aNglicaN chuRch aRchiVEs; caNadiaN pREss; istOck NOVEMBER 2015 BCBusiness 61
canada's constitutional act, section 35,
recognizes and affirms existing aborigi-
nal rights but does not define them.
the indian act is amended
to make it illegal for first
Nations to raise money
or hire a lawyer.
this law is not
repealed
until 1951.
calder v. attorney general of B.c. the Nisga'a tribal council takes the
B.c. government to court, arguing that the aboriginal title to 2,600 square
kilometres of land in and around the Nass River Valley in northwestern B.c.
had never been extinguished. although the supreme court ruled against
the Nisga'a, it did acknowledge for the first time that aboriginal title to land
existed prior to colonization and the Royal proclamation of 1763. the case
laid the groundwork for the first modern land claims agreements in B.c.
Continued on page 63
POLITICS TO LAW
Originally a poli-sci
major, Merle Alexander
now practises aboriginal
resource law with
Gowlings LLP
