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The Yellowhead Brief

The Indian Department

The Politics of Process: B.C.’s Mineral Claims Regime and the Threat of an FPIC Freeze

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In this Brief, Minh Do examines the legal and political fallout of Gitxaała v. British Columbia, tracing how B.C.’s mineral claims system permitted companies to acquire rights to Indigenous lands without consultation or consent – all while the province continues to defend state control over decision-making processes and ask what remains in UNDRIP if governments alone decide, when, how, and whether it applies.

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The Indian Act, Exit 150: The Coming and Going of Colonization’s Foundational Legislation

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In this Brief, Hayden King traces the “off-ramp” approach to re-shaping the Act, showing how incremental reforms have created a landscape where First Nations are increasingly opting into new legal and policy frameworks outside the Act. The vanishing Indian Act raises questions about the direction of governance on reserves, what is replacing the Act, and who is actually steering.

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The New Impact Assessment Regime: Cooperation Agreements, the Return of Provincial Power & Discretionary Indigenous Rights

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Following Canada’s push for accelerated resource development, new “Cooperation Agreements” between the federal and provincial governance promise faster approvals for industry. In this Brief, Hayden King examines these agreements and finds that there are trade-offs for efficiency and coordination. This approach hands more authority to provincial governments, many already facing criticism for weak environmental oversight and inadequate consultation with Indigenous communities, and raises concerns about how Indigenous rights will be respected when the federal government abdicates its responsibilites.

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Colonization is not Good Work: Entanglements of Public Service Labour, Budget Cuts & “Indian Departments”

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The 2025 Federal Budget made cuts to Crown Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Canada. While Indigenous leaders and unions protested the reductions, Shady Hafez offers some perspective: these “Indian Departments” are tasked with administering colonization. Considering their history and many recent failures, these departments should face cuts and those resources allocated directly to communities instead. Additionally, public sector unions must reconcile their calls for justice for Indigenous people with their ongoing support of a colonial bureaucracy.

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