Divided Power: How Federalism Undermines Reconciliation

Reconciliation, as set out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is a process of understanding the Canadian state's genocide against Indigenous Peoples and creating new relationships based on mutual respect and dignity. Given the racism and paternalism embedded in the Canadian state, building such a relationship is monumental and, in addition, there is a major structural roadblock in the way: federalism. Divided Power: How Federalism Undermines Reconciliation (Fernwood Publishing, 2025) argues that Canadian federalism, rooted in settler colonialism, has dispossessed Indigenous Peoples for settler benefit. This book asks: Under such coercive political exclusion, how can truth and reconciliation be fully achieved?

About the presenter

Emily Grafton (Métis) is an associate professor of politics and international studies at the University of Regina. She holds a PhD in Native Studies (University of Manitoba) and specializes in community-driven decolonial politics and research. She is the co-editor of the book series, On Settler Colonialism in Canada (URPress).