Indigenous Governance Database
First Nations
First Nation Constitutions
A constitution is a solid foundation for First Nations to move ahead in self-government and in nation-building activities. Your constitution will be specific to your community. It should address your community's sense of itself, how you are governed, how the membership has input into governance,…
Creating a Climate of Support for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs
Three First Nations communities formed a partnership with SFU to investigate ways to create a supportive environment for Aboriginal entrepreneurs. This project followed the Western Diversification/Simon Fraser University study (2001) on the information and service needs of Aboriginal entrepreneurs…
Minding Our Own Businesses: how to create support in First Nations communities for Aboriginal Business
The purpose of the project was to investigate what other First Nations have done to support their small business operators, and to create a process to look at what could be done in your community...
Journey to Economic Independence: B.C. First Nations' Perspectives
There are two approaches to economic development being pursued by the participant First Nations. One is creation of an economy through support for local entrepreneurs and the development of their individual enterprises (i.e. Westbank First Nation). The other is creation of an economy through…
Huu-Ay-Aht First Nations Constitution
We, the people of Huu-ay-aht, by this Constitution declare our unique identity as a Nation and claim our rightful place as equal participants in Canadian society. We have existed from time immemorial and have occupied and used the lands, waters and resources of our traditional territory throughout…
Huu-ay-aht First Nations Government Act
The Government Act sets out the legal framework for the Huu-ay-aht government which includes the following branches: the Legislature, Executive Council, the Ha’wiih Council, and the People’s Assembly.
Colonial Fracture And Community Cohesion: Governance In The Stó:Lõ Community Of Shxw'õwhámél
This paper has three goals: 1) To briefly outline the process through which Shxw’õwhámél came to adopt the Siyá:m System in 1994; 2) to highlight certain concerns about the limitations of that system as articulated by community members in 2006; and 3) to provide a detailed discussion of those…
The Crown's Constitutional Duty to Consult and Accomodate Aboriginal and Treaty Rights
The Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate Aboriginal and treaty rights is a fundamental matter of social justice that invokes very solemn legal obligations. Reconciliation and win-win situations can be achieved with good faith negotiations if the federal and provincial Crown immediately…
Indian Act Colonialism: A Century Of Dishonour, 1869-1969
In 1867, with the passage of the British North America Act, Canadians began the process of nation building. Over the next few years, new provinces emerged--Manitoba, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island--and Canada became, by 1873, a nation from sea to sea. At the same time, by way of three legal…
Aboriginal Nationhood and the Inherent Right to Self-Government
Canadian governments and courts recognize that pre-contact Aboriginal societies possessed their own legal and political systems and that to this day these nations have not surrendered the powers they fully exercised before colonial policies undercut their authority. Unfortunately, however, the…
Systems of Conflict Resolution Within First Nations Communities: Honouring The Elders, Honouring The Knowledge
First Nations people are well aware that many of our governments and citizens struggle to move beyond the violence and dysfunction that characterizes some individuals, families and communities. Within some community settings, drugs and alcohol prevail, family members are involved in the justice…
Indigenous Justice: Clearing Space and Place for Indigenous Epistemologies
The realization of Self Determination for Indigenous Peoples is an exhilarating and fascinating movement that encourages human perseverance and an unfaltering belief in human potential and responsibility. It is a multi-dimensional movement that acknowledges and accepts human flaws while becoming…
First Nation Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Canada
There are thousands of Aboriginal organizations in Canada. They are owned, managed and staffed, wholly or in part, by First Nation (status and non-status Indian), Inuit, and Métis men, women, and youth. They exist in every region in the country where they perform profit, not-for-profit, co-…
Indigenous Leadership in a Flat World
The world is flat, so we are now told. In his recent book The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Friedman argues that since the beginning of the Twentieth century globalization has evolved at an astronomically fast rate. As a result, the world is now inter-connected…
The Economics of First Nations Governance Investment Capital, Money and Wealth Accumulation
There has been much said and written about the underdevelopment of Indian reserves in Canada, the lack of wealth in First Nations’ communities and the concomitant poverty of most First Nations’ people. While Canada sits at seven on the United Nations Human Development Scale this would dramatically…
The Jurisdiction of Inherent Right Aboriginal Governments
Since the recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights in Canada by section 35(1) of the Constitution Act, 1982, the inherent right of the Aboriginal peoples to govern themselves has become a generally accepted aspect of Canadian constitutional law. But what is the scope of the governmental…
Seven Generations, Seven Teachings: Ending the Indian Act
Six generations have passed since the Indian Act was introduced and the seventh generation, now rising, will be healthier and our communities will enjoy more freedom if we assist them in getting rid of the Indian Act. Communities and the next generation can overcome the Indian Act’s hold over all…
The Governance and Fiscal Environment of First Nations' Fiscal Intergovernmental Relations in Comparative Perspectives
This paper examines the Canadian Aboriginal fiscal inter-governmental system by comparing it to other countries, and also focuses on the key characteristics of the Canadian system. Over the last 20 years governments have decentralized power and responsibilities in response to an increasingly…
The Structure of the Indian Act: Accountability in Governance
The Indian Act has been criticized for giving the Chief and Council too little power to make their own decisions. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples counted nearly 90 provisions that give the Minister of Indian Affairs powers over the Band and Band Council. But the Indian Act has also been…
The Indian Act and the Future of the Aboriginal Governance in Canada
The Indian Act is no longer an uncontestable part of the Aboriginal landscape in Canada. For decades, this controversial and intrusive piece of federal legislation governed almost all aspects of Aboriginal life, from the nature of band governance and land tenure systems to restrictions on…