This thesis examines the discourse surrounding the debate over whether the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ought to apply to First Nations governments in Canada. This is a constitutional and legal grey area at present because Section 32 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates that this constitutional document applies to the federal, provincial and territorial governments, but does not mention Aboriginal governments. The lack of constitutional clarity on this issue has generated a debate involving three schools of thought. The first school proposes that the Charter ought to apply to First Nations governments just as it does to other governments in Canada. The second school of thought argues that the Charter should not apply to First Nations governments because it is an imposition of western liberal values on their governments that could limit their self-governing authority. Proponents of this view assert that recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution should entitle First Nations to develop their own rights practices, consistent with Aboriginal laws and customs. A third school of thought suggests that there may be alternatives between accepting the Charter as it is and rejecting it altogether. Two options have been advocated by this school. One option is for the Charter to apply with a caveat that it be done in a manner that is consonant with traditional Aboriginal laws and customs. The other option is that a parallel Aboriginal Charter of Rights and Freedoms be developed that better reflects Aboriginal traditions on rights. While this debate has been ongoing, the Government of Canada and some First Nations have entered into self-governing agreements that acknowledge the application of the Canadian Charter to those particular governments. This thesis concludes that there is no easy resolution to the debate, that it may take the courts to resolve the issue in law, and this outcome itself may be unsatisfactory to First Nations communities.

This thesis examines the discourse surrounding the debate over whether the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ought to apply to First Nations governments in Canada. This is a constitutional and legal grey area at present because Section 32 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates that this constitutional document applies to the federal, provincial and territorial governments, but does not mention Aboriginal governments. The lack of constitutional clarity on this issue has generated a debate involving three schools of thought. The first school proposes that the Charter ought to apply to First Nations governments just as it does to other governments in Canada. The second school of thought argues that the Charter should not apply to First Nations governments because it is an imposition of western liberal values on their governments that could limit their self-governing authority. Proponents of this view assert that recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights in the Constitution should entitle First Nations to develop their own rights practices, consistent with Aboriginal laws and customs. A third school of thought suggests that there may be alternatives between accepting the Charter as it is and rejecting it altogether. Two options have been advocated by this school. One option is for the Charter to apply with a caveat that it be done in a manner that is consonant with traditional Aboriginal laws and customs. The other option is that a parallel Aboriginal Charter of Rights and Freedoms be developed that better reflects Aboriginal traditions on rights. While this debate has been ongoing, the Government of Canada and some First Nations have entered into self-governing agreements that acknowledge the application of the Canadian Charter to those particular governments. This thesis concludes that there is no easy resolution to the debate, that it may take the courts to resolve the issue in law, and this outcome itself may be unsatisfactory to First Nations communities.

A survey questionnaire, following recommendations made by Jenkins and Dillman (1997) and approved by the Institutional Review Board in College Station, was designed to describe demographics of charter anglers in Galveston, Texas and to assess their environmental awareness. The anglers were described by age, gender, place of residence, and species preference to reflect past studies and provide consistency of data. Economic impacts on the local economy were estimated using the number of anglers that spent at least one night in a Galveston hotel, charter fees, and a daily average for food/beverage expenditures made during their stay. Environmental awareness was established by asking whether anglers noticed the presence of marine debris, whether they were aware of the existence of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS), and whether marine sanctuaries were a valuable management tool. The questionnaire was administered to anglers that fished from the charter boat Freedom during its fifty-four charter trips in the months of June through August 2007. The response rate to the survey was 93.8% (N=213 respondents). The majority (81.7%) of those surveyed was male, 86.8% were between 20-60 years old, and 86% resided in Texas. The sub-population of charter anglers was defined as infrequent (68.5 %), without species preference (70.8 %), did not own their own boat (75%) and did not belong to a fishing, hunting, or conservation organization (79.8%). The economic impact was approximately $400 per person per day. This first step in assessing environmental awareness resulted in these findings: approximately 14% of the anglers noticed dead fish; 7% noticed dead birds; and 54.5% noticed man-made trash during their charter. Thirty-eight anglers (17.8%) responded that they were familiar with the FGBNMS; yet in general, nearly 81% indicated a perceived value in sanctuaries as a management tool. Future studies are needed to fully assess environmental awareness of anglers and their knowledge of other management programs. This is particularly important with the expansion of programs such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s artificial reef program.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Political Science, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Contemporary public education is viewed by many to be in turmoil, in part due to a changing population: increases in the number of students of poverty, handicapped individuals, teen parents, and students for whom English is not a first language. These and other issues have changed the face of our expectations for American education, and a "one size fits all" mentality will no longer suffice. The resulting school reform often appears in the guise of school choice. School choice can take many forms, including the voucher system, tuition tax credits, magnet schools, and charter schools, among others. This study examines the perceived differences, as viewed by parents, between charter schools and traditional public schools, and the ambient or intangible reasons that parents are making the choice for charter schools. A charter school on the Texas-Mexico border, which had been in existence for at least two years was selected for the study. Participants in the study were parents, all mothers, who completed a pre-survey of basic demographic information. Two extensive interviews were completed for each. Three focus groups, also consisting of charter school parents, were convened and interviewed in an effort to triangulate the data. Chapter Four of the study provides thick descriptions of the participants, while Chapter Five organizes the findings into common, emerging themes. Chapter Six provides the conclusions of the study which indicate that there are some commonalities and some differences perceived by parents between charter and public schools. The ambient or intangible factors involved in choice decision were not found to be any different than those found in other literature on school choice. Implications for the practitioner and future researchers are included in the final chapter. / text

This thesis examines the use of information that is confidential, for reasons of national security, against detainees held under the security certificate provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 (IRPA), without disclosure to the detainee or the detainee’s counsel. The striking down of the predecessor legislation by the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament’s response are reviewed, as is pertinent literature in the area. Parliament’s creation of a regime providing for the appointment of a Special Advocate to receive confidential information and represent the interests of an individual detained under a security certificate at hearings where the detained individual and their counsel are excluded is considered. The Special Advocate regime is analyzed to determine its adequacy in protecting the section 7 rights of a detainee under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The limitations associated with the Special Advocate regime are identified, with a conclusion that the relevant provisions of IRPA, including the Special Advocate regime, are inadequate in terms of protecting the right to make full answer and defence and that, therefore, the current legislation violates the Charter.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pennsylvania State University, 2005. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

This qualitative case study examines academic performance effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) of a charter school based on the perceptions of the administrator and teachers. This study explores what they perceived to be effective/ineffective, the reasons for this effectiveness/ineffectiveness, and the solutions to any identified challenges/problems at their charter school as they relate to students' academic performance. The participants in the study were from one charter school in a charter school system in North Central Texas. The study utilized surveys and interviews as sources of data that revealed administrator and teacher perception of what they considered to be the strengths and weaknesses of the school, factors accounting for the strengths and weaknesses, and possible solutions to the weaknesses of their charter school as related to students' academic performance. Five perceived strengths were identified to be instruction, curriculum, personnel, mission statement, and parent involvement. Likewise, three perceived weaknesses were identified to be instruction, curriculum, and parent involvement. Recommendations of the study for practitioners included recruitment and employment of preservice teachers from colleges and universities, partnering with alternative certification programs, creating a program of professional development, creating professional learning communities, creating a parent committee, and partnering with local agencies and community businesses. Implications for future research included similar analysis of schools within the same charter school system, analysis of a charter school within another charter school district and replicating this study with the addition of parents.