HOW THE ACORN UNFOLDS IN EDUCATION: Mapping the Legal and Normative Orders that Interact to Inform First Nation Youths’ Right to Education through Legal Pluralism and Critical Legal Pluralism by Patricia Robinet A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF LAWS Faculty of Law University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright ã 2018 by Patricia Robinet ABSTRACT The current education mandate for First Nations in Canada has been described as a “inexcusable educational-rights vacuum” for which First Nation students and communities pay a “heavy price”. To better gauge the effectiveness of the current education mandate, this study employed the socio-legal approaches of legal pluralism and critical legal pluralism and found that no participant felt that their right to education was fully actualized. From the perspective of First Nation students, their right to education necessarily includes: adequate funding for post- secondary education, learning from an Indigenized curriculum, and learning in an environment that is free from discrimination and racism. This study also found that the participants of the study situate themselves in a plurality of legal orderings. They draw on Treaties, international human rights laws, and First Nation laws to inform their perceptions on their right to education, even though these legal orderings and laws are not necessarily validated or recognized by Canada through official state law. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The decision to pursue my LL.M. in Aboriginal Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Manitoba, was, in part, prompted by a recognition that my own education failed to teach me the dark, violent history of Canada’s origins and its broken relations with Indigenous peoples. It was also prompted by a desire to personally participate in some aspect of reconciliation and truth-telling, which necessarily involves confronting the hard truths of my hometown, Thunder Bay, Ontario. There are a number of teachers, who have assisted me throughout this ongoing re- education, to whom I remain indebted. First, I would to thank the participants of the study for sharing and entrusting with me their stories. I hope that I have presented them in a respectful way and honoured them throughout this thesis. Second, I am deeply grateful for the ongoing support and patience of my thesis advisor, Dr. David Milward, who even, after having had taken a new position at the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, stayed on in this capacity when I required an extension to complete my thesis work. Third, many thanks to Aboriginal Initiatives, Native Access Program, and Aboriginal Cultural & Support Services at Lakehead University. Fourth, to my internal and external reviewers, Professor Brenda Gunn and Dr. John Borrows, respectively, many thanks for taking the time to review my thesis and providing such invaluable insights, comments, and support. Finally, to my partner, Jens, and my daughter, Sybil, who had to adapt to many days and evenings of ‘life without Momma’; thank you for permitting me the time to complete this work. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my daughter, Sybil. May you learn to live a good life. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................... 6 Specific Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 6 Research Approach ..................................................................................................................... 7 Need for the Study ...................................................................................................................... 8 Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................... 10 Overview of Chapters ............................................................................................................... 11 Chapter Two: The Legal and Normative Orders .................................................................. 14 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 14 The Research Project ................................................................................................................ 17 Part I: What is Legal Pluralism? ................................................................................................ 18 Law is Plural ...................................................................................................................... 21 Law is contextual ....................................................................................................... 22 Law is political nomenclature ..................................................................................... 23 Law covers a continuum ............................................................................................. 24 Law can be Independent from the State .............................................................................. 25 The state is not the only creator of law, nor are all laws subordinate to it .................... 25 Recognition of the state is not necessary ..................................................................... 26 Part II: Critical Legal Pluralism ................................................................................................. 28 Part III: Using Legal Pluralism and Critical Legal Pluralism to Map Normative Orders ............ 30 Part IV: The ‘Recognized’ Legal Landscape ............................................................................. 33 The International Legal Orders: Treaties ............................................................................ 33 The Numbered Treaties and the Robinson Superior Treaty ......................................... 33 The International Legal Orders: Human Rights Instruments ............................................... 37 Universal Declaration of Human Rights ..................................................................... 37 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ............................... 38 Convention on the Rights of the Child ........................................................................ 40 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ........................................................ 42 The Constitution: Aboriginal and Treaty Rights ................................................................. 46 Federal Legislation: The Indian Act ................................................................................... 51 Part V: The ‘Unrecognized’ Legal Landscape ........................................................................... 53 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 57 Chapter Three: Situating Myself ............................................................................................ 59 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 59 Part I: Research as an Extension of Colonialism ........................................................................ 60 Part II: Situating Myself ............................................................................................................ 64 Part III: Atoning for Past Sins and Ameliorating my ‘Outsider’ Status: Is this Possible? ........... 67 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 71 Chapter Four: Account of Methodologies .............................................................................. 73 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 73 Part I: Methodological Approaches Applied in Study ................................................................ 74 v Application of PAR Principles ........................................................................................... 74 Application of Grounded Theory Method........................................................................... 77 Part II: Participant Selection, Recruitment, and Interviews ........................................................ 80 Participant Sampling .......................................................................................................... 80 Recruitment ....................................................................................................................... 82 Interviews .......................................................................................................................... 84 Part III: Data Collection, Data Analysis, and Memos ................................................................ 86 Data Collection .................................................................................................................. 86 Data Analysis and Interpretation Procedures ...................................................................... 87 Analytic Memos ...............................................................................................................