Canada’s Supreme Court has established a new legal framework requiring governments to consult with Aboriginal peoples when contemplating actions that may affect their rights. Professor Newman examines Supreme Court and lower court decisions, legislation at various levels, policies developed by governments and Aboriginal communities, and consultative round tables that have been held to deal with important questions regarding this duty. He succinctly examines issues such as: when is consultation required; who is to be consulted; what is the nature of a “good” consultation; to what extent does the duty apply in treaty areas; and what duty is owed to Métis and non-status Indians? Newman also examines the philosophical underpinnings of the duty to consult, and the evolving framework in international law and similar developments in Australia.

Since the release of The Duty to Consult (Purich, 2009), there have been many important developments on the duty to consult, including three major Supreme Court of Canada decisions. Governments, Aboriginal communities, and industry stakeholders have engaged with the duty to consult in new and probably unexpected ways, developing policy statements or practices that build upon the duty, but often using it only as a starting point for different discussions. Evolving international legal norms have also come into practice that may have future bearing. Newman offers clarification and approaches to understanding the developing case law at a deeper and more principled level, and suggests possible future directions for the duty to consult in Canadian Aboriginal law.

"This book contains an in-depth discussion of the aboriginal and treaty rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, the provisions of the Indian Act regarding reserves and band councils, recent self-government regimes, the recognition of indigenous legal traditions, division of powers, taxation as well as the application of the child welfare and criminal justice systems. It also covers recent developments, such as the duty to consult and accommodate or the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples."--pub. desc.

Can Canada claim to be a just society for Indigenous peoples? To answer this question, and as part of the process of reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission urged a better understanding of Aboriginal law for all Canadians. Aboriginal Peoples and the Law responds to that call, introducing readers with or without a legal background to modern Aboriginal law and outlining significant cases and decisions in straightforward, non-technical language. Jim Reynolds provides the historical context needed to understand relations between Indigenous peoples and settlers and explains key topics such as sovereignty, fiduciary duties, the honour of the Crown, Aboriginal rights and title, treaties, the duty to consult, Indigenous laws, and international law. This critical analysis of the current state of the law makes the case that rather than leaving the judiciary to sort out what are essentially political issues, Canadian politicians need to take responsibility for this crucial aspect of building a just society.