McLean Lecture: The Protection of Indigenous Rights from 1763 to Now.

November 23, 2021:  2021 Hugh Alan Maclean Lecture: The Protection of Indigenous Rights from 1763 to Now: The Hard Work of Law is Never Done.

The Royal Proclamation of 1763 establishes Canada, and entrenches four enduring principles: British sovereignty, democracy, the rule of law, and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. Canadians are only part way through the project of working out the complex political and legal relationships that result from these four principles, together with the 200 years of constitutional add-ons. On its face, the project is virtually impossible: Three parallel orders of government must co-exist on the same land base, for the same people, and often on the same subject matter. The citizen is asked for loyalty, respect, and political participation in all levels.