Custodians of the past: archaeology and Indigenous best practices in Canada

Abstract

The current lack of federal heritage policy and legislation in Canada is examined through a comparative study with two other formerly colonial Commonwealth countries, Australia and New Zealand. The full responsibility for protecting the nation’s cultural heritage has been left to individual provinces and a comparative study of policy and legislation across Canada is undertaken. The archaeological excavation at the site of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights has proven to be one of the most significant in the province of Manitoba and serves as the case study for this research. All of this comparative research aspires toward a single goal; the creation of a best practices model broadly applicable to the provinces of Canada, which aims to provide a basis for the creation of federal heritage policy and legislation in meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities.