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Indigenous Peoples have the Right to Decide

Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is the inherent right Indigenous communities have to decide “yes” or “no” to mining, forestry, oil, gas, water, or other proposed external activities that would affect their lands, territories, and/or natural resources.

Knowledge is Power

Learning about international and national standards helps communities to defend their lands.

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Free, Prior and Informed Consent
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Featured:

Shifting the Focus: Viewing Indigenous Consent Not as a Snapshot But As a Feature Film
Scientific Paper

2020 - English - Practical

Shifting the Focus: Viewing Indigenous Conse...

Michael Coyle

Consultation | Industry | Informed Decision Making | Canadian Law | Consultation | Land Access | UNDRIP

Shifting the Focus: Viewing Indigenous Consent Not as a Snapshot But As a Feature Film

This paper critiques current Canadian consultation processes and proposes changes to improve their effectiveness with respect to Indigenous values and legal orders, in order to strengthen the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canadian governments.

Reframing Indigenous Peoples from Stakeholders to Rightsholders
Scientific Paper

2020 - English - Practical

Reframing Indigenous Peoples from Stakeholde...

Peter Pomart

FPIC | Industry | Rights and Legal Framework | Consultation | Inherent Rights | Land Access | UNDRIP

Reframing Indigenous Peoples from Stakeholders to Rightsholders

This paper addresses the inconsistencies between consultation processes developed by industries and the existing FPIC guidelines, and how these inconsistencies attribute to the resistance of Indigenous Peoples to various resource development projects. By doing so, this paper also aims to shift Indigenous Peoples from stakeholders to rightsholders.

The Transformative Potential of Indigenous-Driven Approaches to Implementing Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Lessons from Two Canadian Cases
Scientific Paper

2020 - English - Practical

The Transformative Potential of Indigenous-D...

Martin Papillon, Thierry Rodon

FPIC | Indigenous Governance | Informed Decision Making | Community Engagement | Decision Making | UNDRIP

The Transformative Potential of Indigenous-Driven Approaches to Implementing Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Lessons from Two Canadian Cases

This paper addresses two case studies, a mining policy identified in the Cree Nation of James Bay and a community-driven impact assessment process identified by the Squamish Nation. The paper aims to articulate Indigenous-driven mechanisms and how these can transform how FPIC is implemented in practice.

From Our Blog:

Genocide in the Far North: Canada 1950

The following article was originally published in June 2018 in Dr. Hassmann's blog Rights & Rightlessness: Rhoda Hassmann on Human Right. You can find the original publication here. On June 11, 2018, Gloria Galloway published an article in the Globe and Mail (p. A9) entitled “Ahiarmiut ready for apology after several relocations.” According to Galloway, the Ahiarmiut are a small group of Inuit whom the Canadian government relocated about 100 km. from their original home in 1950, on the grounds that they were becoming too dependent on trade with federal employees at a radio tower near their home. They were “dropped on an island without food, shelter or tools.” To survive, they ate bark and whatever else they could get their hands on until winter came. Many died. In 1957, they were relocated again; this time they were given tents at their new location, as well as a “starvation box” that might feed them for a week. Some died again. There were three subsequent relocations. Through their lawyer, Steve Cooper, survivors and their descendants have been asking for compensation, an apology, and a memorial since 2007. According to Galloway, the government has finally agreed to settle, in part to bring ...

Exercising Indigenous Rights Increases Risk of Criminalization, Incarceration, and Death

There is much to celebrate since the 2007 signing of the Declaration of the rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (1). The internationalization of Indigenous rights has certainly not been without consequence. The signing of the Declaration, the development of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2), and an increasing corporate attention to the issues and practice of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) have confirmed the minimum standards of consultation and consent for proposed development on Indigenous lands. Indigenous communities have gained visibility and political profile both within Nation States and internationally. Indigenous communities globally are increasing their communication and collaboration with one another. The internationalization of Indigenous rights has contributed to increased Indigenous efforts to exercise rights to consultation and to decision making power regarding access to and development of Indigenous lands and resources. To what end? Corporate and state responses have not reflected the hopes of the Declaration. In 2017, 10 years after the signing of the Declaration, there is documented evidence of increased criminalization of, violence against, and deaths of Indigenous leaders, activists and allies. It was reported that in 2016, 281 people were killed while defending Indigenous lands and environmental rights in relation ...

The Promise of Indigenous Youth

This article was originally created in October 2012 in the blog series "The Rise of the Fourth World" published by the Centre for Governance Innovation. Access the original post. Canadian social policies directed towards Aboriginal (First Nation, Metis and Inuit) populations have largely been developed outside of a historical, cultural framework, providing a long standing demonstration of the role of policy as a centralized mechanism of social control. Little attention has been given to the specific cultures of diverse Aboriginal communities in the design and administration of policies which are administered across Canada. Aboriginal peoples have, historically, been collectively addressed in federal policies as “the Indian Problem,” rather than recognized and addressed, as they expected, as sovereign peoples with distinct cultures. Indigenous peoples endured formidable hardships. Their populations were decimated by the introduction of old world diseases such as small pox, typhus and influenza. The demographically weakened and political marginalized Canadian Aboriginal population was further affected by national social policy. The government introduced a series of political and administrative measures designed to undercut Indigenous cultural survival, including the criminalization of spiritual and cultural practices, forced re-location, the implementation of assimilation policies which interfered with local governance, and punitive forms of ...