Indigenous Land Rights, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development in Canada : "Opting-In" to the Global Economy

This exploration of indigenous development as socialentrepreneurship begins with a discussion of the importance and context ofindigenous development globally and in Canada in particular. This is followedby a review of development theory and an assessment of the theoreticalfeasibility of the Aboriginal approach to development, which appears to begrounded on a foundation of social entrepreneurship. At this point, three case studies are presented in order to demonstrate thatsocial entrepreneurship plays a pivotal role in the decision of Aboriginalpeople to "opt in" and actively participate in the global economy. Thecase studies, which describe the business development experiences of theInuvialuit, the Osoyoos Indian Band, and the La Rouge First Nation, suggestthat a few key decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada have enabled theapproach to indigenous claims to shift from contention to negotiation andenterprise. Rather than contesting the existence of indigenous rights to land andresources, the state now negotiates agreements that form the foundation forprosperous indigenous nations within Canada. The key to achieving thisprosperity is Aboriginal entrepreneurship. The fact that the fruits of theseentrepreneurial efforts are used to fund community objectives reinforces thehighly social nature of Aboriginal entrepreneurship. (SAA)