First Nations Sacred Sites in Canada's Courts

Ross (currently pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at the U. of Toronto) investigates the legal treatment of indigenous First Nations' sacred sites in the Canadian court system. He first provides a sketch of general legal theory of sacred sites and considers the historical and legal context in which First Nations bring disputes about sacred sites to the courts. He then explores some dozen legally significant cases in which First Nations communities have attempted to assert constitutionally guaranteed Aboriginal and treaty rights into sacred site protection. In analyzing the courts' treatment of the sacred sites, he finds the courts to biased against First Nations peoples and their rights. Distributed in the US by the U. of Washington Press. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Michael Ross has a law degree from the University of British Columbia and is working on a PhD in philosophy at the University of Toronto. He currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he is an Articled Student with Hutchins Grant and Associates, and is writing his dissertation on Aristotle on language, thought, and reality.