Inherent Right to Self Government
Academic Articles

Locked Up and Looking for a Way Out:
This article by co-founder Catherine Macquarrie explores how First Nations can move beyond the constraints of the Indian Act by strengthening their own policy-making authority.

Implementing Bill C-92:
This article by Ducharme, Oakes & Soer examines how First Nations are using Bill C-92 to strengthen self-government in child and family services.

Completing Confederation: The Necessary Foundation
In the first chapter to “Sharing the Land, Sharing a Future”,聽 Abele, Alexiuk, MacQuarrie, & Satsan examine Indigenous self-government within the context of Canadian Confederation.

The Inherent Right of Indigenous Governance
This article by Kent McNeil examines how Indigenous self-government fits within Canada’s legal system and explores its implications for the future of governance and administrative law.
Short Articles and Tools

People, Land, Language – Foundations for Inherent Rights Governance.
This report summarizes insights from the 鈥淩ekindling the Fire鈥 gathering, where First Nations Elders, leaders, and practitioners came together to share experiences and discuss pathways toward self-government.

How First Nations are reclaiming their Right to Self-Government
This article reports on the RFNG project’s Spring 2022 lawmaking workshop, where First Nations leaders, Elders, and legal experts shared experiences in creating and implementing Indigenous laws.

Indian Act vs. Self-Determination
This visual by the Centre for First Nations Governance (CFNG) compares governance under the Indian Act with First Nations self-determination.
Videos

It’s a Full Box: The Historical Struggle for Recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights
This is the fourth in our series of five one-hour webinars in 2021 exploring the themes behind RFNG. In this episode, our expert panelists discuss the historical struggle for rights recognition.

From an Empty Box to a Full Box
In this presentation, Kent McNeil discusses the Indian Act, Section 35, and the Inherent Right of Indigenous Self-Government.