This thesis assesses the potential success of the United States’ newly assumed role as chairman of the Arctic Council in light of its own record of development in Alaska, its only Arctic territory. Using primary and secondary qualitative research, perspectives from multiple stakeholders are analyzed to assess the United States’ current capabilities in the Arctic versus its rhetoric and responsibilities. To gauge this more effectively, the theory of problem-solving capacity is used to analyze the United States’ potential capacity in the Arctic Council, while the theory of environmental security is used to analyze the United States’ level of investment and commitment to Alaska. With development in Alaska minimal at best and local communities at risk from environmental impacts, the ideal tool for addressing these deficiencies is identified to be icebreakers operated by the United States Coast Guard. Impediments to acquiring sufficient icebreaking capacity are explored, with the conclusion that if the United States is to take effective action on the Arctic stage, investment in icebreakers and therefore the environment and inhabitants of the Arctic is necessary. Not doing so reveals the USA’s agenda to be empty rhetoric and consequently this lost opportunity for leadership may lead to catastrophic results for the region.

Nunavut Inuit youths exhibit cultural resilience and leadership. However, researchers frequently neglect such assets and instead emphasize these youths’ challenges or perceived inadequacies. I conducted an intrinsic case study regarding Nunavut Inuit youths’ experiences with an experiential learning program, Northern Youth Abroad (NYA), in order to investigate participants’ growth in cross-cultural awareness, individual career goals, leadership, and global citizenship. Drawing on post-colonial theory, semi-structured interviews, archival research, and participant observation, I argue that NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants reported significant personal growth in these four objectives. I also provide an in-depth analysis of how NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants described and developed distinct and rich leadership styles that draw on Inuit and Euro-Canadian influences.

This paper considers the Aboriginal population in Canada (composed of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples) and explores the hypothesis that the degree to which traditional knowledge concepts, specifically in the area of mental health, is impacted by the extent to which a given population has achieved self-government. Additionally, from a public policy standpoint, this study – using a single case comparison methodology – examines the gap between intentions outlined in policy formulation stage guidance documents, indicating that the Canadian federal government intends to incorporate traditional knowledge to a greater degree, and evidence present at the policy implementation and budgeting stage, where it is clear that the application of the guidance does not always result in the stated outcome. By looking at similarities and differences between the case populations, this study will highlight some successes in the field of mental health policy, assess the challenges that policymakers face in the area of Aboriginal health, and offer suggestions to arrive at a place in the future where fundamental mental health disparities have been reduced for Aboriginal people in Canada.

The collaborative management arrangements in place for Nunavut’s National Parks demonstrated a shifting trend in Canadian resource management, where Indigenous people are increasingly involved in the governance of traditional lands. This work considered the arrangement in place for Auyuittuq National Park, Nunavut, by exploring the effect that differential discourse had on policy formation and implementation. To focus the research on a single management issue youth engagement was selected for consideration. Employing a qualitative case study strategy of inquiry, data was collected by conducting 50 interviews and 7 focus groups in the park adjacent community of Pangnirtung. The project findings indicated that the Parks Canada Agency’s discourse maintained a dominant position within the management process, such that many of the youth engagement strategies implemented did not account for Inuit cultural practices. As a consequence of this omission, many of the implemented methods were unintuitive to the community, and in some cases served as a barrier to youth participation. / October 2016

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

The negotiation of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (1993) and subsequent creation of the territory of Nunavut in 1999 have been considered by some to be the beginning of the nation to nation reconciliation between the Inuit of the Eastern Arctic and Canada. The institutions of public government that were created through this agreement are intended in part to support Inuit in shaping their economic livelihoods in the territory on their terms. However, it is unclear how territorial and regional planners and decision-makers in positions of power conceptualize “successful economic development” in Nunavut and what implications this could have for Inuit self-determination. Key informants from the Government of Nunavut (GN) and several Inuit and Land Claims Organizations (ILCOs) were interviewed (n=17) to understand how they conceptualize successful development in the territory and what they think is needed to attain their vision. A framework for Indigenous nation building (Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development), developed from three decades of research, is used to analyze the interview results. The results of this qualitative analysis indicate that key informants interpret their role toward Inuit self-determination as promoting Inuit participation in Nunavut’s market-based, wage-labour economy. This has important implications for possible GN and ILCO coordination and collaboration in their socio-economic efforts on behalf of Nunavummiut.

Cette thèse se veut un examen de la protection accordée aux droits linguistiques des autochtones du Québec et de l’Ontario par le droit international, le droit constitutionnel canadien et la législation fédérale et provinciale. Par l’étude des dispositions législatives, de la jurisprudence et de la doctrine pertinentes, on tente de déterminer la portée des obligations des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux relativement à la protection des langues autochtones. Bien que la revitalisation de leurs langues doive se faire avant tout par les autochtones, l’État a un rôle important à jouer dans le développement et la promotion des langues, par exemple en mettant en place des programmes de financement ou en favorisant l’usage des langues autochtones à l’extérieur des communautés. On remarque une ouverture à la reconnaissance de droits linguistiques en faveur des autochtones, même s’ils ne jouissent pas encore de droits comparables à ceux reconnus aux minorités francophones et anglophones.

Nunavut Inuit youths exhibit cultural resilience and leadership. However, researchers frequently neglect such assets and instead emphasize these youths’ challenges or perceived inadequacies. I conducted an intrinsic case study regarding Nunavut Inuit youths’ experiences with an experiential learning program, Northern Youth Abroad (NYA), in order to investigate participants’ growth in cross-cultural awareness, individual career goals, leadership, and global citizenship. Drawing on post-colonial theory, semi-structured interviews, archival research, and participant observation, I argue that NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants reported significant personal growth in these four objectives. I also provide an in-depth analysis of how NYA’s Nunavut Inuit participants described and developed distinct and rich leadership styles that draw on Inuit and Euro-Canadian influences.

This paper considers the Aboriginal population in Canada (composed of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples) and explores the hypothesis that the degree to which traditional knowledge concepts, specifically in the area of mental health, is impacted by the extent to which a given population has achieved self-government. Additionally, from a public policy standpoint, this study – using a single case comparison methodology – examines the gap between intentions outlined in policy formulation stage guidance documents, indicating that the Canadian federal government intends to incorporate traditional knowledge to a greater degree, and evidence present at the policy implementation and budgeting stage, where it is clear that the application of the guidance does not always result in the stated outcome. By looking at similarities and differences between the case populations, this study will highlight some successes in the field of mental health policy, assess the challenges that policymakers face in the area of Aboriginal health, and offer suggestions to arrive at a place in the future where fundamental mental health disparities have been reduced for Aboriginal people in Canada.

This thesis is a descriptive study of health care in the Inuit settlement of Gjoa Haven, N.W.T. The purpose of the research was primarily to describe and analyse the interactional networks of health and illness related behaviour that are associated with the Nursing Station. The cultural and organizational background of the administrators and nurses who provide medical services to Inuit are described, as are the attitudes and beliefs held by Inuit about illness and about the health care delivery system.<p>The thesis examines the acculturation of Inuit beliefs and practices related to illness throughout the contact period and focuses particularly on the changing role of the Inuit healer, the anqatquq or shaman. Various influences such as epidemic diseases, missionary activity, and changing economic orientations that have contributed to Inuit dependency patterns and changed beliefs about illness, its causes and cures, are detailed.<p>Theoretically, the thesis is partly a study of the replacement of a traditional medical system by the cosmopolitan medical system and the gradual attenuation of the traditional curer's role. It is also an examination of the manner in which the conflict resulting from differences in attitudes between administrators, nurses and Inuit, affects the delivery and utilization of health services in Gjoa Haven. It demonstrates that where problems occur they are as much a result of conflict between administrators and nurses, as they are due to conflict between nurses and Inuit.<p>The substantive portion of the thesis examines specific domains of interaction such. as health education, agency coordination and native participation and points out areas where failure occurs in each of these arenas. Recommendations are included that suggest strategies for improving the effectiveness of health care delivery and ultimately the health levels of the Inuit population.