Understanding the benefits of and problems with aboriginal participation

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes Aboriginal peoples’ right to be consulted on decisions that affect their lives, including decisions relating to the environment. International declarations, such as that of Agenda 21, the Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, acknowledge the participation of Aboriginal people in the planning of their environment as a condition for sustainable development. In Canada, there is a legal obligation to consult Aboriginal communities on every development plan that affects their ancestral rights, whether those rights are already recognized or in the process of being recognized.

This legal framework has thus favoured the emergence of participatory projects that have demonstrated that collaboration with Aboriginal people makes it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the social, political and economic stakes involved in resource management, and contributes to establishing land development that is more respectful of local populations and the environment. However, participation by Aboriginal people is far from institutionalized or even widespread, particularly with respect to environmental planning. Moreover, we should not overlook situations in which the obligation to consult is instrumentalized by elites in order to manipulate Aboriginal communities and launch them into participatory processes when in fact their real interest lies in long-term political struggle.

Does participation lead to significant changes in Aboriginal people’s relations with Québec and Canadian political institutions? Is genuine participation possible? In many countries, the challenges that emerge when political institutions and Aboriginal peoples interact have become a major concern in recent years. This is true both of governments confronted with increasingly urgent claims from Aboriginal peoples, and of Aboriginal peoples themselves, who are often frustrated by government discourse and practices unsuited to meeting their social, political, ecological and economic aspirations. Faced with such challenges, what changes need to be made to models of political governance?

The workshop will look at the ethics of Aboriginal peoples’ participation in territorial planning and development. The ethical foundations of such participation will be discussed, along with the ethical dilemmas that participatory practices can generate. The goal will be to reflect on the benefits of and problems with participation, and on the way in which,

• Participation can be encouraged as an ethical approach. For example, how can we convince elected officials of the relevance of such an approach? How should we shape institutions so as to take into account the special features of Aboriginal communities? How can we prevent Aboriginal communities from being instrumentalized by elites and legal institutions? Can standing yet flexible mechanisms create real partnerships among political institutions, industry and Aboriginal peoples? Could such mechanisms provide the basis for long-term solutions that will be accepted by Aboriginal people? Will Aboriginal peoples be able to negotiate from a strong, secure position, rather than from one of dependency and uncertainty? How can we measure the participation of Aboriginal people in natural resource development and management processes?

• Ethical problems are dealt with in participatory processes. For example, should the interactions between participants and commissioners be in accordance with a specific code? How can participants be made accountable? To what extent are participatory processes an addition to or even a replacement for representative governance?

Contact:
Kelly LeBlanc
kelly.le.blanc[at]umontreal.ca
Department of Geography, Université de Montréal
Phone: 514-343-8068 Fax: 514-343-8008