23 Matching Annotations
  1. May 2017
    1. Ottawa

      Capital of the state of Canada. Ottawa is the location of the house of commons and senate, legislative bodies that govern the Canadian state. Located in the southeast of the country and responsible for administering the federal government and negotiations with indigenous people, it is the seat of federal power. Each province is directed by self defined governments, usually that mimic the federal structure. Provinces are funded by residents and the federal government to implement a wide variety of programs and administrative tasks.

      (http://www.worldatlas.com/upload/86/37/4a/694px-political-map-of-canada.png)

    2. Mackenzie Delta pipeline project proposal

      Northern Frontier, Northern Homelands (also known as the Berger Inquiry) the title given to the national survey undertaken by Thomas Berger about the Mackenzie delta pipeline. The pipeline is set to take oil and gas from the Beaufort sea in the arctic through sensitive ecosystems and indigenous lands to refineries in southern Canada. Published in 1977, the multi year inquiry is the first time that indigenous voices were included in these discussions in a meaningful way. The results of the inquiry were to delay pipeline construction until land claims had been settled as well as recommending that only one of the proposed routes would adequately balance access and protection. Ultimately the pipeline was never constructed.

      The Berger inquiry pioneered the inclusion of indigenous viewpoints into federal policy. Berger went to great lengths to ensure that public hearings were accessible to many stakeholders, holding them in both the north and the south. Additionally news of the inquiry was translated into a variety of different indigenous languages and broadcast over the radio to keep folks informed.

      Full annotated text: http://nfnh2017.scholar.bucknell.edu/

    3. white paper

      http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/DAM/DAM-INTER-HQ/STAGING/texte-text/cp1969_1100100010190_eng.pdf

      Link to original text of the “white paper” that declares governmental intention to settle land claims with indigenous peoples.

    4. state owned enterprises

      State Owned Enterprises (SoE) are a business structure that marries private firms with state resources and support. They are typically socialist construction to keep some capitalist elements in a socialized system, while maintaining government control or significant influence over the means of production. SoEs are widespread in China and some have proven successful, while others only exist through consistent government support. Oftentimes they are propped up by government contracts and access to public resources. Countries outside of China operate SoEs as well. In essence the government has a controlling stake in the company and but there is still a private arm. These are commonly created for governments to control natural resources or public goods and provide a policy objective (increased access for home loans for example). Many nations have SoE's, some examples include Shanghai International Port Group, National Railway Company of Belgium, Korea Broadcasting System, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the USA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the USA.

    5. Arusha declaration

      A declaration of principles from the Tangnyika African National Union (TANU) in what is modern day Tanzania. It offers a socialist vision of the future focused on governmental values and control over public goods. Another key aspect of the TANU Arusha declaration is the idea of the equal compensation for labor. It also lays out the policy of self-reliance for development, a key feature of anti-colonialist rhetoric in south western Africa. The Arusha declaration has clear connections the concept of Ujamaa or “brotherhood” in its guiding philosophy.

      Full text can be found here: http://library.fes.de/fulltext/bibliothek/3-tanzania-s0019640.pdf

    6. Dene declaration
    7. Indian Act

      Canadian legislation that controls how the federal government interfaces with native peoples. This comes at the heels of various land claims settlements, and lays the groundwork for the creation of the province of Nunavut, the first indigenous administered province.

      Full Text: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/I-5.pdf

    8. statute of Westminster

      Canada, Austrailia, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa were all dominions of the British crown. This means they were beholden to Westminster and could not legislate freely. Laws that were passed in a Dominion could not infringe on British law.<br> This statute grants extra-territoriality to these places. Though many of them retain cultural and symbolic ties to the crown, this marks the beginnings of their self-governance.

      http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1931/4/pdfs/ukpga_19310004_en.pdf

      Link to full text establishing the modern state of Canada as separate from the crown.

    9. Inuvialuit final agreement

      The Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA) represents 10 years of negotiations between the Committee for Original People’s Entitlement (COPE) and the government of Canada (eia.gov). COPE is an organization established in 1970 to represent the interests of Inuvialuit of western arctic. The federal government accepted the claim forwarded by COPE, in contrast to the claim forwarded by the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) another advocacy group (Committee for Original People's Entitlement, 2016). The claim gives land, mineral, water, hunting and trapping and title to areas outlined by the agreement to a series of Inuit corporations (inuvialuit land). There is a monetary payment that is to be paid out over time, managed by the Inuvialuit Regional corporation. Existing leases and uses of the land must be honored by the new owners, however they would be the new points of contact for renegotiation.

      Further Reading:

      http://www.inuvialuitland.com/resources/Inuvialuit_Final_Agreement.pdf

      Sources:

      1. Affairs, Executive And Indigenous. "Inuvialuit." Executive and Indigenous Affairs. Accessed May 5, 2017. https://www.eia.gov.nt.ca/en/priorities/concluding-and-implementing-land-claim-and-self-government-agreements/inuvialuit.

      2. "Committee For Original Peoples Entitlement Cope ." Committee For Original Peoples Entitlement Cope - Canadian Arctic. June 29, 2016. Accessed May 07, 2017. https://www.climate-policy-watcher.org/canadian-arctic/committee-for-original-peoples-entitlement-cope.html.

    10. bands

      In the 1940’s the Canadian government decided to refer to aboriginal nations as tribes and bands. This is can be read as an insult as the term band is used to describe robbers and other ne’er-do-wells.

      Ikan Innovations. "History." DENE NATION. 2016. Accessed May 07, 2017. https://www.denenation.ca/history/.

    1. State Owned Enterprises

      State Owned Enterprises (SoE) are a business structure that marries private frims with state resources and support. They are typically socialist construction to keep some capitalist elements in a socialized system, while maintaining government control or significant influence over the means of production. SoEs are widespread in China and some have proven successful, while others only exist through consistent government support. Oftentimes they are propped up by government contracts and access to public resources. Countries outside of China operate SoEs as well. In essence the government has a controlling stake in the company and but there is still a private arm. These are commonly created for governments to control natural resources or public goods and provide a policy objective (increased access for home loans for example). Many nations have SoE's, some examples include Shanghai International Port Group, National Railway Company of Belgium, Korea Broadcasting System, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the USA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the USA.

  2. Apr 2017
  3. Mar 2017
    1. Sachs Harbour

      Sachs Harbour, located on Banks Island, is a small settlement in northern Canada visited by Berger during the Inquiry. The map below shows the location of Sachs Harbour and gives a sense of the breadth of the north Berger travelled. According to the Canadian census, only 112 people lived in the settlement in 2011. The vast majority of residents speak english today, though some report english and non-official language, probably a local indigenous language (Census). Permanent indigenous residents of the island are permitted subsistence hunting and trapping of wild animals to preserve their way of life (Parks Canada). Evidence of pre-Dorset inhabitation of the island has been uncovered and dated to 1500 BCE. Eastern Arctic Dorset, Thule, and Inuvialuit all have left physical traces on the island. European explorers came in the 1850s in an unsuccessful search for the northwest passage (Parks Canada).

      Sachs Harbour is the administrative site of Aulavik national park (Parks Canada). The park covers ~4600 square miles (12,000 square kilometers) and is home to a wide variety of land animals as well as the Thompsen river. Over 68,000 muskox make their home on Banks island, the highest concentration of muskoxen in the world with a significant portion living in the park itself. The Thompsen river is the northernmost navigable waterway and home to a wide variety of freshwater fish and related aquatic organisms. An isolated wilderness park, the land and organisms that live there are set aside to conserve "pristine arctic environment" (Parks Canada).

      (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sachs+Harbour,+NT,+Canada/@70.6651894,-124.6126443,4.59z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x5109fd63f172c395:0xae7a914c6901e9c2!8m2!3d71.985123!4d-125.246483)

      1. Canada, Statistics. "Sachs Harbour, Northwest Territories (Code 6101041) And Northwest Territories (Code 61) (Table)". Statistics Canada. N.p., 2012. Web. 9 Mar. 2017.

      2. "Parks Canada - Aulavik National Park - Aulavik National Park Of Canada". 2013. Pc.Gc.Ca. http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nt/aulavik/index.aspx.

    2. Knut Lang

      Knut Lang (1896-1964) was a Scandinavian man who settled in the Mackenzie Delta from the 1936-1964. He operated a trading post that serviced fur trappers (mostly muskrat), both Inuit and non-Inuit. He was well liked and known for his generosity, eventually becoming elected to the territorial council of the northwest territories from 1957-1964 (Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute).

      Knut is recognized as suggesting the name Inuvik for the town on the eastern edge of the delta. Inuvik later became administrative center of the region (Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute) . In the 1950's and 1960's the Canadian government began to entertain the idea of indigenous government (Assembly.gov.nt.ca) . Knut saw the most direct path towards self governance of the northwest territory lay by dividing the northwest territory into an Inuit dominated eastern Arctic and western Arctic comprised of Inuvialuit, Métis, and Dene. This culminated in the creation of the nunavut territory in 1999 (Assembly.gov.nt.ca).

      1. Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute,. Nomination Form For Territorial Historic Sites:Knut Lang's Place. Fort McPherson, NWT: Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute, 2007. Web. 7 Mar. 2017. (http://gwichin.ca/sites/default/files/gsci_benson_2007_nomination_form_knut_langs_place.pdf )

      2."Creation Of A New Northwest Territories". Assembly.gov.nt.ca. N.p., 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2017. (http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/visitors/creation-new-nwt )

    3. seismic exploration camps

      Seismic exploration camps are outposts of southern oil and gas exploration activities. They are constructed to shelter scientists during their surveys of the north in search of oil and gas resources. Geologists and related scientists set off explosions to induce waves underground. Theses waves 'echo' off the different layers of material allowing geologists to interpret if/where oil and/or gas could be located.

      Though it is considered a non-invasive way to see into the subsurface when compared to drilling test holes, creating the infrastructure to allow seismic exploration to take pace and setting off explosions takes a toll on arctic ecosystems. In his book Unfreezing the Arctic Andrew Stuhl "This method [seismic] required the use of several tracked vehicles in a caravan, setting off blasts and collecting the data from them, and gashing vast stretches of the Arctic landscape" (Stuhl 114).

      Legacy of this seismic exploration is felt today, as the scars Stuhl references still exist.

      For more information and photos visit: (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/seismic.html )

      Stuhl, Andrew. Unfreezing The Arctic. 1st ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Print.

    4. [F19127ff.]

      Attached is a pdf scan of the full report on prepared by Snow and Rosenberg. Characterizing the effect of oil and oil-product spills on surrounding life is an ongoing area of research. Other annotations more adequately cover this topic. [(http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/14960.pdf)]