Author Description

The majority of Aboriginal people in Canada – First Nations, Inuit, and Métis – live in urban areas. Public policy making concerning urban Aboriginal people is, however, complex, complicated by geographic variation, and varies greatly in both quality and quantity from municipality to municipality. The responsibilities of different levels of government are hotly debated, and there is competition between Aboriginal organizations. In Urban Aboriginal Policy Making in Canadian Municipalities leading authorities interview both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal leaders, report on research done in a large variety of municipalities, and assess the quality of urban Aboriginal policy in Canada. Individual chapters highlight the unique issues related to policy making in this field – the important role of diverse Aboriginal organizations, the need to address Aboriginal and Treaty rights and the right to self-government, and the lack of governmental leadership – revealing a complex jurisdictional and programming maze. Contributors look at provinces where there has been extensive activity as well as provinces where urban Aboriginal issues seem largely irrelevant to governments. They cover small and mid-sized towns, remote communities, and large metropolises. While their research acknowledges that existing Aboriginal policy falls short in many ways, it also affirms that the field is new and there are grounds for improvement as it grows and matures.