Broken Trust: Finding Our Way Out of the Damaged Relationship Through the Rebuilding of Indigenous Legal Institutions

• Author: Aimée Craft
• Pages: 379-393



BrokenTrust

FINDINGOURWAYOUTOFTHE

DAMAGEDRELATIONSHIPTHROUGHTHE

REBUILDINGOFINDIGENOUS

LEGALINSTITUTIONS

Aimée Craft*

“Aboriginal peoples need to become the law’s architects

and interpreters where it applies to their collective rights and interests.”

A. INTRODUCTION

TherightsofIndigenouspeopleinCanadaareenshrinedintheConsti

tutionandsupportedbyimperativesofreconciliationandthehonourof

theCrownInternationallytherightsofIndigenouspeopleareconrmed

indeclarationsandconventionsthatacknowledgethesovereigntyofIn

digenous peoplei n their home territories Howeverin Canada thes e

rightsarecastundertheshadowofalonghistoryofcolonizationand

colonialismracismandprejudiceassimilationandculturalgenocide

ReectionsonthisdarkhistoryandbrokentrustbetweenCanadaand

IndigenouspeoplewererevisitedbysomewhileCanadacelebrated

yearsofConfederationManylamentedthebrokentrustthatcontinues

toshapetherelationship

 FacultyofLawUniversityofOawa

 TruthandReconciliationCommissionofCanadaTRCThe Final Re port of the Truth

and Reconciliation Commissio n of CanadavolWinnipegTheCommissionat

TruthandReconciliation