Les apories des politiques autochtones au Canada par Thierry Rodon

Abstract

Reviewed by: Les apories des politiques autochtones au Canada par Thierry Rodon Gavin Furrey Rodon, Thierry, Les apories des politiques autochtones au Canada. PU du Québec, 2019. ISBN 978-2-7605-5158-9. Pp. 298. An "aporia" reveals itself to be an appropriate descriptor of indigenous policies as the reader is introduced to the numerous contradictions insolubles that mark the relationship between Canada and the first societies existing above (and before) the 49th parallel. While the work of studying politics as issues of a settler colonial nature has always been of importance, recent blockades and protests by indigenous peoples toward Canada's resource extraction projects may spark increased interest among citizens and scholars. The first section of this text guides the reader through the evolution of the relationship between Canada and indigenous societies. Rodon describes the periods of alliances, submission, then that of a new relationship. Various approches toward a new relationship are discussed with critical attention given to the La loi sur les Indiens, recognition of ancestral rights and title, and the consequences of L'acte constitutionnel, 1982. This section also presents indigenous peoples as political actors through a discussion of the modalities and sources of power in Canada, and untangles the complex relationships between the Federal government, provincial governments, and the various governing systems of indigenous peoples. The following section focuses on territorial politics, autonomous government systems, and economic development. Canada's current Comprehensive Land Claims policy is a major topic here. Rodon does not shy away from asserting that this policy initially sought to extinguish ancestral titles of indigenous peoples in return for compensation, and maintains that there remains a tension in how these agreements are understood: an ever-evolving and forward-moving relationship with indigenous peoples or legal certainty for Canada? He highlights the difficulty of this process for indigenous peoples (in terms of time, cost, and existential weight) and the conflict of interest [End Page 248] at work with Canada being fiduciary, party, and judge in these negotiations. Rodon also clarifies various models of autonomous government based on nationhood (or ethnicity) territory, and interest groups (of pretense for urban indigenous persons far from their ancestral lands), and reminds the reader that for indigenous peoples, "on craint le caractère final de ces ententes" (185), as changes that may be necessary in the future are rendered much more difficult to realize. The importance of land and resource access for economic development is highlighted, however Rodon also underscores the diversity of positions and options in communities in regards to a viable economic future. The final section provides case studies of Quebec's relationship with indigenous peoples (of notable interest due to competing national projects within a larger federation), Inuit autonomies (of particular pertinence due to melting ice in the northern region of multiple nation-states), and the indigenous policies of the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. While it should be considered a relatively comprehensive work, one might be left with questions regarding the increasingly intercontinental and international character of indigenous resistance in the twenty-first century, as accelerating rates and increasing volume of communications, capital, and culture further complicate the aporias of indigenous politics everywhere. Gavin Furrey Université de Montréal (QC) Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French