Race, Ethnicity, Indigenous Peoples and Politics

L10 - Indigenous and Minority Political Representation

Date: May 31 | Time: 10:30am to 12:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 418 Room ID:15761

Chair/Président/Présidente : Karen Bird (McMaster University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Karen Bird (McMaster University)

Municipal-Indigenous Relations in Brantford, Hamilton and Niagara: Joanne Heritz (Brock University)
Abstract: Half of Canada’s Indigenous population live in urban centres. While there is a tendency to associate Indigenous peoples as mostly residing in the Prairie provinces, Ontario’s Indigenous peoples are comparatively understudied despite the fact that Ontario is home to the largest Indigenous population, and the Six Nations of the Grand River is the largest reserve in Canada. Having previously reported on Indigenous-Municipal relationships in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto (Heritz 2016), this paper asks: How are Indigenous peoples represented in municipal government in Ontario? What is the relationship between municipal government and urban Indigenous peoples? How have municipalities in the golden horseshoe responded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action? What impact does the proximity of the Six Nations reserve have on urban Indigenous representation? This paper uses a place-based approach that assesses Indigenous representation in local government.in Brantford, Hamilton and Niagara in three stages. The first stage maps the actual representation of Aboriginal peoples in municipal government. The second stage reports on interviews conducted within each community to determine the extent of Indigenous representation within the machinery of municipal government. Building on the previous two stages, the third stage compares the Municipal-Indigenous relationship in Brantford, Hamilton and Niagara.

Are Indigenous Groups Like Ethnic Groups? Theorizing and Assessing Indigenous Political Representation: Meaghan Williams (University of Toronto), Robert Schertzer (University of Toronto)
Abstract: Within the broader literature on political representation, studies exploring Indigenous forms of representation are rather limited. Where they exist, they tend to explore how western models of political representation include Indigenous peoples, conflating Indigenous peoples with other forms of group identity – notably ethno-national minorities. This paper asks whether and how Indigenous political representation might be distinguished from the representation of other forms of group identity (with a focus on ethno-national minorities). As part of this exploration we also ask what key principles ought to inform an effective and legitimate theory of Indigenous representation. Our argument is that Indigenous groups are distinct from other ethno-national minorities, defined by unique representational needs that require particular political institutions. Specifically, Indigenous groups’ identities tend to be relational, which leads to political mobilization seeking a means to rectify and respond to the colonial nation-state project (rather than seeking inclusion in the state infrastructure). With an appreciation of this relational aspect of Indigenous political mobilization, we develop a theoretical framework that identifies three principles that ought to inform an effective and legitimate model of Indigenous political representation: recognition, protection and decolonization. To ground this theoretical framework in actual political practice, we apply it to assess the extent to which existing models of Indigenous political representation across the globe correspond with these three principles.