Indigenous Self-Determination & Canada’s National Parks – First Peoples Law LLP

November 28, 2024

For many Indigenous people, Canada’s national parks are synonymous with colonization.

In October, Parks Canada took an initial step towards addressing the longstanding relationship between colonization and national parks through its new Indigenous Stewardship Policy. Below, we consider the potential implications of the Policy for Indigenous Peoples seeking to implement their inherent law-making authority over their lands and waters.

Colonization and National Parks

The establishment of national parks was premised on Canada’s unilateral assertion of control over Indigenous Peoples’ lands and resources. Parks were founded for the purposes of protecting and conserving ‘untouched’ ecosystems and wilderness – a dangerous premise grounded in racist legal fictions, including the doctrine of discovery and terra nullius, which served to justify the dispossession of Indigenous people from their lands and cultures.

Read More: https://www.firstpeopleslaw.com/public-education/blog/indigenous-self-determination-canadas-national-parks