Who are Canada's Aboriginal Peoples?: Recognition, Definition, and Jurisdiction

Amendments to the Canadian Constitution in 1982 recognize and affirm “the existing aboriginal and treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada”, specifically the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples. A 1996 report from The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples laid out a process to recognize and define Canada’s Aboriginal peoples according to the Constitution. The federal government has ignored these recommendations and continues to maintain and develop the Indian Act, an out-of-date legislative mechanism created for colonial control over Indian reserves and their residents. In this collection, preeminent authors in the field canvass a range of issues, including who defines Aboriginality, interpretations of the Constitution, and the concept of recognition internationally.