Historically, social injustices towards Indigenous peoples in natural resource management have been numerous. In particular, provincial and federal governments have failed to develop or support processes that empower Indigenous groups to monitor, manage or make decisions across their traditional lands. That includes “free and informed consent” prior to approval or development of any project on Indigenous lands, as specified in Article 23 of UNDRIP. As one response to these injustices, Canadian Indigenous groups have developed “Guardianship” programs based off of the Australian Indigenous Guardianship model. Indigenous Guardianship programs employ community members to act as monitors and stewards of the land. Members of the program are tasked with patrolling protected areas, monitoring fish and wildlife harvests, collecting data, particularly surrounding environmental effects from Climate Change impacts, monitoring and recording industrial development activities, and educating visitors on proper use of the land. In order to properly support Guardianship initiatives, the Canadian government developed the “Indigenous Guardians Pilot Program”, but does their initiative really support Guardians?
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