Neoliberalism and the Evolution of the Urban Aboriginal Strategy in Metro Vancouver

This study tracks the evolution of the Government of Canada’s Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) from beginning to end. It identifies four stages of the UAS, determining that at each successive stage it adhered more strictly to neoliberal principles of project delivery. It explores how this intensified neoliberalization of the UAS impacted urban Aboriginal organizations in Metro Vancouver by asking: How has a shift towards increasingly neoliberal government policies impacted Aboriginal organizations and their ability to deliver and sustain projects under the Urban Partnerships program of the Urban Aboriginal Strategy in Metro Vancouver from fiscal years 2014/2015 to 2016/2017? This project utilizes a mixed methods approach with data collected in three stages: content analysis of UAS documents, informant interviews, and analysis of informant organizations’ documents. Results show division between the federal and provincial governments over urban Aboriginal jurisdiction, while urban Aboriginal communities are expected to become responsible for their own needs.