Indigenous Difference and the Constitution of Canada

There is a unique constitutional relationship between Aboriginal people and the Canadian state – a relationship that does not exist between other Canadians and the state. It's from this central premise that Patrick Macklem builds his argument in this outstanding and significant work.

Why does this special relationship exist? What does it entail in terms of Canadian constitutional order? There are, Macklem argues, four complex social facts that lie at the heart of the relationship. First, Ab...