New book analyzes Indigenous self-governance in Canadian Arctic

UNBC Political Science Professor Dr. Gary Wilson is the lead author of a new book that traces the political development of three Inuit regions in northern Canada over the past 40 years.

February 28, 2020
A new book by UNBC Political Science Professor Dr. Gary Wilson as the lead author is the result of a decade long, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded research project.

Three Inuit regions in Canada have taken the necessary steps toward self-governance: Nunavik in northern Quebec, the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the western Northwest Territories, and Nunatsiavut in northern Labrador.

Dr. Gary Wilson, a Political Science professor from the University of Northern British Columbia, is the lead author of a new book -- Nested Federalism and Inuit Governance in the Canadian Arctic -- that traces the political development of those three regions over the past 40 years.

Dr. Wilson, along with Dr. Christopher Alcantara (Western University), and Thierry Rodon (Université Laval) follow the development trajectories of the three northern regions, investigating their internal dynamics and their relationships with other levels of government in key policy areas such as housing, education and resource management.

The book is the result of a decade long, SSHRC-funded research project.  It offers new insights into the evolution of Indigenous self-government, as well as its consequences for Indigenous communities and for the future of Canadian federalism.

The book will appeal to political science, public administration and Indigenous and northern studies students and scholars, as well as Indigenous policy makers and residents of the territorial and provincial North.

The book is now available at UBC Press.