Saturday, March 25, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
    • Women’s History Month Fundraiser
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy Program
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Annual Reports
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
    • Women’s History Month Fundraiser
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy Program
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Annual Reports
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

The International Recognition of Indigenous Resource Rights: Coates and Holroyd for Inside Policy

March 26, 2018
in Columns, Indigenous Affairs Program, Inside Policy, Ken Coates, Latest News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A

It has taken a great deal of time to secure the constitutional, political and legal power needed to protect Aboriginal interests, writes Coates and Holroyd for Inside Policy.

By Ken Coates and Carin Holroyd, March 26, 2018.

Canadians are slowly getting used to the re-empowerment of Indigenous people and their governments.  It has taken a great deal of time to secure the constitutional, political and legal power needed to protect Aboriginal interests.  Less noticed is the degree to which Indigenous rights have become a global issue.

Taiwan is a case in point. The Republic of China (Taiwan) officially recognized 16 Indigenous groups.  Over half a million Indigenous people live primarily in the mountainous lands on the eastern backbone of the island.  The first groups were recognized by the pre-World War II Japanese-run colonial government, with additional groups being officially added in the early 21st century.

Acknowledgement brought social and cultural assistance, but it did not immediately ensure Indigenous peoples a significant place in the Taiwanese economy.  But that has recently changed. The Indigenous Peoples Basic Law (2005, amended in 2015) has UNDRIP-like assurances of Indigenous language and cultural authority, protection for tribal governance and requirements for substantial government control.  

The Basic Law also includes clear commitments on resource use. Article 20 provided recognition of “Indigenous peoples’ rights to land and natural resources.” Article 21 required governments or private parties engaged in land development or other activities to “consult and obtain consent” by Indigenous peoples, including participation and sharing benefits. This is an impressive commitment, coming close to the “free, prior and informed consent” as outlined in UNDRIP.

But even promising commitments run into roadblocks, as the Trudeau government has since discovered.  So it has been in Taiwan. In 2017, thousands of Indigenous peoples, environmentalists and their supporters took to the streets to demand greater Indigenous control over existing and new mining projects.  Pushed by these protests, the Taiwan government moved to amend the Mining Act to give the authorities the right to reject mining renewals and otherwise control development activities. Opponents objected to the amendment, however, believing that mining companies with existing licenses could use the legislation to avoid further scrutiny.

The Taiwanese cabinet has proposed connecting the Mining Act to the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act, to re-enforce Indigenous authority.  But as one activist, Hsieh Meng-yu, said, “The government only respects Aborigines when it needs them to perform in big events, but as for their rights to land and natural resources, it can find all kinds of excuses to exploit their property.” In this regard, Taiwan has discovered the need to build bridges between the principles of inclusion and Indigenous recognition and the practicalities of serving both Indigenous and broader economic interests.  Canada often finds itself in the same situation.

Strengthening Indigenous rights has produced better and more appropriate resource development agreements and not intractable Aboriginal resistance.  Partnership on major developments and infrastructure is not a distant possibility; it is a current reality. Indigenous peoples have been negotiating effectively with resource companies and governments, securing more jobs and business opportunities, and steadily increasing their role in environmental oversight and project planning.  

This re-empowerment of Indigenous peoples has vital international dimensions.  Ottawa recently announced the formation of the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) to monitor the work of Canadian resource companies overseas. This comes at a time when Indigenous groups globally are far more assertive about their rights and needs, and non-governmental organizations draw world attention to examples of abuse or conflict over development.

The CORE initiative will, if properly done, re-enforce Canada’s international reputation for social justice and support for Indigenous peoples, and promote even more effective business relationships between Canadian firms and Indigenous communities.

The Taiwanese and Canadian developments are part of a growing international trend. Native Americans have developed strong partnerships with resource firms, notably in Alaskan mines and western oil and gas fields.  Australian firms have long collaborated with Canadian companies and have comparable approaches to working with Indigenous communities. Sami peoples in Scandinavia are facing considerable pressure to accept resource projects in their territories and are interested in the relative effectiveness of Canadian practices.  

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made collaboration with Indigenous peoples a centre-piece of his government’s agenda.  But he has discovered, as have the Taiwanese authorities, that it takes good will and commitment to transform pronouncements about Indigenous recognition into consistent action and real Indigenous authority.  Indeed, countries around the world are discovering that it’s not so easy to truly share power with Indigenous authorities on major economic and development files.

The first step is a major advance over the colonial and paternalistic policies of recent years.  The next step, one reflecting true partnership with Indigenous peoples, requires a continued high level of commitment and collaboration.

Ken Coates is a Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and Munk Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute.  Carin Holroyd is Associate Professor, University of Saskatchewan and Distinguished Senior Fellow, Asia Pacific Foundation.

 

Tags: AboriginalCanadaChinaeconomyIndigenousTaiwanUNDRIP
Previous Post

Swedish security policy after the Ukraine crisis: Magnus Petersson for Inside Policy

Next Post

Canada expels 4 Russian diplomats: Marcus Kolga on The Arlene Bynon Show

Related Posts

Putin and Xi driven to make authoritarianism the standard worldwide: Balkan Devlen in the National Post
Columns

Putin and Xi driven to make authoritarianism the standard worldwide: Balkan Devlen in the National Post

March 24, 2023
Outside intervention does a disservice to Indigenous communities that need to take control of their economic destinies: Chris Sankey in the National Post
Columns

Changing a lyric in O Canada is not a path to reconciliation: Chris Sankey in the Hub

March 23, 2023
Holding China to Account for the COVID-19 Coverup: Charles Burton and Brett Byers for Inside Policy
Columns

Beijing is the one stoking racism against Chinese-Canadians: Christian Leuprecht in the National Post

March 23, 2023
Next Post
Nazareth talks temporary foreign workers on 1310 News

Canada expels 4 Russian diplomats: Marcus Kolga on The Arlene Bynon Show

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
    • Women’s History Month Fundraiser
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Energy Policy Program
      • Energy
      • Environment
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Competition Policy in Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Annual Reports
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.