Indigenous people of Canada Public Policy

Research question 2

The nature of Indigenous relationships with governments in Canada.

 Indigenous Canadians or aboriginal comprise Indians, Inuit, and Metis.  Many issues have affected the lives of indigenous people and the root cause of the problem is the lack of relationship between the indigenous and the country. The aboriginal and non-original people are divided by a well-being gap and the gap has remained unresolved.  Indigenous people including women and girls are misrepresented and they are vulnerable to abuse.  Lack of relationship has resulted in social and economic dysfunction in Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal people have a culture of poverty, they experience a high rate of unemployment, incarcerations rate is high, they rarely enjoy social welfare, and the illiteracy rate is high, among other problems.  The federal government and provincial governments have tried to solve these problems to meet the interest of Aboriginal Canadians.  For example, the provincial government has employed provincial staff who play the role of management of natural resources and help Aboriginal communities access the resources in areas such as Ontario and Columbia.  However, Aboriginal people have not benefited from these initiatives, and they continue to face frustrations. This means that there are many urgent issues and challenges that need to be addressed. The purpose of this paper is to focus on future relationships or new ways of alleviating social and economic challenges affecting aboriginal Canadians.  It is important to note that the governments should not only focus on providing the services to Aboriginal communities, but it should also focus on building relationships that promote trust, mutual respect and mutual goals.  In building peace and relationships with indigenous Canadians or to promote reconciliation, the government should embrace indigenous peoples' traditions, their practices, and policies, give them a sense of hope, promote their well-being, and help them gain self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

 Focusing on the nature of the relationship between the Indigenous Canadians and the government, it is important to note that the relationships go beyond affairs that lead to government funding, provision of energy, clean water, education, among other resources (Alcantara et al. 2016).  Note that the government has been providing these resources as a way of promoting collaboration but still, the Indigenous have mistrust toward the government or the rapport between the Indigenous and the government has not been harmonious.   The answer to the question 'what is the nature of the relationship between Aboriginal people and the government is that the relationship is based on mutual recognition, mutual respect,   mutual responsibility, and sharing (Alcantara et al. 2016).  These principles of relationship indicate that the kind of relationship that is needed should be productive and it should promote mutual benefits. 

There have been many agreements between the governments and the Indigenous people.  These agreements mainly focused on the provision of municipal services such as water and sewer, fire protection, housing, and other basic services.  Besides, people from the First Nation and the federal government have signed agreements to build a highway, regional roads, bring economic development, conference centers, sewer management, and animal control, among other agreements (Alcantara et al. 2016). However, academics and the media have not recognized Aboriginal people in the intergovernmental agreements.  In talking about the Aboriginal Policy Making, academics and the media only recognize organizations such as federal government, municipal governments, and the provincial governments (Alcantara et al. 2016).  Despite the fact that the Aboriginal people and the governments sign agreements and cooperate on issues such as economic issues, land use, homeless program, and other issues, and concerns, the academics and the media do not pay attention to the role of Aboriginal people in policy-making but they treat the governments as the only entity in policymaking.

 Lack of recognition has been influenced by the absence of jurisdictional leadership.  In policymaking, the levels of government do not have knowledge or interest in Aboriginal communities. In other words, the senior's levels of government lack the clarification of responsibilities (Alcantara et al. 2016).  It is important to understand the negotiation and agreements promotes the relationship.   However, relationships can only be achieved if the agreement benefits both sides.  In this case, the Aboriginal people and governments sign agreements but Aboriginal people do not gain benefits.  This means that the agreements which are envisioned to promote relationship do not achieve the intended goal.  Therefore, to achieve the goal of achieving reconciliation and promoting relationships, the senior levels of government or rather the leaders should be in the frontline to promote strong relationships.  For example, the municipal government is expected to consult the Aboriginal communities or First Nations in facilitating the construction of infrastructures.  Even though the agreements state that the governments have a legal obligation to consult, it does not recognize the 'duty to consult' (Alcantara et al. 2016).   This indicates that even though the governments including the federal, provincial, and municipal play a great role in signing an agreement, they do not involve Indigenous actors. 

Focusing on the nature of the relationship between the Aboriginal Canadians and the government, it is important to note that to promote reconciliation and relationships, the governments should consult Indigenous actors. This is because, Aboriginal actors know their city's population, Aboriginal issues, among other issues in the Aboriginal communities. Indigenous actors or Aboriginal organizations would play a great role in educating politicians about Aboriginal issues that needs attention and also discuss with them the appropriate responses (Alcantara et al. 2016).  This kind of relationship not only solve the problems but it will also promote mutual respect. Thus, Alcantara et al. (2016) argue that the governments should recognize the Indigenous agency.  Note that the municipal government cannot address Aboriginal issues without consulting.  Thus, to attend to the issues and act on the Aboriginal agency should in the frontline. 

It is important to note that the nature of the relationship is not a complicated topic because it entails moving beyond the basic service agreements to include intensive collaborative governance. There is no big difference between basic service agreements and collaborative governance because the latter involves forming agreement and rather than depending on one party to fulfill the agreement, the parties work together (Alcantara et al. 2016).  Thus, the paper focuses on agreements typology that states the nature of the agreement.  Remember that agreement and negotiation are strategies of promoting relationships and since the paper's major theme is a relationship, it will identify the various agreement typology and how they would promote different patterns of relationships and mutual respect.

 

 The nature of the relationship

 Jurisdictional negotiation

  The great method of promoting relationship between   Indigenous and governments is through jurisdictional negotiations. This entails making agreements based on territory, infrastructure, resources, and other services. The negotiation also entails making decisions based on responsibility transfer on issues based on natural resources, access and water rights, and more (Alcantara et al. 2016).  Both parties (in this case the Indigenous and governments) can use different negotiation methods. At the end of the jurisdictional negotiations, Indigenous and one or all levels of governments should form relationships, and more importantly, mutual respect.  First, a relationship will be achieved through service agreement.   In this case, the governments should sign an agreement and allow the Indigenous to have access and autonomy in their community territory. For example, the government may provide fire protection.   Second, in jurisdictional negotiations, Indigenous and governments should promote relationships through joint-management treaties.  This means that both parties should collaborate in managing the services, administer resources, and share costs and revenues (Alcantara et al. 2016). This is a collaborative initiative and is different from service-agreement in that rather than delegating the responsibility to the government and wait for the government to act, join-management allows both the government and the Indigenous to have a shared responsibility. For example, in 2011, the communities of Pembroke Bonnechere, Petawawa, and other communities collaborated with the First Nations in recruiting medical professionals to mitigate the issue of shortage of medical services (Alcantara et al. 2016).  This is a type of join-management agreement in that both the Indigenous and other diverse communities had equal participation in coming up with the initiative.

 

 Relationship-building agreements

  The second way to promote relationships that would lead to mutual benefits is relationship-building agreements. This means that the Indigenous and the government should create a formal partnership and discuss the importance of mutual recognition,  and the need to focus on transparency and communication (Alcantara et al. 2016).  Note that before entering into the phase of collaborative police, Indigenous and the government should first agree to cooperate without legal binding. Relationship-building is very important it creates a path in which the Indigenous and the governments will discuss issues of mutual concern and create a partnership. For example, governments from the Ktunaxa nation and local governments created a memorandum of understanding (MOU) (Alcantara et al. 2016).  In the MOU  agreement, (a kind of relationship-building agreement),  the parties agreed to develop working relationships through commitment, respect and open communication in addressing issues  like economic development, infrastructure development, and more.  Similarly, Indigenous and the government should have a relationship-building agreement in that whenever they want to make decisions or policies concerning economy, land, or infrastructure, they should be guided by this type of agreement.

 Decolonization agreements

 The third method in which the Indigenous and the government should create a relationship that would promote mutual respect is decolonization.  This means that the Indigenous and the government should agree that Indigenous Canadians were the landowners until the period when Canadians colonized the territories.  The municipal and regional authorities should agree to let the Indigenous community enjoy their culture and inherent rights (Alcantara et al. 2016). This agreement is very important in that first, it will promote mutual understanding, second, the governments will agree that Indigenous should occupy the land, and third, the agreement will promote mutual respect.  For example, Okanagan and the First Nation signed an agreement in 1999 and the Okanagan and recognized that Westbank First National was the first to arrive in Okanagan and later the non-Native people arrived (Alcantara et al. 2016).They also agreed that the courts should focus on fairness and justice, and promote equality while addressing issues on Okanagan. The decolonization agreement created a lasting relationship, and it promoted mutual respect.

 

Capacity building

 Capacity building is an important method that will promote long-lasting relationships and promote mutual respect.  All governments should create capacity-building support programs and give Indigenous active participation in these programs (Rakshit et al, 2018).  Such initiatives will give Indigenous a sense of pride, and help them increase their self-esteem. A point to note is that all governments, policy-makers, and other stakeholders should provide capacity building in multiple dimensions (Rakshit et al, 2018).  For example, they should focus on promoting their human development, political leadership, and other areas that give Indigenous the capacity to address their external and internal stresses and meet their needs.  Thus, capacity building is a process of social change in that it will bring leadership ability, knowledge, management systems, community cohesion, and interpersonal relationships.

 

 Empowerment for self-reliance

  According to the OECD (1999), many of the problems that Aboriginal Canadians are facing are a result of dependency or reliance on government. As a result, Aboriginal Canadians continue to be marginalized in social and economic areas (OECD, 1999). The solution to the problem of dependency is not on the government but it is the Indigenous communities. In other, Aboriginal Canadians should have a vision of development and become self-reliant. This means that they should foresee the opportunities and standards and struggle to achieve ownership and bring a difference in the nation (OECD, 1999). The process of striving to shift from being dependent to become self-reliant will strengthen the relationship and improve mutual respect.

 

 From co-management to autonomy

 This means that in labor market programs, Indigenous and the federal government have been co-managing the labor market. The co-management has played a significant role in building capacity (OECD, 1999).  However, when it comes to signing agreements, the Canadian governments have been acting as the seniors which means that Indigenous lack the opportunity to speak up (OECD, 1999). The current nature of the relationship states that Indigenous should have autonomy in creating and implementing the labor market programs.

 

 Self-determination and self-government

 This principle states that Indigenous people have their own ways of life such as customs and traditions, and inherent rights such as right political rights, economic rights, land rights, customs,  traditions, philosophies, and others (Wilson-Raybould, 2018).  The Canadian government should recognize and respect Indigenous title and rights, and involve them in modern treaties. The government especially the federal government should also change the structure of practices and allow the Indigenous to govern themselves (Wilson-Raybould, 2018). This will promote a sustainable relationship and allow the two parties to work together in the future. 

  Eliminate social inequality

 All governments and non-government organizations should bring a healthy development in the Indigenous communities.  Indigenous people have suffered from health issues, a high rate of incarceration, lack of employment, among other issues that demand a unified response (Satzewich et al.2000). A wise strategy is that the federal government should come up with an initiative to acknowledge the difficulties and challenges that the First Nations have encountered and work toward healing the wound.  This strategy with foster reconciliation and build healthy relationships.  Another important point is that   Aboriginal communities are socially different.  This has brought a fundamental division and inequality, especially in ownership and control (Satzewich et al.2000). To integrate Indigenous Canadians in a cohesive community, the federal government should promote social equality regardless of gender and race. 

 Conclusion

  For many years, the relationship between Indigenous Canadians and governments has not been harmonious.  The government has been violating Aboriginal rights such as their cultural and religious practices, land rights, removal from indigenous communities, violation of their aboriginal identity, among other problems. However, Canada is in a reconciliation era-meaning that the Indigenous people and the government are working toward building long-lasting relationships that would bring mutual benefits and promote mutual benefits. The research paper has researched the nature of the relationship and found that the relationships are mainly based on recognition. The federal and provincial governments should realize this strategy and strive to recognize their rights and interest, and more importantly, accept that they are Native in the land.  The government should address their claims, acknowledge their concerns, remove barriers in their territories, and come up with new policies and programs that focus on alleviating all legal barriers.  In summary, the relationship between the Indigenous peoples and the government should be based on the recognition of rights and interests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Rakshit R., Shahi C., Smith (Peggy) M.A., & Cornwell Adam. (2018). Community Capacity

Building for Energy Sovereignty: A First Nation Case Study." Sustainability in

Environment, 3(2)

 

Alcantara, C., Nelles, J., & Institute of Public Administration of Canada,. (2016). A quiet

evolution: The emergence of indigenous-local intergovernmental partnerships in

Canada.

 

 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (OECD).  (1999). Decentralising

Employment Policy: New Trends and Challenges: The Venice Conference. Paris: OECD

Publishing.

 

Wilson-Raybould, J. (2018). Principles Respecting the Government of Canada's Relationship

with Indigenous Peoples. Department of Justice Canada

 

Satzewich, V., Wotherspoon, T., & University of Regina. (2000). First Nations: Race, class and

gender relations. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center.