De l'"inferiorite negociee" a l'"inutilite de negocier": la Loi sur la gouvernance des Premieres Nations et le maintien de la politique coloniale

In: Politique et sociétés, Band 23, Heft 1, S. 59-87

Abstract

In spring 2001, the Jean Chretien government undertook an important process of consultation with aboriginal communities in Canada, with a view toward modifying the Indian Act & improving governance practices & self-government within reserves. After one year of this process, the government put forward its First Nations Governance Act (Bill C-7). Though the Bill was never passed, the whole episode is quite indicative of the nature of institutional obstacles that slow down the creation of a more egalitarian relationship between the Canadian state & indigenous peoples. The article blends historical institutionalism & the concepts of target population & citizen engagement to argue that aboriginal policy formulation in Canada is essentially constrained by a colonial paradigm that has remained virtually unchanged since the 19th century. This paradigm, which continues to view aboriginal peoples as inferior, blocks any possibility of renewing aboriginal governance. Adapted from the source document.