Fonds consists of records created and/or maintained by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Photographs depict subjects such as Canadian cities and towns visited by the Royal Commission, including many northern communities as well as Winnipeg, Victoria, Ottawa, Calgary, Lethridge, Saskatoon, Regina, Montreal, Akwesasne, Edmonton, Halifax, Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie, and document forums, roundtables, hearings, performances and workshops undertaken during the commission's work. Researchers are cautioned that unprocessed records in other media (excluding photographs) are not reflected in this description.
Canada. Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples : The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was established by P.C. 1597, dated 26 August 1991, under Part I of the Inquiries Act and on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The terms of reference were based on a report of the Rt. Hon. Brian Dickson, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, dated 2 August 1991.
The Commission was mandated to investigate and propose solutions to problems in the relationship among Aboriginal Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Metis), the Canadian government, and Canadian society as a whole. In practice, this included a broad range of issues including: the scope of Sec. 91 (24) of the Constitution Act, the legal implications and status of Aboriginal treaties and modern-day agreements, the Indian Act, land and resources, economics, social and cultural issues, justice, education and health. The mandate placed emphasis on the Metis, off-reserve and Inuit peoples, including women, youth and the role of elders, as well as the situation in the North.
