Royce Koop and Réal Carrière are the winners of the John McMenemy Prize for best academic article from the Canadian Journal of Political Science. Credit: J. Ogbonnaya
Indigenous political representatives exist in two, often conflicting, worlds
Political researchers win prize for article on challenges Indigenous politicians face
Two University of Manitoba political studies researchers have won the John McMenemy Prize for best academic article from the Canadian Journal of Political Science. The article, “Indigenous Political Representation in Canada” analyzes how aboriginal people elected to provincial legislatures and federal Parliament negotiate the driving force behind their political commitment to the challenge of providing aboriginal representation in Canada’s legislative institutions.
Réal Carrière, assistant professor and Royce Koop, professor of the Department of Political Studies in the Faculty of Arts received the award at the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA) annual conference held at McGill University, Montréal, Québec.
As colleagues, Carrière and Koop were looking to combine their interests – Carrière’s in Indigenous politics and Koop’s in representation – and realized there was a large gap on the question of Indigenous representation. “We wanted to allow Indigenous politicians to speak through their own voices, and the research was designed to allow that to happen,” said Koop. The article is the result of three years of work analysing past research, interviewing current and former politicians from six provinces and then sharing their findings on an original conceptualization of Indigenous representation.
The researchers found that “other studies have explored how representatives work on behalf of racialized peoples, women or LGBTQ+ Canadians. But, Indigenous representatives are unique because they exist in two worlds: (1) the colonial democratic institutions they are elected to serve in and (2) the Indigenous nations that are engaged in ongoing struggles for their own sovereignty. Reconciling their roles with these two worlds is at the heart of Indigenous political representation for these elected officials.”
“As you walk into this place, there’s potential to make a difference. But also, a sadness at what that place did to our people. So, you almost have a stronger obligation to right the wrongs of the past, to move forward in a different way, in a better way, in a stronger way, that’s inclusive of Indigenous peoples.” – Interviewee 8
“I went into this project thinking that representation is representation,” said Carrière. “However, now I feel this project has just opened the door to our understanding of Indigenous representation.” In Canada, there is a growing interest in topics related to Indigenous peoples in political science. The researchers sought to conduct their study in a different way, by engaging directly with the individuals and then seeing and describing the findings through their eyes. “Our discipline is still learning how to interact with Indigenous peoples and scholarship,” added Carrière. “This project provides a path forward for other scholars. The way Royce and I worked together shows meaningful and successful partnership.”
Carrière and Koop’s research in this area continues. They plan to take what they’ve learned from speaking with MPs and MLAs and apply it to a wider study of Indigenous politicians in First Nations and advocacy organizations such as the AFN. They also hope that other academics will take the framework they’ve developed and employ it in their own studies.
In the general Canadian political landscape, Carrière and Koop feel that “the ongoing processes of reconciliation and decolonization could be aided by more Indigenous representatives in both federal and provincial politics.” Even with the realistic challenges the Indigenous representatives face, the research shows the benefits of this approach. However, Koop clarifies that there are still “significant obstacles to this within Canada’s colonial institutions, including electing more Indigenous representatives and giving them the freedom to actually advocate for and advance the interests of Indigenous peoples.” Carrière adds that before we can expect future change, we must also recognize that there are “many layers to Indigenous representation. While Canada has preferred to create relationships with central figures, Indigenous peoples are diverse and so is Indigenous representation.”
The award provides recognition that the research they are pursuing is helping to advance the discipline and bring attention to the topic. “So much work goes into every article and every publication that, of course, any recognition is very special,” shared Koop. “It meant a lot to me as well because of the partnership between Réal and I that led to it. It was a unique combination of skills and interests that produced something that neither of us would likely have produced on our own, and so having the product of that collaboration recognized is very special.”
Open access of “Indigenous Political Representation in Canada,” CJPS Vol 56:2, 257- 278, June 2023.