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The minister of Crown–Indigenous relations (french: ministre des relations couronne-autochtones) is a
minister of the Crown Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign o ...
in the
Canadian Cabinet The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the C ...
, one of two ministers (the other being the
minister of northern affairs The minister of northern affairs (french: ministre des Affaires du Nord) is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The position has been held by Dan Vandal since 20 November 2019. In 1953, the role of Minister of Northern Affairs and N ...
) who administer Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), the department of the
Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in- ...
which is responsible for administering the ''
Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and stil ...
'' and other legislation dealing with "Indians and lands reserved for the Indians" under subsection 91(24) of the ''
Constitution Act, 1867 The ''Constitution Act, 1867'' (french: Loi constitutionnelle de 1867),''The Constitution Act, 1867'', 30 & 31 Victoria (U.K.), c. 3, http://canlii.ca/t/ldsw retrieved on 2019-03-14. originally enacted as the ''British North America Act, 186 ...
''. The minister is also more broadly responsible for overall relations between the federal government and
First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...
,
Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derive ...
, and
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...
. Marc Miller has been the present minister of Crown–Indigenous relations since October 26, 2021. The current version of the position was created alongside the minister of Indigenous services, who administers
Indigenous Services Canada Indigenous Services Canada (ISC; french: Services aux Autochtones Canada; french: SAC, label=none)''Indigenous Services Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Indigenous Services (). is ...
, the department responsible for health care, water, and other services to Indigenous communities when Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 20 ...
announced on August 28, 2017, that the federal government intended to abolish the
Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
department.


Legal title

The applied title of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND), under the
Federal Identity Program The Federal Identity Program (FIP) is the Government of Canada's corporate identity program. The purpose of the FIP is to provide to the public a consistent and unified image for federal government projects and activities. Other objectives of th ...
, is Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). INAC is responsible for policies relating to Aboriginal peoples in Canada, that comprise the First Nations,
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...
and
Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derive ...
. The title has been changed over the last decade from "Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development" to a working title of "Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada" on May 18, 2011, during the cabinet shuffle under then-Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
, and again to "Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada" during the
29th Canadian Ministry The Twenty-Ninth Canadian Ministry is the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that began governing Canada shortly before the opening of the 42nd Parliament. The original members were sworn in during a ceremony held at Rideau H ...
on November 4, 2015. The current working title under CIRNAC was introduced in the 29th Ministry on August 28, 2017, in which Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 20 ...
announced that the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada would be gradually abolished.


Mandate

According to their website, the mandate of the Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) is to "renew the nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, government-to-government relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis; modernize Government of Canada structures to enable Indigenous peoples to build capacity and support their vision of self-determination; and lead the Government of Canada's work in the North."


Nomenclature

In their July 5, 2018 document, CIRNAC wrote that the concept of Aboriginal nation in Canada, based on the 1996 Report of the
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) was a Canadian royal commission established in 1991 with the aim of investigating the relationship between Indigenous peoples in Canada, the Government of Canada, and Canadian society as a whole. ...
(RCAP), refers to "a sizeable body of Aboriginal people with a shared sense of national identity that constitutes the predominant population in a certain territory or collection of territories. There are three elements in this definition: collective sense of identity; size as a measure of capacity; and territorial predominance. The first element, a collective sense of identity, can be based on a variety of factors. It is usually grounded in a common heritage, which comprises such elements as a common history, language, culture, traditions, political consciousness, laws, governmental structures, spirituality, ancestry, homeland or adherence to a particular treaty." According to the 1985 ''Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act'' (R.S.C., 1985, c. I-6) the term "Indian" remained in the department's legal name, although the term "Indigenous" is used in its applied title under the Federal Identity Program. According to a 2004 AADNC Government of Canada document, the term "First Nation", has been used since the 1970s instead of the word "Indian", which some people found offensive. The term "Indian" is used for legal and historical documents such as
Status Indian The Indian Register is the official record of people registered under the ''Indian Act'' in Canada, called status Indians or ''registered Indians''. People registered under the ''Indian Act'' have rights and benefits that are not granted to othe ...
s as defined by the ''
Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and stil ...
''. For example, the term "Indian" continues to be used in the historical and legal document, the
Canadian Constitution The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents ...
and federal statutes. The term "Aboriginal" is commonly used when referring to the three groups of Indigenous peoples as a whole, First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It is also used by Aboriginal people who live within Canada who claim rights of sovereignty or Aboriginal title to lands.


Background

In 1983, the Penner Report by the Special Parliamentary Committee on Indian Self-Government, chaired by Liberal MP Keith Penner, had recommended the phasing out of the ''Indian Act'' and the Department of Indian Affairs and the introduction of Native self-government. Then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, had dismissed the report in 1984. Reports and commissions following the Penner Report including the "Report on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC; french: Commission de vérité et réconciliation du Canada []) was a truth and reconciliation commission active in Canada from 2008 to 2015, organized by the parties of the Indian Reside ...
Calls to Action (2015), the Principles Respecting the Government of Canada’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples (2017), Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination discussions, and the national engagement— ecognition and Implementation of Indigenous Rights Framework (RIIRF)��led by the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations", confirmed that "changes are needed to ensure that policies effectively respond to the needs and interests of Indigenous communities" and that policies need to be aligned "with evolving laws and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the concept of free, prior and informed consent." On February 14, 2018, during a speech in the House of Commons, Trudeau announced the formation of the Recognition and Implementation of Indigenous Rights Framework which was intended to "enshrine Section 35 of the ''Constitution Act, 1982''— which affirms Indigenous rights — in federal law" and to "fill the gap between federal government policies and multiple court decisions on Indigenous rights." It was to be undertaken in "full partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples". In their Fourteenth Report released on December 3, 2018, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples listed improvements, changes and concerns related to the relationship between CIRNAC and agencies such as the Lands Advisory Board also known as First Nations Land Management Resource Centre (FNLMRC), the First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC)The First Nations Tax Commission (FNTC) is a "shared-governance First Nation public institution that supports First Nation taxation under the First Nations Fiscal Management Act and under section 83 of the ''Indian Act''." and the First Nations Financial Management Board Previous major proposed changes to the ''Indian Act'' included the First Nations Governance Act (FNGA) proposed in 2002 and officially abandoned in 2004 as paternalistic with a process that bypassed the elected leadership of First Nations communities.


Changing names and responsibilities from 1867 to 2019

Prior to
Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...
in 1867, the Indian Department for British North America was responsible for relations between the
Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
and Indigenous peoples. A superintendent-general of Indian affairs was in the
Cabinet of Canada The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the ...
from 1867 until 1936 when the
Minister of Mines and Resources The position of Minister of Mines and Resources was a cabinet portfolio in Canada from 1936 to 1950. The mines portfolio had previously been that of the Minister of Mines, which was a portfolio adjunct to other ministries such as Inland Revenue ...
became responsible for native affairs. In 1950, the Indian Affairs branch was transferred to the
minister of citizenship and immigration The minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship (french: Ministre de l'immigration, des réfugiés et de la citoyenneté) is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The minister is responsible for Immigration, Refugees and Citi ...
, who had responsibility for "
status Indians The Indian Register is the official record of people registered under the ''Indian Act'' in Canada, called status Indians or ''registered Indians''. People registered under the ''Indian Act'' have rights and benefits that are not granted to othe ...
" until the creation of the position of minister of Indian affairs and northern development in 1966. Before 1966, the Northern Development portions of the portfolio were the responsibility of the minister of northern affairs and national resources. A 1983 House of Commons Committee recommended that Indian or First Nations communities be allowed to write their own membership code provided that the code did not violate fundamental human rights. A second report from the 1983 Penner Committee recommended the gradual abolition of the office of minister of Indian affairs and a transfer of responsibility for their own affairs to First Nations communities. Proposed changes died on the House of Commons'
Order Paper The Order Paper is a daily publication in the Westminster system of government which lists the business of parliament for that day's sitting. A separate paper is issued daily for each house of the legislature. The Order Paper provides members ...
at the end of the parliamentary session and have not been re-introduced. Until amendments to the ''Indian Act'' in 1985 restored Indian status to many people whose status had been revoked for discriminatory reasons, about half of the persons claiming to be Indians were entitled to be registered as Indians under the ''Indian Act'' and to receive the benefits reserved for registered Indians under the Act. In 1985, status was restored to 100,000 people including women who married men who were not Status Indians, and their children; people who had, prior to 1961, renounced their Indian status so they could vote in federal elections, and their children; people whose mother and paternal grandmother did not have status before marriage (these people lost status at 21), and their children; and people who had been born out of wedlock of mothers with status and fathers without, and their children. As of July 2004, the minister of Indian affairs and northern development has been assigned the role of federal interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians concurrently. By 2017, CIRNAC and the minister of Indigenous services were responsible for federal government relations with First Nations, Inuit and Métis.


Acts

The Minister has responsibilities, wholly or partially, under a number of Acts:under Minister Responsibilities''
/ref>(list may not be complete) *''Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act'' R.S., 1985, c. A-12 *''British Columbia Indian Cut-off Lands Settlement Act'' — 1984, c. 2 *''British Columbia Indian Reserves Mineral Resources Act'' — 1943–44, c. 19 *''British Columbia Treaty Commission Act'' — 1995, c. 45 *''Canada Petroleum Resources Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. 36 (2nd Supp.) *''Canada-Yukon Oil and Gas Accord Implementation Act'' — 1998, c. 5 *''Canadian Polar Commission Act'' — 1991, c. 6 *''Caughnawaga Indian Reserve Act'' — 1934, c. 29 *''Claim Settlements (Alberta and Saskatchewan)Implementation Act'' — 2002, c-3 *''Condominium Ordinance Validation Act''— 1985, c. 46 *''Cree-Naskapi (of Quebec) Act'' — 1984, c. 18 *''Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. I-6 *''Dominion Water Power Act'', — R.S., 1985, c. W-4 *''First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act'' — 2005, c. 53 *''First Nations Jurisdiction over Education in British Columbia Act'' — 2006, c. 10 *''First Nations Land Management Act'' — 1999, c. 24 *''First Nations Oil and Gas and Moneys Management Act'' — 2005, c. 48 *''Fort Nelson Indian Reserve Minerals Revenue Sharing Act'' — 1980-81-82-83, c. 38 *''Grassy Narrows and Islington Indian Bands Mercury Pollution Claims Settlement Act'' — 1986, c. 23 *''Gwich’in Land Claim Settlement Act'' — 1992, c. 53 *''Indian Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. I-5 *''Indian Lands Agreement Act'' (1986) — 1988, c. 39 *''Indian Oil and Gas Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. I-7 *''Kanesatake Interim Land Base Governance Act'' — 2001, c. 8 *''Kelowna Accord Implementation Act'' 2008, c. 23 *''Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act'' — 2005, c. 27 *''Lands Surveys Act'', Canada — R.S., 1985, c. L-6 Part III *''Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act'' — 1998, c. 25 *''Manitoba Claim Settlements Implementation Act'' — 2000, c. 33 *''Mi’kmaq Education Act'' — 1998, c. 24 * Natural Resources Transfer (School Lands) Amendments, (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan) (see also School Lands) — 1960–61, c. 62 *''Nelson House First Nation Flooded Land Act'' — 1997, c. 29 *''New Brunswick Indian Reserves Agreement'' — 1959, c. 47 *''Northwest Territories Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. N-27 *''Northwest Territories Waters Act'' — 1992, c. 39 *''Nova Scotia Indian Reserves Agreement'' — 1959, c. 50 *'' Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act'' — 2008, c. 2 *''Nunavut Act'' — 1993, c. 28 *''Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' — 1993, c. 29 *''Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act'' — 2002, c. 10 * ''Oil and Gas Operations Act'', Canada — R.S., 1985, c. O-7 * ''Pictou Landing Indian Band Agreement Act'' — 1995, c. 4 * ''Sahtu Dene and Metis Land Claim Settlement Act'' — 1994, c. 27 * ''St. Peters Indian Reserve Act'' — 1916, c. 24 * ''St. Regis Islands Act'' — 1926–27, c. 37 * ''Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement Act'' — 1993, c. 11 * ''Sechelt Indian Band Self-Government Act'' — 1986, c. 27 * ''Songhees Indian Reserve Act'' — 1911, c. 24 * ''Specific Claims Tribunal Act'' 2008, c. 22 * ''Split Lake Cree First Nation Flooded Land Act'' — 1994, c. 42 * ''Territorial Lands Act'' — R.S., 1985, c. T-7 * ''Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act'' — 2005, c. 1 * ''Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement Act'' — 2008, c. 32 * ''Westbank First Nation Self-Government Act'' — 2004, c. 17 * ''Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act'' — 1984, c. 24 * ''York Factory First Nation Flooded Land Act'' — 1997, c. 28 * ''Yukon Act'' — 2002, c. 7 * ''Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Act'' — 2003, c. 7 * ''Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act'' — 1994, c. 35


Boards, Commissions and Other Responsibilities

The Minister is also the lead Minister or responsible Minister for: *
Canadian Polar Commission Polar Knowledge Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada under the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada portfolio. It is responsible for monitoring, promoting, and disseminating knowledge of the polar regions, contributing to public awaren ...
* Corporation for the Mitigation of Mackenzie Gas Project Impacts * First Nations Statistical Institute * Indian Oil and Gas Canada * Northwest Territories Commissioner * Northwest Territories Water Board *
Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board Mackenzie, Mckenzie, MacKenzie, or McKenzie may refer to: People * Mackenzie (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Mackenzie (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Clan Mackenzie, a S ...
* Contract for Implementation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement * Nunavut Commissioner * Nunavut Impact Review Board * Nunavut Planning Commission * Nunavut Water Board * Yukon Territory Commissioner


List of ministers

Prior to 1966, responsibilities for the Indian Affairs portion of this portfolio fell under the
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration The minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship (french: Ministre de l'immigration, des réfugiés et de la citoyenneté) is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The minister is responsible for Immigration, Refugees and Citi ...
(
List A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
), and the Northern Development portion under the Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources (
List A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
).


See also

* Recognition and Implementation of Indigenous Rights Framework * Minister of Indigenous Services * List of Canadian Ministers of Mines and Resources (1936–1950) *
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South As ...
*
Indian Register The Indian Register is the official record of people registered under the ''Indian Act'' in Canada, called status Indians or ''registered Indians''. People registered under the ''Indian Act'' have rights and benefits that are not granted to othe ...
* Indian Agent (Canada) * Indian Department, for historical background *
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) was a Canadian royal commission established in 1991 with the aim of investigating the relationship between Indigenous peoples in Canada, the Government of Canada, and Canadian society as a whole. ...
*
Congress of Aboriginal Peoples The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) (formerly the Native Council of Canada and briefly the Indigenous Peoples Assembly of Canada), founded in 1971, is a national Canadian aboriginal organization, that represents Aboriginal peoples ( Non-Sta ...
* The Canadian Crown and First Nations, Inuit and Métis * * Aboriginal peoples in Canada **
First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...
**
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and ...
**
Métis people (Canada) The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...
* Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)


Notes


References


External links


Individuals Responsible for Aboriginal and Northern Affairs in Canada 1755 to 2006The Nunavut Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Indigenous peoples in Canada Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs