Charting a course for Aboriginal self-governance
Université de Montréal and Aboriginal groups team up to investigate
models of self-governance
(Ottawa, April 10, 2006) – The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) is investing $2.5 million in a five-year project to develop models for Aboriginal governance that draw on the best in both modern scholarship and ancient traditions. The project will be led by Canada’s largest Aboriginal law research group, which will join forces with researchers in constitutional studies, economics, anthropology, philosophy, and political science, and with numerous Aboriginal groups in Canada.
Pierre Noreau, professor in the Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal and director of the Centre de recherche en droit public (Public Law Research Centre), will lead the "Aboriginal Peoples and Governance" project. Consisting of 39 researchers from 21 Canadian universities, the research team will work with the Law Commission of Canada, the Royal Society of Canada, and nine Aboriginal associations to propose models for Aboriginal governance and for relationships between sovereign peoples. Together, they will explore the unique characteristics of Aboriginal governance in a Canadian context.
"We’re engaging Aboriginal peoples and academics in a discussion about the relationship between sovereign nations that coexist in the same territory," said Professor Noreau. "This project is particularly exciting because it involves Aboriginal groups from across the country. We are also teaming up with researchers from many disciplines and from different countries. This level of involvement will enable us to build realistic models of self-governance."
Noreau’s project, one of four selected from 34 submissions to the Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) program, was chosen through a rigorous, independent peer review process which ensures that only the best research projects receive funding. The MCRI program is recognized internationally as a powerful way to get universities and communities working together on research that has important social, economic and cultural impacts on society.
"This project opens up a dialogue with Aboriginal communities and engages them in a process that will shape their future," said Stan Shapson, interim president of SSHRC. "Just as importantly, Professor Noreau has put together an impressive team of researchers from a variety of disciplines and has designated $1.25 million for student training, particularly for Aboriginal students."
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Notes to editors:
SSHRC is an arm’s-length federal government agency that funds university-based research and graduate training through national, peer-reviewed competitions. SSHRC also partners with public and private sector organizations to focus research and aid the development of better policies and practices in key areas of Canada’s social, cultural and economic life.
SSHRC is one of 15 Government of Canada departments and agencies which make up the Industry Portfolio of Industry Canada. Together these departments and agencies support the Government’s innovation strategy and help build a culture of innovation in all parts of Canada.
The Université de Montréal, founded in 1878, today has 13 faculties and, together with its two affiliated schools, HÉC Montréal and the École Polytechnique, makes up the largest centre of higher education and research in Québec, the second largest in Canada, and one of the major centres in North America. The university employs 2,400 professors and researchers, has a student enrolment of nearly 55,000, offers 650 programs at all academic levels, and, each year, confers some 3,000 master’s and doctoral degrees.
For more information about this and other SSHRC-supported research, please visit the SSHRC website (www.sshrc.ca), or contact:
Susan Goodyear
Media Relations Officer
SSHRC
Telephone: (613) 947-4629
E-mail: susan.goodyear@sshrc.ca
For information about this release, please contact:
Éric Cardinal
Coordinator, Indigenous Governance Project
Université de Montréal
Telephone: (514) 258-2315
E-mail: eric.cardinal@umontreal.ca
For information about other research at the Université de Montréal, please contact:
Sophie Langlois
Director, Media Relations
Université de Montréal
Telephone: (514) 343-7704
Pager: (514) 480-3850
E-mail: sophie.langlois@umontreal.ca
