Indigenous rights framework could lead to rethink of Canadian geography, expert says

Introducing a new legal rights framework to respect Indigenous rights won't be just as simple as holding consultations, according to an Indigenous issues researcher.

"Governance is becoming increasingly complex," Leah Sarson, a Visiting Arctic Fellow at the Institute of Arctic Studies at Dartmouth College, told The House.

"These conversations that we're having about rights ... are very important, but the implications are greater than rights."

Talks surrounding the framework could even go as far as suggesting a rethink of how the map of Canada is drawn, she suggested. 

Few details have been released by the government on how they plan to implement the framework before the next federal election.

Ministers have started floating ideas for consultations, but Sarson said it can't stop there.

When political authority comes into question, Canada could be caught in a contradiction between maintaining control over policy and recognizing rights promised to Indigenous peoples, she said.

Getting this framework into place will likely be far more complex that the Liberals anticipated, as competing sides are "jostling for an advantage."