Unit 3
Aboriginal Governments in Practice

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Unit 3, you should be able to achieve the following learning objectives.

1. Discuss the policies of the Government of Canada relating to Aboriginal governance.
2. Identify and discuss the key goals of Canada’s First Nations regarding self-government.
3. Clarify the claims of many people regarding the unique and important relationship between Aboriginal peoples and land, and the relevance of such a relationship for self-determination and Aboriginal politics, as well as the relevance of other land values.
4. Distinguish how Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal governments generally use the terms “citizenship” and “membership,” and describe how these terms differ. Identify ways in which Aboriginal nations have defined membership.
5. Describe the challenges associated with the establishment of citizenship criteria.
6. Discuss the diversity of Aboriginal governing institutions and ways in which self-determination and self-government will likely be practised.
7. Describe the challenges involved in establishing Aboriginal governments.
8. Discuss the significance of the concept of “governance” as a theoretical basis for designing effective Aboriginal political processes and institutions.
9. Discuss the relationships among Aboriginal governments and other governments in Canada, including the distribution of authority, and the patterns of control and cooperation among them.
10. Outline the key elements of government institutions.
11. Discuss the relationship between Aboriginal governments and economic development, and define the concept of self-sufficiency.
12. Discuss the importance of the “subsistence” or “non-wage” economy.