
The Marshall Decision and Native Rights
The Marshall Decision and Mi'kmaq Rights in the Maritimes
Ken Coates(Author)
McGill-Queen's University Press
Published on 9. November 2000
Book
Hardback
432 pages
978-0-7735-2104-9 (ISBN)
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Description
In The Marshall Decision and Native Rights Ken Coates explains the cross-cultural, legal, and political implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on the Donald Marshall case. He describes the events, personalities, and conflicts that brought the Maritimes to the brink of a major confrontation between Mi'kmaq and the non-Mi'kmaq fishers in the fall of 1999, detailing the bungling by federal departments and the lack of police preparedness. He shows how political, business, and Mi'kmaq leaders in the Maritimes handled the volatile situation, urging non-violence and speaking out against racism, in contrast to the way federal and regional leaders have responded in other parts of the country. Legal victories such as Marshall, argues Coates, are a double-edged sword that provide greater legal clarity but expand the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Canada. Coates recounts the history of Mi'kmaq-white contact in the region and considers the impact of native rights on natural resources, showing that the costs will be borne mainly by rural Canadians. By placing the local and regional reaction to the Marshall decision in the broader historical, national, and international context of indigenous political and legal rights The Marshall Decision and Native Rights shows how little Canada has learned from three decades of First Nations legal conflicts and how far the country is from meaningful reconciliation.
Reviews / Votes
"All Canadians have watched with fascination and dismay the unfolding of events following the Marshall decision by the Supreme Court. Ken Coates' book offers an historical perspective which enables us to comprehend the dispute. At the same time, he has made it clear why First Nations' claims to resources cannot be ignored by Maritimers or other Canadians. They are claims based on constitutional entitlement; they are also the means by which First Nations will achieve a contemporary place in Canadian society." Thomas R. Berger "The Marshall Decision and Native Rights is unusually rich, persuasive, and thought-provoking." Jim Miller, author of Bounty and Benevolence: A History of Saskatchewan TreatiesMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
513 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7735-2104-9 (9780773521049)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Ken Coates
The Marshall Decision and Native Rights
The Marshall Decision and Mi''kmaq Rights in the Maritimes
E-Book
05/2014
McGill-Queen's University Press
€89.99
Available for download
Person
Ken S. Coates is provost and dean of academics at Sea to Sky University in Squamish, British Columbia, and an adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Saskatchewan. His recent publications include The Marshall Decision and Native Rights