Public Policy

"For some years now, the Government of Canada has been engaged in attempting to resolve what have come to be known as Comprehensive Native Land Claims, through a negotiation process. There has been moderate success but much more remains to be done. The purpose of this book is to set out for the consideration of all Canadians what the government proposes as the way forward. I say all Canadians advisedly: I hope this book will be looked at by Natives and non-Natives, by northerners and southerners, by those among us who seek to conserve and by those among us who seek to develop.

"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.

"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.

"Since the 1950s the federal government has mounted a series of initiatives to address the social, economic, and political marginality of Canadian Natives. These initiatives have had a fundamental and often negative impact on Native communities, often as a result of the intense resistance they have generated. Dealing with these developments has gradually altered the character of anthropologists' work.

“In this book, Professor D. N. Sprague tells why the Métis did not receive the land that was supposed to be theirs under the Manitoba Act. ... Sprague offers many examples of the methods used, such as legislation justifying the sale of the land allotted to Métis children without any of the safeguards ordinarily required in connection with transactions with infants. Then there were powers of attorney, tax sales—any number of stratagems could be used, and were—to see that the land intended for the Métis and their families went to others. All branches of the government participated.

Consists of: Letters of Transmittal, Secretary's introduction, Organizational Chart, Programs and other Activity Areas: Lands, Resources and Administration, Indian Economic Development Program, Native Business Development Program, Special Agricultural and Rural Development Agreement, Native Career Development Program

"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.

"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?

An independent assessment of the expected range of financial and economic impacts associated with the settlement of treaties and subsequent self-government by First Nations in B.C.