The Far North Act (2010) Consultative Process: A New Beginning or the Reinforcement of an Unacceptable Relationship in Northern Ontario, Canada?

• Published in: International Indigenous Policy Journal
• Main Authors: Gardner, Holly L., Tsuji, Stephen R. J., McCarthy, Daniel D., Whitelaw, Graham S., Tsuji, Leonard J.S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Western University 2012
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/iipj/article/view/7374

In northern Ontario, Canada, there have been two “negotiated” documents that required consultation between First Nations and the federated government of the land: Treaty No. 9 signed in 1905-1906 (Dominion of Canada, with the concurrence of the Province of Ontario) and Ontario’s Far North Act (2010). Treaty No. 9 has defined the relationship between First Nations and Canada; while, the Far North Act will define the relationship with Ontario. This article evaluated whether the Far North Act marked a new beginning or the reinforcement of an unacceptable relationship, using primary and secondary data analyses. Analyses revealed that the passing of the Far North Act was not a new beginning, but the continuation of an unacceptable relationship.