Glossary of terms used in the Voices of Vision podcasts
Band
A band is a body of Indians for whose collective use and benefit the Crown has set apart land or held money. A group may also be declared to be a band for the purposes of the Indian Act. Each band has its own governing band council, usually consisting of one chief and several councillors. Community members choose the chief and councillors by election, or sometimes through custom. The members of a band generally share common values, traditions and practices rooted in their ancestral heritage. Today, many bands prefer to be known as First Nations.
Berger Inquiry
The Berger Inquiry was established by the Canadian government in 1974 to review plans to build an oil and gas pipeline that could have run through parts of northern Yukon and the Mackenzie River Valley of the Northwest Territories. The Commission, led by Justice Thomas Berger, recommended that a pipeline not be built for 10 years so that issues such as land claims could be settled first.
Capacity
Capacity refers to having enough people with the skills needed for a particular purpose. When speaking about building capacity in Yukon First Nations, this means helping Yukon First Nations get appropriately skilled people and funds that they need to run their governments efficiently and effectively.
Council for Yukon Indians/Council of Yukon First Nations
In 1973, the Yukon Native Brotherhood and the Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians created the Council for Yukon Indians (CYI) to negotiate land claims for Status and non-Status Indians. The three groups later merged under the Council for Yukon Indians name and the group was renamed the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) in 1995.
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND)/ Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)
The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND), which some refer to as DIA, has been a federal department since 1966. Previous to that, other departments were responsible for Indian Affairs and Northern Affairs. The department, also known as Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), supports Aboriginal people (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to improve social well-being and economic prosperity; develop healthier, more sustainable communities; and participate more fully in Canada's political, social and economic development - to the benefit of all Canadians.
Note: Since the production of the podcast series, Voices of Vision: Yukon Aboriginal Self-Government, the department's name has changed to Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC). This name better reflects the scope of the department's responsibilities with respect to Aboriginal people.
Final Agreement
Final Agreements are land claim agreements through which First Nations own and manage their own land. They are modern day treaties protected under section 35 of the Constitution of Canada on the rights of Aboriginal peoples. A Final Agreement sets out the rights of a First Nation and its people and particular ways in which the federal, territorial and First Nation governments interact. Eleven of the 14 First Nations in Yukon have Final Agreements.
First Nation
The term "First Nation" refers to the Indian peoples in Canada, both Status and non-Status. The term came into common usage in the 1970s to replace the word "Indian," which was considered offensive to some. Although the term First Nation is widely used, no legal definition of it exists. Some Indian peoples have also adopted the term "First Nation" to replace the word "band" in the name of their community.
Implementation
Implementation refers to putting something into practice. We often speak of implementing the final and self-government agreements, and this means carrying out the actions committed to in the documents. Final and self-government agreements also have implementation plans.
Indian
Indian peoples are one of three groups of people recognized as Aboriginal in the Constitution Act, 1982. It specifies that Aboriginal people in Canada consist of Indians, Inuit and Métis. Indians in Canada are often referred to as Status Indians, non-Status Indians, Treaty Indians, and First Nations.
Indian Act
The Indian Act is Canadian federal legislation, first passed in 1876, and amended several times since. It sets out certain federal government obligations and regulates the management of Indian reserve lands, Indian moneys and other resources.
The act defines who an "Indian" is and sets out legal rights for registered Indians and their bands.
In Yukon, the 11 First Nations that are now self-governing are no longer governed by the Indian Act. (Also see self-government.)
Three Yukon First Nations (Liard First Nation, Ross River Dena Council and White River First Nation) have not settled land claims and are referred to as Indian Act bands.
Land Claims
Land claims are the claims of Aboriginal groups to land, resources, and their uses, based on traditional use and occupancy of the land. A land claims agreement is a modern-day "treaty" between the government and Aboriginal people. It finalises and provides certainty about ownership of land and resources, as well as other things.
In 1973, the federal government recognised two broad classes of land claims - comprehensive and specific. Comprehensive claims are based on the assessment that there may be continuing Aboriginal rights to lands and natural resources. This kind of claim comes up in those parts of Canada where Aboriginal title has not previously been dealt with by treaty and other legal means. The claims are called "comprehensive" because of their wide scope. They include such things as land title, hunting, fishing and trapping rights and financial compensation.
Specific claims deal with particular grievances that First Nations may have regarding the fulfillment of treaties. Specific claims also cover grievances relating to the administration of First Nations lands and assets under the Indian Act.
Self-Government Agreement
Self-government agreements recognize self-governing Yukon First Nations as governments, as opposed to Indian Act bands, and establish the framework for their modern government and for some intergovernmental relationships. Self-government agreements provide self-governing Yukon First Nations with the power to enact laws of a local or private nature on their settlement land and for many aspects of their citizens' lives (marriage, adoption, education, administration of estates, etc.). Unlike the final agreements, self-government agreements are not protected under section 35 of the Constitution of Canada on the rights of Aboriginal peoples.
Status Indian
A person who is registered as an Indian under the Indian Act. The act sets out the requirements for determining who is an Indian for the purposes of the Indian Act. See Indian Act.
Together Today for our Children Tomorrow
Together Today for our Children Tomorrow is a document that is recognized for laying the foundation for the negotiation of land claims and self-government for Yukon First Nations. In 1973 the Yukon Native Brotherhood led by Chief Elijah Smith travelled to Ottawa to present the document to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Umbrella Final Agreement
The Umbrella Final Agreement is a document negotiated between the Council of Yukon Indians (now Council of Yukon First Nations), the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon that served as the foundation for the individual Final and Self-Government Agreements. The Umbrella Final Agreement was signed in 1993 and is sometimes known by its acronym, UFA.
Understanding the Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement: A Land Claim Settlement Information Package
Understanding the Yukon Umbrella Final Agreement is a summary of the Umbrella Final Agreement developed jointly by the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Government of Yukon.
Yukon Native Brotherhood
The Yukon Native Brotherhood was founded in the Yukon in 1968. The group, under the leadership of Chief Elijah Smith, along with delegates of the Yukon First Nations, presented the proposal, Together Today for our Children Tomorrow, to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1973. The document laid the foundation for the negotiation of land claims and self-government for Yukon First Nations. The Yukon Native Brotherhood is sometimes referred to as "the brotherhood".