The Indian Act has controlled the lives of Indigenous Peoples in Canada for seven generations. What would a future without it look like? In his follow-up book to the bestselling 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act, Bob Joseph describes the next step toward reconciliation: Indigenous self-government—what it means, how it works, and the models for it that are already in place. Joseph practically and insightfully illuminates how the country can get beyond the Indian Act and realize a better Canada for all.
Beginning with the relationship between Indigenous Peoples, the Crown, and settlers in at the early days of colonization, Joseph travels to the current landscape and the tremendous possibility for reconciliation—a future every Canadian can support. He illustrates the widespread negative consequences of the reserve system that can only be redressed by self-government. With insight and clarity, he busts myths about taxation, the so-called benefits of the Indian Act, and the trustee–wardship relationship. And he provides inspiring examples of how self-government agreements are working well, from the Nisga’a Final Agreement to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, while showing how key the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is to defining what sovereignty really means.
21 Things You Need to Know About Indigenous Self-Government: A Conversation about Dismantling the Indian Act illuminates what Canadians need to know to stand in the work of reconciliation as individuals, as organizations, and as a country of many nations. Bob Joseph shows us a way forward with his trademark wisdom, humility, and deep understanding, Indigenous self-governance is not only a possibility, but an absolute necessity.

Bob Joseph's profile page

Bob Joseph, president of Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., has provided training on Indigenous relations since 1994. He has a diverse range of clients, including all levels of government, Fortune 500 companies, resource development companies, and small and medium-sized businesses. He is also the author of the national bestseller 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act.