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self-government or other negotiated agreements involving devolution or
delegation of authority from other governments. Examples of such institu-
tions include the legislative assemblies and bureaucracies of the GNWT and
the Government of Nunavut (GN); community or municipal governments;
NWT First Nation Band Councils created by the 'Indian Act'; regional and
community Inuit/Inuvialuit organizations created through land claim agree-
ments; and public/aboriginal community governments created through
self-government agreements.
Some will object to the description of 'aboriginal' governments as colonial.
However, as the analysis below attempts to show, it is the colonial origin
of the design and functions of such institutions that result in their inherent
instability, due to the inability of colonial-based institutions to accom-
modate the reality of Indigenous practices. In other words, the Canadian
government's insistence that Indigenous peoples adopt political institutional
structures based on alien practices and political culture results in an inevita-
ble and ongoing friction between Indigenous practice and imposed political
structure. Instability and dependence on other governments (for funding,
implementation obligations) are some characterizations of these governments;
the predominant exclusion of Indigenous political processes in their function-
ing is another.
Consequently, several aspects of these systems' architecture result in the
decreased participation of women in the decision-making and political process
as compared with the Indigenous political process, as is discussed in greater
detail below. The election process significantly decreases the need for leaders
to seek advice from 'recognized' Indigenous leadership, among which women
are prominent. Further, representatives are not bound to seek consensus on
critical issues within communities. The nature of the system itself is predicated
on the delegated authority of community to elected individuals acting in deci-
sion-making roles. From the election process to forums, such as the legislative
assembly sessions and tribal council meetings where Robert's Rules of Order
rather than consensus-building political techniques are seen as authoritative,
the divergence of decision-making from community practice is evident.
Implications of the Indigenous process for colonial systems
and vice versa: implementation stories
In many NWT and Nunavut institutions, the influence of Indigenous politi-
cal culture is unmistakable. In both legislatures, there are no political parties,
and Cabinet and regular members sit facing each other in a semi-circle to
debate and discuss Cabinet policy and direction. This is touted as 'consen-
sus-based' decision-making, stemming from Indigenous political practices.
Within land claim and self-government agreements, decades of legislated
and de facto exclusion of Indigenous peoples from decision-making bodies in
their traditional territories has been replaced by a 'co-management' approach,
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