The role of "community" in the design and development of Vancouver aboriginal transformative justice services

Indigenous people in Canada are reasserting their inherent rights to live as distinct Peoples. A significant element of this involves taking back responsibility for justice reforms and initiatives. Fundamental tenets of Aboriginal justice processes require they be community-based, community-defined and community-driven. These are challenged when mumuthni (mainstream) governments remain the primary source of justice funding and construct the criteria by which those funds are allocated. Even greater challenges arise in urban contexts where quu'as (Indigenous people) reside and where issues of who "the community" is come to the fore. Combining archival sources, surveys and interviews, this thesis examines how the urban Aboriginal "community" in Vancouver was constructed during the design and development of Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services, a culturally appropriate justice programme. In the process, the steps urban quu'as are taking to self-define and build community, and the challenges current mumuthni government policies pose, are considered.