On Dismantling Settler Colonialism challenges conventional approaches to reconciliation, urging Canadians to move away from the notion of assimilation – where Indigenous peoples are expected to conform to the values and structures of settler colonial society. Instead, this book advocates for a true reconciliation: one that fosters the creation of political, economic, social, and cultural spaces where Indigenous nations can self-govern, restore their traditional lands, and live in harmony with the earth according to their own values and beliefs.
Through deeply personal reflections on over five decades of activism in the communities of the Dene Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Temagami First Nation and the Innu Nation of Labrador, John A. Olthuis shares his powerful journey of working to dismantle settler colonialism. He brings to light the many neglected blueprints for true reconciliation, including discussions of over 700 recommendations for systemic change put forth by the Penner Report, The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This book offers a powerful exploration of how the challenging work of dismantling settler colonialism can be a transformative and deeply healing process for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples alike.
Table of Contents:
Preface: Fifty Years of Walking with First Nations
1.The Dene Nation and the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline
2.Mercury Pollution and the Grassy Narrows Fight for Justice
3.The Aboriginal Peoples Constitutional Conferences
4.Paradise Threatened; the Innu of Labrador fight for their Homeland – Nitassinan
5.The Struggle of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai for Old Growth Trees and Their Land
6.The Struggle for Healing among Mushuau Innu of Labrador
7.The Road Home: the Innu of Labrador and Modern Treaty Negotiations
8.Exciting Blueprints for Reconciliation with Indigenous People and Nations
9.Doing Our Part for Reconciliation with HEART
About the Author :
John A. Olthuis is a member of the Order of Canada and a co-founder of Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, Canada’s largest law firm solely dedicated to representing and providing access to justice for Indigenous Peoples.
Review :
"Deeply informed by 50 years of struggle helping Indigenous peoples challenge Canada’s legal system, Olthuis weaves stories of confrontation and grace in critical yet hopeful ways. On Dismantling Settler Colonialism reveals an insider’s fifty-year struggle for Indigenous self-determination through a lifetime of careful listening and bold advocacy alongside Indigenous communities and leaders." - John Borrows, Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
"Reading On Dismantling Settler Colonialism has been both deeply moving and profoundly instructive. I recognize the truth embedded in every page of Olthuis’ account. Through his detailed chronicling of legal battles, treaty negotiations, and community struggles, Olthuis demonstrates that authentic reconciliation requires not only acknowledgment of past wrongs but also profound and structural change that strengthens the governance of Indigenous peoples in full. It reminds us settlers how much we have yet to learn from Indigenous peoples and from those who have had the privilege of walking these paths of justice alongside them." - Priscylla Joca, Assistant Professor of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University
