Provincial and Territorial Politics in Canada and Beyond

J10 - Roundtable: Mapping and Assessing IGR - Nation to Nation Relations: Rethinking the Role of Indigenous Peoples as Intergovernmental Partners

Date: May 31 | Time: 10:30am to 12:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 408 Room ID:15760

Joint Session / Séance conjointe : with Race, Ethnicity and Indigenous Peoples and Politics Section

Chair/Président/Présidente : Martin Papillon (Université de Montréal)

Participants
Martin Papillon (Université de Montréal)
Chris Alcantara (Western University)
Jerald Sabin (Western University)
Kelly Saunders (Brandon University)

As Canada seeks to make amends for its colonial past and build the foundations for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, their role as partners in Canada’s IGR system becomes all the more important. This roundtable will take stock of recent developments and look at key challenges in developing intergovernmental relations with Indigenous peoples that are built on the principle of nation-to-nation relations. What is the role of Indigenous organizations in the traditional mechanisms of Canadian IGR, such as the FMM, the Council of the Federation or the various sectoral councils and committees? What are the implications of the increasing tendency of Indigenous organizations and governments to engage in bilateral and trilateral relations with federal, provincial, territorial as well as municipal authorities? Are existing practices consistent with a nation-to-nation model of relations? If not, how could these forums be reinvented to make room for Indigenous peoples? Who should represent Indigenous nations in these forums? Are the national organizations (AFN, ITK, NMC, etc) the most appropriate bodies for representing Indigenous peoples in these forums?