On 28 February 2006, the Six Nations of the Grand River blocked workers from entering a half-built housing development in southern Ontario. They renamed the land Kanonhstaton, "the protected place." The protest drew national and international attention to the issue of Aboriginal land rights and sparked a series of ongoing events known as the "Caledonia Crisis."

Laura DeVries' powerful account of the dispute links the actions of police, governmental officials, and locals to entrenched non-Aboriginal discourses about law, landscape, and identity. It encourages non-Aboriginal Canadians to reconsider their assumptions - to view "facts" such as the rule of law as culturally specific notions that prevent truly equitable dialogue. DeVries not only reveals the conflicting visions of justice held by various parties to the dispute, she also seeks out possible solutions in alternative conceptualizations of sovereignty over land and law embedded in the Constitution.

An illuminating look at Canada-First Nations relations from the perspective of the uncommon ground in Caledonia.

About the Author

Laura DeVries was born and raised in Southern Ontario. She now lives and practices law in Vancouver, after working at the Supreme Court of Canada as a judicial law clerk from 2013 - 2014. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa in 2000 and her M.A. and J.D. at the University of British Columbia in 2009 and 2013.

Book Information
ISBN 9780774821858
Author Laura DeVries
Format Paperback
Page Count 260
Imprint University of British Columbia Press
Publisher University of British Columbia Press
Weight(grams) 420g