Aboriginal Law is a complex area that encompasses issues concerning First Nations peoples and their relationship with governments, rights to land, rights to tradition and rights to self government. In this guide, you will find resources available in our library, as well as links to external resources that are key to understanding this area of law.
Texts
- Aboriginal & treaty rights practice by Mary Locke Macaulay Table of Contents
- Aboriginal law handbook, 5th ed. by Olthuis, Kleer, Townshend Table of Contents
- Aboriginal legal issues : cases, materials and commentary, 5th ed. by John Borrows Table of Contents
- Constitutional law of Canada, 5th ed. by Peter W. Hogg. Table of Contents
- Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada Table of Contents
- Indigenous People and the criminal justices system : a practitioner’s handbook by Jonathan Rudin. Table of Contents. Also available as an e-text.
- Metis – Crown relations : rights, identity, jurisdiction and governance by Frederica Wilson & Melanie Mallet Table of Contents Also available as an e-text
- Native Law by Jack Woodward Table of Contents
- Terms of Coexistence : Indigenous Peoples and Canadian Law by Sebastien Grammond Table of Contents
Case Law
For more information on finding case see our research guide: Finding and Researching Cases
E-Resources
Digests
The Canadian Abridgment available on: WestlawNext Canada
All Canadian Summaries, Canadian Case Summaries and Canada Digest are available on: Lexis Advance® Quicklaw®
Alberta Court Judgments
A collection of judgments of the Alberta Courts is available from CanLII. The scope of coverage varies by jurisdiction and court. The official version of the reasons for judgment is the signed original or handwritten endorsement in the court file. If there is a question about the content of a judgment, the original court file takes precedence.
Legislation
Federal
For a complete list of Federal acts and regulations that directly impact First Nations, Inuit, and Métis see :
- Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
- First Nations Gazette First Nation laws, by-laws, land codes, and other First Nation legislation
All Federal Acts and Regulations can be found electronically at:
Treaties
- Treaties, Laws and Regulations
- Treaties and Agreements – Historic and modern Canadian Treaties
- Treaty Texts
Encyclopedias
Canadian Encyclopedic Digest
Canadian encyclopedic digest (C.E.D.) (Western), 4th ed.
Sections relevant to aboriginal law include:
- Aboriginal law
- Constitutional law
Available electronically through: WestlawNext Canada
Halsbury's Laws of Canada
This multi-volume set includes coverage of Federal, Provincial & Territorial legislation. It explains the legislation and cases which govern aboriginal law issues in every jurisdiction in Canada.
Titles related to aboriginal law include:
- Aboriginal (HAB)
Additional information may be found under other topical headings.
Also available electronically through : LexisAdvance Quicklaw
Journals
- Constitutional forum
- Indigenous law journal
- National journal of constitutional law = Revue nationale de droit constitutionnel
- Review of constitutional studies
EResources
Justice as healing : a newsletter on aboriginal concepts of justice
Full-text articles are also available electronically through:
Websites
Government Sites
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Ministry of Indigenous Relations
Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission
Department of Justice – Reports on aboriginal justice
Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
Other Sites
Aboriginal People and the Alberta Human Rights Commission
BearPaw Legal Education and Resource Centre
Centre for First Nations Governance
Delagamuukw aboriginal land title case research guide
First Nations – Library and Archives
Gallop Portal – Government and Legislative Libraries online publications portal. Contains full text documents and reports on Indigenous matters.
Gladue Rights Research Database
Indigenous Studies Research Portal – University of Saskatchewan
Metis Settlement Appeal Tribunal
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Native Counselling Services of Alberta -They provide in and out of court assistance in Criminal, Family & Traffic court for Aboriginal youth and adults.
Native Law Centre – University of Saskatchewan
Royal Commission on Aboriginal People
Specific Claims tribunal Canada
Treaties with Indigenous peoples in Canada – Canadian Encyclopedia
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