For more than 30 months, I have had the pleasure of directing one of, if not the, most important research projects on the contemporary conditions governing of independent native government in Canada. The project brings together Canada’s finest experts on the matter, with contributions from university colleagues from almost every discipline in the social and human sciences. To date, the responses we have received to the questions raised by our research topic warrant enthusiasm about the subsequent phases of the project.

I am particularly proud of the way students have been integrated and participated in the project. Their input is considerable and much appreciated. I’d also like to point out that the project place great importance on the contributions of native students and researchers; the partnership with native groups is an element that sets us apart.

The individual projects of each researcher, the discussions among the team and the project as a whole are doing well, thanks to excellent coordination. The tour I completed in the fall of 2007, meeting with the principal researchers at their respective universities, was well received by the researchers and the Orientation and Coordination committee. It allowed researchers and students to meet in smaller groups, lay the groundwork for coordination of the scientific research over the next three years and envision future discussions based on geographic proximity.

The tour also helped solidify ties between researchers working on the same subject or from a similar perspective. While the large cross-Canada meetings organized since the start of the project have been a stimulating occasion for the exchange of ideas, researchers also appreciate these more targeted meetings which allow for more in-depth discussion and reflection. The smaller groups also gave students greater personal contact with other researchers on the team who they do not report to directly, but who are working on the same areas. The team thus found its own balance and established its own way of working.

I look forward to our upcoming national mid-term conference, in which we will welcome the MCRI evaluation committee.

Pierre Noreau

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