Keywords
Canada, Indigenous Politics, Treaties, Indigenous Feminism, Canadian politics
Document Type
Main Theme / Tema Central
Abstract
Indigenous nations in Canada have an inherent right to self-determination of their governments and traditional territory; however, how best to implement and ensure this right remains up for debate within Indigenous scholarship. In contrast to such debates, the Canadian State boasts the modern treaty process as the apex tool of Indigenous self-governance, permitting legitimate nation-to-nation relationship building. In this paper, I use an Indigenous feminist analytical framework to investigate if the negotiation and arrangement of existing modern treaties successfully accomplish the goal of creating a nation-to-nation partnership between Indigenous nations and the Crown. Following a critical reading of the modern treaty known as the Maa-nulth Final Agreement, this paper ultimately argues that the Maa-nulth Final Agreement fails to legitimately foster a nation-to-nation partnership between the Maa-nulth First Nations Governments at the Crown and instead, treats the Maa-nulth First Nations as a distinct community with special privileges, nonetheless subject to the overarching entitlement of sovereignty by the Crown.
Recommended Citation
Clements, Maci
(2026)
"Paternalism under the Guise of Partnership: How Modern Treaties in Canada Fall Short in Building Nation-to-Nation Relationships Between Indigenous Governments and the Crown,"
Culture, Society, and Praxis: Vol. 18:
No.
1, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/csp/vol18/iss1/1