Self-governance

"Traditionally associated with the federal government, Aboriginal policy has arguably become a far more complex reality. With or without formal self-government, Aboriginal communities and nations are increasingly assertive in establishing their own authority in areas as diverse as education, land management, the administration of justice, family and social services, and housing. The 2013 State of the Federation volume gathers experts and practitioners to discuss the contemporary dynamics, patterns, and challenges of Aboriginal multilevel governance in a wide range of policy areas.

"In the northern part of Alberta, eight Métis settlements, with a combined area of 1,250,000 acres, constitute the only collective Métis land base in Canada. This is the first study to undertake a broad examination of the contemporary politics of an Aboriginal collectivity. The study makes extensive use of data derived from interviews with Métis politicians, their constituents, and government officials. The study presents an unconventional approach to the issue of self-government and applies to the situation of the Métis settlements." -- Provided by goodminds.com

"On the Land: Confronting the Challenges to Aboriginal Self-Determination in Northern Quebec and Labrador is a collection of seven essays about the various ways First Nations and Inuit in Quebec and Labrador are asserting their rights to the land and challenging the right of Quebec to sovereignty. Aboriginal voices include Matthew Coon Come, Zebedee Nungak, Daniel Ashini, and Mary Ellen Turpel. Views from the outside include Harvey Feit, Alan Penn, and Boyce Richardson. The book covers the Inuit of Quebec, the Innu of Labrador, and the James Bay Cree.

"In February 1992, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples issued a commentary entitled The Right of Aboriginal Self-Government and the Constitution. The aim of that commentary was to discuss the then current proposals for constitutional reform as those bore upon the right of Aboriginal peoples to govern themselves. In the commentary we set out a number of criteria to be satisfied by any constitutional provision dealing with the Aboriginal right of self-government; we also reviewed a variety of ways to accommodate that right explicitly in the Constitution.

"The front page of the nation's newspapers have never been the same since June, 1987, when the Assembly of First Nations decided upon a confrontational course of direct action. All across the country, Indian bands have taken to blockading roads, setting up picket lines and occupying government-held properties in an attempt to publicize their disputes and get governments to respond.

"On 1 November 1990, the government of Alberta enacted legislation to enable Métis ownership and government of Alberta's Métis settlement lands. This book explores the legislative history of the Métis settlements and constitutional issues arising from Alberta's initiative. The main body of the work provides an overview of the 1990 legislation with particular emphasis on land ownership and management. The integration of provincial jurisdiction to enact Métis legislation and constitutional protection of the Métis settlements legislation.

"For more than 300 years, the true Canadian North (north of the 60th parallel) was ruled either as a private fiefdom of the Hudson's Bay Company or as a far-off colony of Ottawa. The gold rush of 1898 changed that for the Yukon, but it wasn't until 1935 that the Northwest Territories started to organize itself into a political entity and not until 1953 that the true revolution began.

"From Talking Chiefs to a Native Corporate Elite traces the development of class relations and collective identity among Canadian Inuit over several centuries of contact with Western capitalism. Marybelle Mitchell provides a complete history of Inuit-white relations, starting with the first contact with European explorers in the sixteenth century and ending with ratification of the Nunavut proposal to create an Inuit homeland through division of the Northwest Territories.

"This collection of essays is a timely exploration of the progress of Aboriginal rights movements in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Contributors compare the situations in Canada and Mexico, in both of which demands by Aboriginal people for political autonomy and sovereignty are increasing, and explore why there is very little corresponding activity in the United States.

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