D1. Land and Self-Determination
Specific Expectations
D1.1
describe perceptions of land and land use that are foundational to Indigenous peoples in Canada (e.g., regarding the use of resources, respect for the land and the living things it supports, traditional land use among different nations, land use and identity, small-scale economies and sustainability, environmental stewardship), and compare them to the perceptions of land that predominate in Canadian society
- What relationship have Indigenous peoples traditionally had with the land and their territories? Do all communities/nations have the same perception of the land and land use?
- How do Indigenous peoples tend to view resource development? Are these views shared by non-Indigenous Canadians and governments?
- What are the key differences between Indigenous ideas about land use/ownership and those that came to dominate in Canada after colonization? What are the implications of the fact that the notion of private property and the surrender of lands on that basis were, and continue to be, in opposition to traditional concepts of communal property held by Indigenous peoples?
D1.2
explain how various land-based issues (e.g., territorial claims, establishing or challenging hunting and/or fishing rights, surface and subsurface rights, resource sharing, resource exploration and proposed developments, negotiating impact and benefit agreements, private ownership on reserves) are related to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit self-determination, sovereignty, and self-governance, and analyse how current laws/agreements address these issues
- Why are there some exemptions for Indigenous peoples in the Species at Risk Act?
- What stake do Indigenous communities have in development on or adjacent to their lands? What say do these communities have in such developments? Do you think their say should be the greater say? Why, or why not?
- Why was the Regional Framework Agreement between the Ontario government and northern First Nations to develop the Ring of Fire viewed as a hallmark for new relationships between the government and First Nations?
- Why are harvesting rights a significant aspect of agreements and protocols for the Métis Nation? In what ways did the 2008 Métis Nation Protocol with the federal government address Métis harvesting rights and other Indigenous land-based rights?
- How are the hunting and fishing rights of a Nunavut resident different from the rights of a beneficiary of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?
D1.3
analyse different types of land-based disputes that have existed and/or continue to exist between First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and federal, provincial, and/or territorial governments (e.g., disputes over treaty violations, boundaries, access to resources, trade barriers) and various methods that have been used to try to resolve them (e.g., peaceful protests, armed stand-offs, blockades, mediation, arbitration, lobbying, negotiation, sanctions, court challenges)
- How do First Nations, Métis, or Inuit communities lay claim to traditional territories that may currently be occupied or in the possession of others?
- What are some land-based disputes that have resulted in armed stand-offs? What did such actions accomplish? Do you think they were justified? Why, or why not?
- What promises were made to the Métis in the Manitoba Act, 1870? What action did the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) take in 1981 in pursuit of its land claim arising from this act? What was the significance of the Native Council of Canada joining with the MMF in this dispute?
D1.4
assess the strengths and weaknesses of current laws and agreements in terms of their ability to protect the rights of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities in the face of human activities that affect the natural environment (e.g., hydroelectric dams, pipelines, highways, resource extraction and processing, production of greenhouse gases)
- Why is the government’s ‘duty to consult’ important with respect to natural resource development in Canada?
- Why have some First Nations communities had long-term advisories to boil their drinking water? What does this situation reveal about the adequacy of laws protecting drinking water?
- Do you think that plans to expand pipelines adequately protect the land, including traditional Indigenous lands? Why, or why not?
- How is climate change affecting the lives of Inuit in Canada? Do you think current laws/agreements adequately address this issue? Why, or why not?
