"We Are in Charge Here": Inuit Self-Government and the Nunatsiavut Assembly

by Graham White

"We Are in Charge Here": Inuit Self-Government and the Nunatsiavut Assembly

by Graham White

Hardcover

$75.00 
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Overview

Powerful, innovative Indigenous self-governance regimes are increasingly important players in Canadian politics, but little academic work has been done on their structure, operation, and effectiveness. "We Are In Charge Here" examines the central institution of the most populous Indigenous self-governance regime in Canada, the elected Assembly of the Nunatsiavut Government.

Nunatsiavut – "our beautiful land" in Inuktitut – was established in 2006 by a modern treaty between the Labrador Inuit and the Canadian state. Graham White offers a thorough observation of the Assembly, based on interviews with Assembly members and others involved in Nunatsiavut politics, observation of Assembly sessions, and a review of official documents, in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the Assembly, its members, and its operations. The book examines the Assembly's effectiveness in performing traditional legislative functions such as representation, policy making, and accountability. It addresses key concerns including executive-legislative power relations, Inuit influence on Assembly operations, and the Assembly's role in realizing self-government.

Illuminating the intersection of Indigenous self-governance approaches and Western institutions, "We Are In Charge Here" will be of interest to political leaders, legislative officials, and academics concerned with the design and on-the-ground functioning of Indigenous self-government.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781487551582
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Publication date: 04/28/2023
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Graham White is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto.

Table of Contents

Map
Tables
Figures
Preface/Acknowledgments
1. Inuit Self-Government and the Nunatsiavut Assembly
2. The Labrador Inuit: History, Society, Culture, and Political Institutions
3. Comprehensive Land Claims and Indigenous Self-Government
4. Governance in Nunatsiavut: Constitution, Organization, and Politics
5. The Assembly: Setting, Atmosphere, and Membership
6. The Assembly: Operations, Committees, and Services
7. Distinctive Practices and Procedures
8. Consensus, Consensus Government, and Inuit Influence
9. Assembly Effectiveness I: Representation and Policy Making
10. Assembly Effectiveness II: Accountability
11. Change, Continuity, and Self-Government in the Nunatsiavut Assembly
Appendices
Index

What People are Saying About This

Andrea Procter

"From the commitment to consensus decision-making to the minute details of technical procedures, this book explores the subtleties of the Nunatsiavut Assembly in action. Graham White offers a candid portrait of a locally developed and unique system of governance, recognizing the Assembly's distinctive features as expressions of Inuit political autonomy. ."

Yale D. Belanger

"'We Are In Charge Here' skilfully recounts the Nunatsiavut Government Assembly's design and operation while also conveying an important story detailing how elected Assembly members, seeking to preserve Inuit cultural and traditional standards, manage historical and institutional legacies on a daily basis. The result is a welcome discussion exploring a sophisticated parliamentary institution whose history provides important insights into Aboriginal self-government's historic and ongoing evolution while offering practical lessons for those looking to establish comparable regimes."

Gary N. Wilson

"'We Are In Charge Here' is a comprehensive and rigorous examination of the inner-workings of an Inuit self-government by one of Canada's pre-eminent political scientists and northern scholars. Graham White's meticulous and detailed analysis of the institutional features and behavioural characteristics of the Nunatsiavut Assembly is unparalleled in the study of Indigenous self-government in Canada and will most certainly serve as an indispensable guide for scholars and practitioners working in this field."

David Docherty

"Graham White's analysis of the Nunatsiavut Assembly demonstrates the benefits of melding Westminster principles with the unique culture of the Labrador Inuit as they pursue a distinctive self-government regime. There are important lessons to be learned by representatives in all Canadian assemblies."

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