Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo

Sommario

1. Introduzione. – 2. Le origini dei trattati stipulati tra popoli nativi e Stato canadese. – 3. La visione contrattualistica dei trattati. – 4. Il riconoscimento costituzionale dei treaty rights: i trattati sui generis. – 5. La traduzione giurisprudenziale del disposto costituzionale. – 6. Fallimento dei tentativi governativi di apertura del dialogo con i nativi. – 7. La Corte suprema apre una nuova strada. – 8. I modern treaties. – 9. Il diritto all’autogoverno delle comunità aborigene. – 10. I claim boards. – 11. Conclusioni.

Abstract

Canadian jurisprudence on treaty issues has evolved over the centuries, from an unwillingness to recognize any legal obligation on the Crown to fulfil treaty terms to a large, liberal and generous approach to treaty interpretation. It also speaks of the inverse limitation, the limitation that the aboriginal signatories had understood would be built into the treaties, alongside their promise, for example not to hunt on land taken up or required. From the aboriginal perspective, the treaty rights have a completely different nature than the right of any other inhabitant to carry out the same activities. The power of the Crown to regulate treaty rights, for example, to hunt and fish, grounded in treaty clauses, facilitates broad regulations severely restricting aboriginal and treaty rights. Fundamental to this understanding of the nature of Crown aboriginal treaties is the element of aboriginal consent.