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21 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIGENOUS SELF-GOVERNMENT by Bob Joseph

21 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIGENOUS SELF-GOVERNMENT

A Conversation About Dismantling the Indian Act

by Bob Joseph

Pub Date: Sept. 2nd, 2025
ISBN: 9781774586273
Publisher: Page Two

A Canadian First Nations leader makes a case for Indigenous self-government.

As we approach the 150th year since the passage of Canada’s Consolidated Indian Act of 1876, Joseph convincingly contends that the legislative policy “has constrained and controlled the lives of Status Indians for generations.” The author, who inherited a chief’s seat in the Gayaxala clan of the Gwawa’enuxw tribe of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation, begins with a brief history of Canadian-Indigenous relations for those who may be unfamiliar. Although King George III’s Royal Proclamation of 1763 created a framework for self-determination that recognized the area’s Indigenous residents “as nations of people,” the subsequent Indian Act viewed them as “savages, incapable of governing themselves,” while the Canadian government shifted its priorities toward assimilation that amounted to “cultural genocide,” writes Joseph. After providing historical context, the book transitions to its central thesis that the Indian Act “needs to be dismantled.” Pragmatic in his approach, Joseph emphasizes practical steps for undoing the antiquated law and looks to the future for what would ideally replace it. Foremost among his arguments is that self-government can coexist with “Canada’s fiduciary duty to Status Indians”; allocating resources to First Nations communities directly, he says, will align government funding with “community values and ideas” and make healthcare and other programs “more efficient and effective.” Backed by nearly 200 endnotes, this well-researched book effectively balances scholarship with a deep understanding of Indigenous history. The author, a former professor at Royal Roads University, is the author of multiple books on Indigenous policy and is the co-founder and president of Indigenous Corporate Training, an organization focused on improving Indigenous relations in Canada’s public and private sectors. This brief volume’s accessible approach is complemented by a robust set of appendices that include additional reading suggestions and tips on how readers can get involved in the movement to replace the Indian Act on a grassroots level.

A persuasively argued case for dismantling a destructive policy.