The History of Metis Aboriginal Rights: Politics, Principle, and Policy.

Abstract This article gives a schematic overview of metis aboriginal rights from the Huron and Superior Treaties of 1850 to the Mackenzie Valley Treaty of 1921. It traces the evolution of federal policy in several stages: treating Metis as Indians, followed by individual grants of land, scrip and mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of law and society
Main Author: Flanagan, Thomas E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1990
Subjects:
Law
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0829320100001721
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0829320100001721
Description
Summary:Abstract This article gives a schematic overview of metis aboriginal rights from the Huron and Superior Treaties of 1850 to the Mackenzie Valley Treaty of 1921. It traces the evolution of federal policy in several stages: treating Metis as Indians, followed by individual grants of land, scrip and money. Pragmatism and expediency led to many inconsistencies in policy, but there were also pressures of administrative precedent favouring rationalization. Awareness of this history is essential in determining what metis aboriginal rights, if any, are still “existing” under s. 25 of the Constitution Act, 1982.