Canadian Aboriginal voice : retooling Hirschman’s concepts of voice and exit

• Main Author: Freeman, Stacey
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2014
• Subjects: Canada; Moberly; First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/46376

The purpose of this study is to identify barriers faced by Aboriginals when employing voice channels for political and civic participation. This article begins with an overview of literature addressing participation paradigms. It critiques previous literature and offers a mathematical model to address the cost-benefit analysis Aboriginals face when employing various voice channels within Canada. This study is divided into two parts. Part I examines the costs to employing voice channels typically ascribed to Aboriginal participation. Part II, employs a case study of an Environmental Assessment currently underway between BC Hydro and the West Moberly First Nations. The case study applies ideas developed in Part I, highlighting barriers to Aboriginal participation. Throughout, this research examines the colonial relationship found within Canadian institutions and offers a new approach to restructure the relationship between the Crown and Aboriginal peoples.