Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-11T07:28:20.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Neoliberalism as Colonial Embrace: Evaluating Alberta's Regulation of First Nations Gaming, 1993–2010

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Yale D. Belanger  and
Robert J. Williams
Yale D. Belanger
Affiliation:
University of Lethbridge
Robert J. Williams
Affiliation:
University of Lethbridge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Buoyed by the success of two large-scale bingos in 1993 Alberta's First Nations initiated plans to construct reserve casinos to mitigate economic hardships. That year Alberta commenced with neoliberal reforms to slash the provincial budget. This paper explores how Alberta's acquisition of regulatory authority over First Nation's gaming led to the creation of a bureaucracy responsible for oversight of reserve gaming, the costs of which were borne by reserve casino revenues thereby resulting in no additional taxation of non-Native Albertans.

Keywords

Albertagamblingneocolonialismneoliberaleconomic developmentFirst Nations
Type
Research Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 1 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © V.K. Aggarwal 2011 and published under exclusive license to Cambridge University Press 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alberta. 2009. First Nations Development Fund Agreement. Edmonton: Aboriginal Affairs.Google Scholar
Alberta. 2001. “Government Approves Policies to Effectively Manage Growth of Gaming: Community Support Required for New Casinos; VLT cap to remain.” http://www.gaming.gov.ab.ca/news/20011022.asp (last accessed 2 June 2005).Google Scholar
Alberta Economic Development and Tourism. 1993. Seizing Opportunity: Alberta's New Economic Development Opportunity. Edmonton: Government of Alberta.Google Scholar
Gambling, Alberta and (AGLC), Liquor Commission. 2003. Annual Report: Protecting the Integrity of Alberta's Gambling and Liquor Industries. Alberta: Alberta Gambling and Liquor Commission.Google Scholar
Alberta Gambling and Liquor Commission (AGLC). n/d. Gaming Policy comparisons: Key Points. [online] www.aglc.gov.ab.ca/pdf/casino/first_nations_gaming_policy_chart.pdf Google Scholar
Albo, Gregory. 2002. “Neoliberalism, the State and the Left: A Canadian Perspective.” Monthly Review 53 (12): 46–55.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2011a. “Labour Unions and First Nations Casinos: An Uneasy Relationship.” In First Nations Gaming in Canada, edited by Belanger, Yale D. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2011b. “First Nations Gaming and Urban Aboriginal Peoples: Does an Economic ‘Fit’ Exist?” In First Nations Gaming in Canada, edited by Belanger, Yale D. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2011c. “How are the First Nation Casinos Faring? Economically, Socially and Politically.” Alberta Gaming Research Institute, Banff Conference on Internet Gambling, Banff, Alberta, Canada.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2010a. Ways of Knowing: An Introduction to Native Studies in Canada (Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd.).Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2010b. “Are First Nations Casinos Truly ‘A Sure Thing’? Appraising Canada's First Nations Casino Industry, 1996-2010.” National Association for Gambling Studies, Gold Coast, Australia.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2007. “The Six Nations of Grand River Territory's Attempts at Renewing International Political Relationships, 1921-1925.” Canadian Foreign Policy 13 (3): 29–43.Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D. 2006. Gambling with the Future: The Evolution of Aboriginal Gaming in Canada (Saskatoon: Purich Publishing).Google Scholar
Belanger, Yale D., Williams, Robert J. and Arthur, Jennifer N. 2011. “Casinos and Economic Well-Being: Evaluating the Alberta First Nations’ Experience.” Journal of Gambling Business and Economics 5 (1): 23–46.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, Pierre. 1998. “The Essence of Neoliberalism.” Originally published in Le Monde [online] www.analitica.com/bitblioteca/bourdieu/neoliberalism.asp Google Scholar
Brownlee, Jamie. 2005. Ruling Canada: Corporate Cohesion and Democracy. Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.Google Scholar
Campbell, Colin S. 1995. Canadian Gambling Legislation: The Social Origins of Legalization. Ph.D. diss., Simon Fraser University, B.C. Google Scholar
Canada. 1995. Federal Policy Guide: Aboriginal Self-Government: The Government of Canada's Approach to Implementation of the Inherent Rights and the Negotiation of Aboriginal Self-Government. [online] http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/al/ldc/ccl/pubs/sg/sg-eng.asp#inhrsg Last accessed 22 May 2010.Google Scholar
Dockstator, Mark S. Toward an Understanding of Aboriginal Self-Government: A Proposed Theoretical Model and Illustrative Factual Analysis. Ph.D. diss., York University, Toronto.Google Scholar
Dumenil, Gerard and Levy, Dominque. 2011. The Crisis of Neoliberalism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Dumenil, Gerard and Levy, Dominque. 2006. “Neoliberal Dynamics: Toward a New Phase.” In Global Regulation: Managing Crises after the Imperial Turn, edited by van der Pijl, Kees, Assassi, Libby and Wigan, Duncan. New York: Palgrave Macmillian.Google Scholar
Journal, Edmonton. 1995. “Klein nod given to reserve casinos already, says MLA.” March 17.Google Scholar
Harvey, David. 2009. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hale, Charles. 2002. “Does Multiculturalism Menace?: Governance, Cultural Rights and the Politics of Identity in Guatamala.” Journal of Latin American Studies 34: 485–542.Google Scholar
Helin, Calvin. 2006. Dances With Dependency: Indigenous Success Through Self-Reliance. Vancouver, BC: Orca Spirit Publishing.Google Scholar
Hughes, Karen D., Lowe, Graham S. and McKinnon, Allison L. 1996. “Public Attitudes Toward Budget Cuts in Alberta: Biting the Bullet or Feeling the Pain?” Canadian Public Policy 22 (3): 268–284.Google Scholar
Kiss, Simon J. 2008. Selling Government: The Evolution of Government Public Relations in Alberta from 1971-2006. Ph.D. diss., Queens University, Kingston, Ontario.Google Scholar
Labrosse, Michel. 1985. The Lottery … From Jacques Cartier's Day to Modern Times. Montreal: Stanke.Google Scholar
MacDonald, Fiona. 2011. “Indigenous Peoples and Neoliberal ‘Privatization’ in Canada: Opportunities, Cautions and Constraints.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 44 (2): 257–273.Google Scholar
MacDonald, Fiona. 2009. “The Manitoba Government's Shift to ‘Autonomous’ First Nations Child Welfare: Empowerment or Privatization?” In First Nations First Thoughts, edited by May Timson, Annis. Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Manitowabi, Darrel. 2011. “Casino Rama: Aboriginal Self-Determination, Neoliberal Solution or Partial Middle Ground?” In First Nations Gaming in Canada, edited by Belanger, Yale D. Winnipeg, MB.: University of Manitoba Press.Google Scholar
Mawhiney, Anne-Marie H. 1994. Towards Aboriginal Self-Government. New York: Garland Publishing.Google Scholar
Munck, Ronaldo. 2005. “Neoliberalism and Politics, and the Politics of Neoliberalism.” In Neoliberalism: A Critical Reader, edited by Saad-Filho, Alfredo and Johnston, Deborah. London: Pluto Press.Google Scholar
Neu, Dean and Therrien, Richard. 2003. Accounting for Genocide: Canada's Bureaucratic Assault on Aboriginal People. Winnipeg, MB.: Fernwood Publishing.Google Scholar
Pruden, Hal. 2002. “An Overview of the Gambling Provisions in Canadian Criminal Law and First Nations Gambling.” Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development, 2 (2): 37–40.Google Scholar
R. v. Furtney, [1991] 3 S.C.R., 91.Google Scholar
R. v Gladue, [1986] 30 C.C.C. (3d) 308, [1987] 4 C.N.L.R. 92 (Alta. Prov. Ct.).Google Scholar
Radice, Hugo. 2005. “Neoliberal Globalisation: Imperialism without Empires?” In Neoliberalism: A Critical Reader, edited by Saad-Filho, Alfredo and Johnston, Deborah. London: Pluto Press.Google Scholar
Sartre, Jean-Paul. 2001. Colonialism and Neocolonialism. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Scott, Jacquelyn Thayer. 2006. “Doing Business with the Devil: Land, Sovereignty, and Corporate Partnerships in Membertou Inc.” In Self-Determination: The Other Path for Native Americans, edited by Anderson, Terry L., Benson, Bruce L. and Flanagan, Thomas E. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Slowey, Gabrielle. 2008. Navigating Neoliberalism: Self-Determination and the Mikisew Cree First Nation. Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. 2007. “The Native and the Neoliberal Down Under: Neoliberalism and ‘Endangered Authenticities’.” In Indigenous Experience Today, edited by de la Cadena, Marisol and Starn, Orin. Oxford: Berg Publishers.Google Scholar
Smith, Garry and Wynne, Harold. 2000. A Review of the Literature in the Economic and Policy Domains. Edmonton: Alberta Gaming Research Institute.Google Scholar
Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. 1991. “Necolonialism and the secret agent of knowledge.” Oxford Literary Review 13: 1–43.Google Scholar
Stevens, Rhys. 2004. Casinos in Alberta. Lethbridge: Alberta Gaming Research Institute.Google Scholar
Stewart, Monte. 1993. “Natives seeking own gaming commission.” Calgary Herald (29 August) A-4.Google Scholar
Stewart-Harawira, Makere. 2005. The New Imperial Order: Indigenous Responses to Globalization. London: Zed Books.Google Scholar
St. Marys Indian Band v. Canada (Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development), [1995] 3 F.C. 461, 127 D.L.R. (4th) 686, 100 F.T.R. 148, [1996] 2 C.N.L.R. 214 (Fed. T.D.)Google Scholar
Williams, Robert J., Belanger, Yale D. and Arthur, Jennifer N. 2011. Gambling in Alberta: History, Current Status, and Socioeconomic Impacts. Edmonton: Alberta Gambling Research Institute.Google Scholar
Williams, Robert J., Stevens, Rhys and Nixon, Gary. 2011. “Gambling and Problem Gambling in North American Aboriginal People.” In First Nations Gaming in Canada, edited by Belanger, Yale D. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.Google Scholar
Young, Robert J.C., ed. 1987. ‘Colonialism’. Oxford Literary Review 9: 1–3.Google Scholar
Zietsma, Danielle. 2010. Aboriginal People Living Off-Reserve and the Labour Market: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008-2009. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.Google Scholar