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This book explores the foundations and characteristics of public policy discourse on Aboriginal affairs between publication of H.B. Hawthorn's Survey of the contemporary Indians of Canada in 1966-67 and the establishment of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1991. The primary sources are 222 documents prepared by Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal organizations and governments over this period. The focus in analyzing these documents is to trace the evolution of policy discussions and debates in four key areas: lands and resources, governance, criminal justice, and education. The analysis considers three basic questions: who was involved in policy discussions; how did policy discussions occur; and what was said about key issues in the domain of Aboriginal affairs. Building on the analysis, the book examines the documentary evidence in light of the role of international influences, the dominant preoccupations of Aboriginal peoples and Canadian governments in the evolution of their relationship, and the extent to which the relationship has been accompanied by clarity of Canadian government policy and genuine consultation.

Seven experts, representing a variety of disciplinary perspectives, discuss specific reform efforts in a number of social welfare policy areas and identify the jurisdictional fremework of policy-making in Canada's federal system as a factor of significantly affects these efforts.