Anniversaries are occasions to reflect on the ongoing significance of events from the past. As I write this today, not a month has elapsed since 251 years prior, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued. Even though throughout the 17th and 18th centuries the British crown exercised its legislative power through a variety of royal proclamations & acts; and notwithstanding that 251 years have passed since its release, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 is certainly one that should be commemorated. Throughout this paper, I will argue that, due to its historical significance, and the continuing legacy, the Royal Proclamation issued on October 7th 1763 is both valid and relevant. Still worthy of commemoration to this day, it laid the groundwork for
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In fact, only the last five paragraphs addressed First nations, the first 11 paragraphs dealt with boundaries of the newly acquired territory, as well as the governing and legal institutions that would be put in place. Essentially, the Proclamation was designed to deal with very specific issues within a particular context, one that has long since passed into history. That being said, it continues to be as relevant as it ever was, and some even argue that it is even more relevant today. One such advocate is distinguished professor of law at York University, Dr. Brian Slattery. Arguing in his article entitled is the Royal Proclamation of 1763 a dead letter, Slattery argues that the Proclamation embodies the fundamental and timeless legal principles that give context to the relationship between the British Crown and Indigenous peoples. He points out that even the Canadian Supreme Court valorises the Proclamation. “In the watershed Calder decision of 1973, Justice Emmett Hall […] described the Proclamation as akin to the Magna Carta- and the analogy is an appropriate one”. For Slattery, three core principles embodied by the Proclamation stand out as particularly significant today. The first dictated that Canada’s …show more content…
[…] And whereas great frauds and abuses have been committed in the purchasing lands of the Indians, to the great prejudice of our interests, and to the great dissatisfaction of the said Indians; in order therefore to prevent such irregularities for the future, and the end that the Indians may be convinced of our justice, and determined resolution to remove all reasonable cause of
In fact, only the last five paragraphs addressed First nations, the first 11 paragraphs dealt with boundaries of the newly acquired territory, as well as the governing and legal institutions that would be put in place. Essentially, the Proclamation was designed to deal with very specific issues within a particular context, one that has long since passed into history. That being said, it continues to be as relevant as it ever was, and some even argue that it is even more relevant today. One such advocate is distinguished professor of law at York University, Dr. Brian Slattery. Arguing in his article entitled is the Royal Proclamation of 1763 a dead letter, Slattery argues that the Proclamation embodies the fundamental and timeless legal principles that give context to the relationship between the British Crown and Indigenous peoples. He points out that even the Canadian Supreme Court valorises the Proclamation. “In the watershed Calder decision of 1973, Justice Emmett Hall […] described the Proclamation as akin to the Magna Carta- and the analogy is an appropriate one”. For Slattery, three core principles embodied by the Proclamation stand out as particularly significant today. The first dictated that Canada’s …show more content…
[…] And whereas great frauds and abuses have been committed in the purchasing lands of the Indians, to the great prejudice of our interests, and to the great dissatisfaction of the said Indians; in order therefore to prevent such irregularities for the future, and the end that the Indians may be convinced of our justice, and determined resolution to remove all reasonable cause of