Assignment:
Course Description:
This course will offer a comprehensive survey of knowledge and information on First Nation Self-Governance in Canada. An overview of governance systems and structures that apply to First Nations communities pursuant to historical federal legislation such as Indian Act and other policy considerations including Band Council elections, Indian registry criteria and land issues will be provided. A focal point of this course will be to examine law making, jurisdiction, policy, leadership, financial and capacity aspects of self-government and the greater implementation of customary and Indigenous law.
Governance is the traditions (norms, values, culture, language) and institutions (formal structures, organization, practices) that a community uses to make decisions and accomplish its goals. At the heart of the concept of governance is the creation ofeffective, accountable and legitimate systems and processes where citizens articulate their interests, exercise their rights & responsibilities and reconcile their differences. (First Nations Governance Centre).
Learning Objectives:
• To become familiar with the five pillars of effective governance
• To understand components of the Nation-Building Approach and why Native Nations who choose this approach are better able to achieve their development goals
• The relationship and differences between self-determination and governance and the challenges they present
Required Readings:
a) The Five Pillars ofEffective Governance, Val Napoleon, National Center for First Nations Governance (2007)
b) Sovereignty and Nation-Building: The Development Challenge in Indian Country Today, pages 187-214 of the American Indian Culture and Research Journal, Volume 22, No. 3, Stephen Cornell and Joseph P. Kalt, (1998)
Supplementary Readings
a) Principles to Support Effective Governance, Discussion Document, National Centre for First Nations Governance (2008)
b) Canada's Indigenous Constitution, John Borrows. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010).
Please answer ONE of the following questions for this week's assignment. Be sure to answer all parts of the questions to the best of your ability and use the questions as your headings. This assignment shall not exceed one page and be sure to include your name, student number and assignment number (Written Assignment 6) at the top of the page. Proof-read your work before you submit it.
Question 1: 2 to 3 paragraphs
Based on the Sovereignty and Nation-Building reading, in your own words briefly compare and contrast the two different concepts to economic development discussed by Cornell, Curtis & Jorgensen. Provide a minimum of 3 points for each category.
a) Jobs and Income
b) Nation-Building
Question 2: 2 to 3 paragraphs
In the reading by Val Napoleon notes that self-government, self-determination, and sovereignty are "women's issues" (even though they are not typically imagined as such). Do you agree or disagree? Explain? What are some possible repercussions of erasing Indigenous women in/from discussions pertaining to self-government, self-determination, and sovereignty? Provide three points or compelling arguments to support your answer.