Aboriginal Women in Canada: Strategic Research Directions for Policy Development

Although focussing primarily on Indigenous women in a Canadian context, this report also addresses the main issues facing Indigenous women in international arenas. The report begins with an overview of the status of Indigenous women in Canada, including health, demographic and social indicators and legal status. Most notably, the article presents an analysis of the way in which the colonially imposed system of justice impacts upon Indigenous women, and reviews how this system is inconsistent with their own traditional systems of justice and governance. The main international issues considered relate to self-government, alliance building and strategic research.