A people's dream : Aboriginal self-government in Canada

Summary: In this book, Dan Russell argues that Aboriginal self-government is an attainable objective best achieved through a constitutional amendment, not through treaties, as has been the preoccupation of provincial and federal governments since 1982. He claims that reliance on treaties as an instrument of self-government is misguided and doomed to failure. He supports this claim by examining the notion of "tribal sovereignty" practised in the United States and describing how tribal communities there exercise self-governing authority." "Russell goes on to discuss the obstacles to self-government in Canada. What should be the relationship of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to Aboriginal governance structures? How can Aboriginal women's rights be incorporated within future forms of Aboriginal governments? How can collective rights mesh with individual rights guaranteed by the Charter? And how can the recommendations in the final report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples ever be reconciled to hopes for self-government?" "A People's Dream offers an original perspective on one of the foremost issues facing Canadians today. Thought-provoking and at times controversial, it will be of interest to policy makers, lawyers, students of Native studies, and anyone interested in issues of Aboriginal self-government.