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Michaela M. McGuire - Jaad Gudgihljiwah

Michaela McGuire (Jaad Gudgihljiwah) is a Vanier scholar and PhD Candidate in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University. She is a citizen of the Haida Nation. Her research interests include state crime and injustice, Haida justice, racism against Indigenous peoples, decolonization, resurgence, Haida identity, Indigenous rights and self-determination, Indigenous women and corrections. Michaela lives and works in her home community of Skidegate, Haida Gwaii with her husband and dog.

Recognition and Erasure of Indigenous Oceanic Rights and Title

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Canada continues to treat the ocean as void of Indigenous presence or rights, using the fiction of “mare nullius” to justify offshore development without needed Indigenous consent. In this Brief, Michaela McGuire and Rosanna Carver discuss the impacts of resource development infrastructure in the ocean and the Crown’s limited interpretation of Indigenous oceanic rights and title.

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“Fast-Track” to Disaster: BC’s Bill 14/15, Indigenous Rights & the Climate Crisis

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As Provincial and Federal laws to expedite resource development proliferate across the country, Indigenous people are being told they will be involved — and to just be patient. However, Janna Wale and Michaela McGuire review BC’s Bill 14 and 15, finding much to be concerned about and an urgency to address it. These concerns relate to Indigenous rights but also the health of the environment — both of which appear to be sacrificed for “fast-tracked” industrial development in the province.

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Two Weeks, Six Dead: Police Violence, Indigenous Dehumanization & Canadian Indifference

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The dehumanization of Indigenous peoples is reflected in the indifference of Canadians today – so much so that our deaths become merely passing bylines. Over a two-week period (August 29 – September 9, 2024), police have killed six Indigenous people.  The details of the cases range.  In two separate instances, Tammy Bateman and an unnamed

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Resource Development and Indigenous Rights in Northern B.C.: A New Divide and Conquer

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As the Land Back Movement in Canada grows, political officials have worked to co-opt and distort the aims of Indigenous people from restitution towards “economic reconciliation.” Meanwhile, the duty to consult and the principle of free, prior and informed consent have also been channelled into the discourse of economic partnerships with industry, which is most

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Racism and Reclamation in Daajing Giids Llnagaay (briefly known as Queen Charlotte Municipal Village)

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In 2019, an engagement process took place to discuss restoration of the place name of Dagin Giids Llnagaay, briefly known as Queen Charlotte Municipal Village. In this brief, McGuire analyzes and responds to the onslaught of racism present throughout the public engagement and its consequences.

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