Collective Rights

Collective Rights

Rights held by groups of people rather than individuals.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Part of Canada’s Constitution Act, 1982, that protects fundamental freedoms, legal rights, and democratic rights.

First Nations

The umbrella name for diverse Aboriginal peoples with collective rights recognized in Canada’s constitution.

Sovereignty

Independence as a people, with a right to self-government.

Annuity

An annual payment, often symbolic today, provided under treaties to Indigenous groups.

Official Bilingualism

Canada's recognition of English and French as official languages, as protected in the Charter.

Indian Act

A Canadian law first passed in 1876 that governs the rights and status of First Nations peoples.

Métis

A distinct Indigenous people with mixed First Nations and European ancestry.

Powley Decision

A Supreme Court ruling recognizing Métis harvesting rights as rights-bearing Indigenous people under Section 35.

Residential Schools

Institutions created to assimilate Indigenous peoples, often involving forced education and cultural suppression.

Minority Language Education Rights

Rights for Francophone or Anglophone minorities to publicly funded schools based on community size.

Nisga’a Treaty

A modern treaty from 2000 aiming to affirm self-governance and land rights for the Nisga’a Nation.

Metis Settlements Act

Legislation unique to Alberta creating Métis Settlements with self-governance authority.

Bill 101

Quebec law that protects the French language, recognizing it as the official language of government and education.

Cultural Practices

Traditions and expressions of a community including language, dress, and ceremonies.

Entrenching

Fixing firmly within, particularly in relation to rights and laws.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one’s culture is superior to all others.

Official Language community

Groups in Canadian society whose members speak an official language of Canada.

Dominion Land Act

A law enacted in 1872 allowing the Canadian government to distribute land to settlers, impacting Indigenous claims.

Northwest Resistance

An armed conflict led by Métis in 1885 against government actions undermining their land rights.

Métis Act

Legislation granting self-governance and land rights to Métis settlements in Alberta.

Treaties

Agreements between the Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government defining land rights and responsibilities.

Historical Treaties

Agreements signed between Indigenous groups and the government from 1701 to early 1900s addressing land rights.