What was the federal Indigenous Affairs department restructuring of 2017?
Answer
On August 28, 2017 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the dissolution of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and its replacement with two new federal departments: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC); the restructuring was designed to advance reconciliation by separating policy and partnership work from service delivery.
Explanation
On August 28, 2017 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the dissolution of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and its replacement with two new federal departments: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). The restructuring was designed to advance reconciliation by separating policy, partnership, and treaty work (under CIRNAC) from federal service delivery (under ISC). The split was intended to reverse the colonial-era Indian Affairs Department's all-purpose control over Indigenous lives. The restructuring was implemented through the Department of Indigenous Services Act (S.C. 2019, c. 29, s. 336) and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Act (S.C. 2019, c. 29, s. 337), both passed June 21, 2019.
The federal Indigenous Affairs Department had a long history. It originated in 1755 with the British Indian Department and was transferred to federal Canadian jurisdiction at Confederation in 1867. The department was successively called Indian Affairs (1880 to 1936), Indian Affairs Branch of Mines and Resources (1936 to 1949), the Department of Citizenship and Immigration's Indian Affairs Branch (1949 to 1965), the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1966 to 2010), Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (2011 to 2015), and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (2015 to 2017). All previous incarnations had combined paternalistic colonial service delivery with policy and treaty functions, an arrangement widely criticised as undermining genuine reconciliation.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) is responsible for the federal government's relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples; comprehensive land claims; specific claims; self-government negotiations; treaty implementation; Indigenous-Crown reconciliation; Indigenous-rights litigation; and northern policy. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations works alongside the Minister of Indigenous Services. CIRNAC has been led by Carolyn Bennett (2015 to 2017 INAC; 2017 to 2021 CIRNAC; previous Indigenous Affairs); Marc Miller (2021 to 2023); Gary Anandasangaree (2023 to present 2024).
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is responsible for federal services for Indigenous people, particularly health (via the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch), education, child and family services, infrastructure on reserves, Indigenous economic development, drinking water, and emergency management. ISC has been led by Jane Philpott (2017 to 2019), Seamus O'Regan (2019), Marc Miller (2019 to 2021), Patty Hajdu (2021 to 2023), and Patty Hajdu (continuing). The two-department structure aims to ensure that Indigenous-Crown relations are developed by a department focused on partnerships and reconciliation, while service delivery is overseen by a department focused on outcomes. Critics have argued that the new structure has not yet substantially altered the federal government's fundamental approach to Indigenous policy.
Why this matters for your test
The 2017 restructuring ended the 260-year-old combined Indian Affairs department and created the dual-department structure for federal Indigenous-Crown work. Recognising the August 28, 2017 split and the CIRNAC/ISC structure gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada; Indigenous Services Canada
