The Eskasoni Mi'kmaw Nation ( Mi'kmaq : Eskissonqnik ) is a band government of the Mi'kmaq First Nations , located in Unama'ki (Cape Breton) , Nova Scotia, Canada. As of 2021, Eskasoni has a membership of 4,675. Of this population, 3,973 live on-Reserve, and 667 live off-Reserve.
27-585: The word 'Eskasoni' is derived from the Mi'kmaq word We'kwistoqnik , which means 'where the fir trees are plentiful'. In 1942, the federal government enacted a centralization policy through Indian Affairs . This policy led to the forced relocation of hundreds of Mi’kmaq from the Digby, Nova Scotia area to two reserves – Eskasoni and Shubenacadie, known today as Sipekne’katik. This led to rapid population growth in Eskasoni, which
54-757: A body created by then Prime Minister John A. Macdonald for the purpose of administering the Dominion Lands Act of 1872. When the Department of the Interior dissolved in 1936 (with the Natural Resources Act s transferring control over natural resources to the Prairie provinces ), Indian Affairs fell under the purview of the Department of Mines and Resources . However, the need for social and health-care services in
81-490: A majority of its spending - are delivered through partnerships with Aboriginal communities and federal-provincial or federal-territorial agreements. CIRNAC also works with urban Indigenous people, Métis and Non-Status Indians (many of whom live in rural areas). CIRNAC supports indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to: CIRNAC also works with urban First Nations, Métis and Non-Status Indians (many of whom live in rural areas) through
108-438: A minimal cash payment), by obtaining a college degree or becoming an ordained minister . The 2013 Federal Court case Daniels v. Canada established that non-status Indians (and Métis ) have the same aboriginal rights as status Indians, in that they are encompassed in the 1867 Constitution Act 's language about "Indians". However, the 2014 Federal Court of Appeal decision "Daniels v Canada" overturned that verdict after
135-565: Is also home of the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources , a Mi'kmaq organization devoted to natural resources and the environment. The community operates its own school board, providing services to children from kindergarten to grade 12. The Eskasoni First Nation is composed of three parts: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Development Canada Crown – Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada ( CIRNAC ; French : Relations Couronne-Autochtones et des Affaires du Nord Canada )
162-530: Is one of the federal government departments responsible for meeting the Government of Canada's obligations and commitments to First Nations, Inuit and Métis , and for fulfilling the federal government's constitutional responsibilities in the North. The department's responsibilities are largely determined by numerous statutes, negotiated agreements and relevant legal decisions. Most of the department's programs, representing
189-509: Is overseen by two cabinet ministers, the Minister of Crown–Indigenous relations (whose portfolio includes treaty rights and land negotiations) and the Minister of Northern Affairs . Its headquarters is in Terrasses de la Chaudière , in downtown Gatineau, Quebec . " First Nation " has been used since the 1970s instead of the word Indian , which some people found offensive. The term Indian
216-672: Is represented in only the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut (NU) regional offices and headquarters. The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was implemented in 1993 between the Inuit of the Nunavut Settlement Area and the Government of Canada subject to the Constitution Act of 1982 . The territory of Nunavut was formed in 1999. CIRNAC has major responsibilities for managing the lands and resources of Nunavut. With respect to
243-519: Is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for Canada's northern lands and territories, and one of two departments with responsibility for policies relating to Indigenous peoples in Canada (the other being the Department of Indigenous Services , or ISC). CIRNAC, along with ISC, were established to replace the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development ( DIAND ). The department
270-721: Is used for legal and historical documents such as Status Indians as defined by the Indian Act . For example, the term "Indian" continues to be used in the historical and legal document, the Canadian Constitution and federal statutes. The then-Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada used the term Inuit in referring to "an Aboriginal people in Northern Canada , who live in Nunavut , Northwest Territories , Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador. The word means 'people' in
297-645: The Office of the Federal Interlocutor . CIRNAC also manages the resources of federal lands, including land and subsurface leases and resource royalties. In 1755, the British Crown established the Indian Department . The Governor General of Canada held control of Indian affairs, but usually delegated much of their responsibility to subordinate civil secretaries. In 1860, the responsibility for Indian affairs
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#1732851350850324-469: The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development was created as a result of the Government Organization Act, 1966 . Effective June 13, 2011, the department began using the applied title Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in addition to the legal name of the department. The Northern Development part of the department has its origins in the Department of the Interior ,
351-529: The Eastern Arctic Patrol beginning in the late 1940s. In August 2017, the Trudeau ministry announced the dissolution of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development ( DIAND ) and announced that it would be replaced by the Department of Indigenous Services and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. This came into effect as of July 15, 2019. The transition
378-482: The Government of Canada sponsored annual expeditions to the Canadian North . These expeditions yielded extensive photographic documentation of the lives of northern indigenous peoples by participating explorers, engineers, scientists and medical staff. Explorer, photographer, filmmaker, writer and lecturer Richard S. Finnie accompanied numerous expeditions to the North. His first voyage was aboard CGS Arctic , under
405-543: The Interior also held the position of Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs after the Indian Affairs Department was established in 1880. In 1939, federal jurisdiction for Indian peoples was interpreted by the courts to apply to the Inuit. A revised Indian Act was passed in 1951. From 1950 to 1965, the Indian Affairs portfolio was carried by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration . On October 1, 1966,
432-409: The Inuit language — Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk." Eskimo is found in historical documents about Canadian Inuit. The term Aboriginal is commonly used when referring to the three groups of indigenous peoples (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis ) as a whole. It is also used by Aboriginal people who live within Canada who claim rights of sovereignty or Aboriginal title to lands. CIRNAC
459-740: The Inuit of Nunavut , the department and its Minister have the challenge of implementing the Conciliator's Final Report, dated March 1, 2006 on the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Implementation Contract Negotiations for the Second Planning Period 2003-2013 "The Nunavut Project" authored by Thomas Berger . This report recommends an increase in Inuit participation in Nunavut's federal and territorial public service. Non-Status Indian In Canada ,
486-544: The North led to the establishment of the Northern Administration and Lands branch in 1951, which led to the creation of the Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources in 1953. This became the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in 1966. Under the Federal Identity Program , the department is known as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Beginning in the early 20th century,
513-529: The Provinces Responsible for Indian Affairs. In 1876, the Indian Act , which remains the major expression of federal jurisdiction in this area, was passed and a series of treaties were concluded between Canada and the various Indian bands across the country. The responsibility for Indian Affairs and Northern Development rested with various government departments between 1873 and 1966. The Minister of
540-625: The command of Captain Bernier in 1924. During the 1930–1931 expedition to the Western Arctic, Finnie served as filmmaker. Lachlan T. Burwash, an exploratory engineer with the Department of the Interior, made a survey of the east coasts of Hudson Bay and James Bay , and the Belcher Islands in the late 1920s. Zoologist Joseph Dewey Soper travelled to the Baffin Island (Qikiqtaaluk) region in
567-543: The government appealed. In 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the 2013 verdict after a subsequent appeal on the 2014 decision. As a result, the federal government has jurisdiction and fiduciary duty over status Indians, non-status Indians, and Métis alike. This article about Canadian law is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to the Indigenous peoples of North America
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#1732851350850594-641: The late 1920s in order to document the landscape, as well as the plant and bird life. J.G. Wright , Superintendent of Eastern Arctic Patrol and National Film Board photographer, served on the 1945–1946 expedition sponsored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind . As the Regional Director of Family Allowances for Yukon and the Northwest Territories , S.J. Bailey served as part of
621-564: The term non-status Indian ( French : Indiens non inscrits ) refers to any First Nations person who for whatever reason is not registered with the federal government , or is not registered to a band which signed a treaty with the Crown . For several decades, status Indian women automatically became non-status if they married men who were not status Indians. Prior to 1955, a status Indian could lose their status and become non-status through enfranchisement (voluntarily giving up status, usually for
648-484: Was not instantaneous, with Orders-in-Council initially separating the portfolios, and formal legislation constituting the new departments being passed in July 2019. According to Trudeau, the rationale behind the restructuring was that "the structures in place at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada were created at a time where the approach around the Indian Act , the approach around our engagement with indigenous peoples,
675-476: Was previously home to less than 200 residents. In 2016 Dr. Mohan Singh Virick, a Sikh doctor who served Eskasoni for 50 years, donated 140 hectares (335 acres) of land. He also donated a building in Sydney to help house Eskasoni's growing population. Eskasoni is the most populous community of the Mi'kmaq Nation. It has its own community radio station, CICU-FM , broadcasting at 94.1 MHz . The Eskasoni First Nation
702-656: Was transferred from the British government to the Province of Canada ; the responsibility for Indian affairs was then delegated to the Crown Lands Department Commissions Responsible for Indian Affairs. The federal government 's legislative responsibilities for First Nations and the Inuit derive from section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, 1867 and responsibility was given to the Secretary of State for
729-526: Was very much looked at in a paternalistic, colonial way". The new departments are consistent with the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' recommendations to improve the delivery of services dramatically and fast-track self-government. CIRNAC has offices in ten (10) regions, at headquarters and to deal with oil and gas leases. The offices are further divided into the broad divisions of treaties and aboriginal government; lands and economic development and education and social development. Northern Development
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