in their work. It provides a framework for understanding the complex web of agreements, legislation, case-law, and regulations pertaining to Aboriginal rights and claims at both the federal and provincial/territorial levels. It also provides insight into the legal constraints that structure the economic development of First Nations in Canada.

"New Owners in their Own Land carefully examines the prolonged historical dispute over the land selection process and subsurface rights in Nunavut, starting with the early resource development and oil and gas exploration in Canada's Arctic during the 1960's, through to the battle for Inuit self-determination.

"On June 11 and 20, 1981, the Quebec Provincial Police (QPP) raided Restigouche Reserve, Quebec. At issue were the salmon-fishing rights of the Mi’kmaq. Because salmon has traditionally been a source of food and income for the Mi’kmaq, the Quebec government’s decision to restrict fishing aroused consternation and anger. Released in 1984, this groundbreaking and impassioned account of the police raids brought Alanis Obomsawin to international attention.

"In 1993, an Ontario Court decision recognized Native rights to harvest fish in the waters around the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula, sparking sometimes violent confrontation between Native and non-Native fishers about how these rights would be translated into equitable resource access for all.

"The community of Aboriginal groups and fur trade society that had initially developed at Porcupine-Iroquois Falls (c. 1660-1905) was displaced early in the twentieth century by newcomers drawn to the opportunities offered by mining, agriculture, and pulp and paper production. The newcomers came from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, which led to divisions in the towns and villages they created.

"Part of the Daughters of the Country series, this dramatic film features a young Ojibwa girl from 1770 who marries a Scottish fur trader and leaves home for the shores of Georgian Bay. Although the union is beneficial for her tribe, it results in hardship and isolation for Ikwe. Values and customs clash until, finally, the events of a dream Ikwe once had unfold with tragic clarity." -- Provided by publisher