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MAI NGUYEN

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Mai Nguyen holds a PhD in Political Science from York University. She conducts research in the area of federal/provincial/municipal public policy focusing more specifically on Indigenous peoples in the administrative process (e.g. natural resource development, land-claims, resource sharing). Her doctorate thesis examined the role of Indigenous-State public consultations in affecting Indigenous-based change. Based on her research and work she has been a policy advisor for the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada's (INAC) Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) for the Ontario region. Her previous roles include Policy Analyst for York Region, University Researcher and Lecturer.

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Larissa Stendie

Michael A Murphy

University of Northern British Columbia

Carleton University

Colleen Hardwick

University of British Columbia

Central University Of Karnataka

Dalhousie University

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Papers by MAI NGUYEN

Unleashing the power of consultations and partnerships through Aboriginal participation

Closing the Education Gap: A Case for Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada, a Look at the Aboriginal Headstart Program

Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De L Education, Oct 8, 2011

This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Abo... more This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Aboriginal youth population in Canada. It argues that the historical consequences of colonialism that resulted in diminished sense of self-worth, self-determination, and culture have placed Aboriginals at the low-end of the socioeconomic strata. This continuing phenomenon has meant that Aboriginal youth perform far worse than non-Aboriginals in terms of their ability to obtain higher education and employment. Given this, using welfare-state theory and Indigenous-based theory I argue that early-childhood education which is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal children and controlled by Aboriginal communities will help to remedy and close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The paper concludes with solutions to rectify the situation in Canada. Specifically, it discusses the current government initiative, Aboriginal Head Start (AHS), that has been making significant strides throughout the Aboriginal community.

Consulting Whom? Lessons from the Toronto Urban Aboriginal Strategy

International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2014

The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The ... more The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The purpose of this Strategy is to provide long-term investments to support Aboriginal communities in urban settings by focusing on three priority areas: improving life skills; promoting job training, skills, and entrepreneurship; and supporting Aboriginal women, children, and families. This article seeks to answer the following question: Does the UAS provide Aboriginal participants with the ability to effectively participant in the consultation process? It argues that the UAS process of consulting with the urban Aboriginal community does not allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal peoples because of problematics related to consulting in an urban setting and despite the language of partnership, the federal government still reserves the right to make final decisions. These problems diminish the ability to build renewed Aboriginal-State relations based on mutual respect and trust, ...

Consulting No One: Is Democratic Administration the Answer for First Nations?

In 1996,

Building Relationships or Building Roadblocks? A Look at the Winnipeg Urban Aboriginal Strategy

Do Aboriginal–state public consultations allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal part... more Do Aboriginal–state public consultations allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal participants in the democratic process, given the group’s political marginalization? This paper argues that public consultations are an effective tool for ensuring the successful participation of Aboriginal groups when the consultation process includes mechanisms for redistributing power from governments to stakeholders. Specifically, this paper looks at the federal government’s current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Winnipeg. Although the direction and tone of the UAS is set by the federal government, the members of the Steering Committee, composed of twelve Aboriginal members and three government officials, are the ones who decide which policies and programs will receive funding. Decision-making is done through ongoing consultation with the Steering Committee and the Aboriginal community at large. Employing ideas in Arnstein (1969) and public consultations literature to create an evaluation framework, this paper identifies critical components that must be present for consultations to be fruitful. And, based on interviews with the Steering Committee, it finds that the UAS in Winnipeg is a successful mechanism for enabling the effective participation of Aboriginal participants in the democratic process—a process which is resulting in the construction of a renewed Aboriginal–state political relationship.

Consulting Whom? Lessons from the Toronto UAS

The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The ... more The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The purpose of this Strategy is to provide long-term investments to support Aboriginal communities in urban settings by focusing on three priority areas: improving life skills; promoting job training, skills, and entrepreneurship; and supporting Aboriginal women, children, and families. This article seeks to answer the following question:
Does the UAS provide Aboriginal participants with the ability to effectively participant in the consultation process? It argues that the UAS process of consulting with the urban Aboriginal community does not allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal peoples because of problematics related to consulting in an urban setting and despite the language of partnership, the federal government still reserves the right to make final
decisions. These problems diminish the ability to build renewed Aboriginal-State relations based on mutual respect and trust, which has been absent within the Aboriginal-State apparatus and resulted in the political exclusion of Aboriginals in Canada. Though consultation can be a vehicle for empowering participants with
decision-making authority, this is not the case in Toronto. The lack of a common vision, political buy-in, and the aura of secrecy leads to a political relationship built on mistrust. Mistrust between members and government renders the consultation process ineffective. This article combines the literature on public
consultations with official government documents to identify critical components that must be evident for consultations to be fruitful and participation effective. These criteria are the benchmarks upon which to measure effectiveness. Based on interviews with the Steering Committee, this article finds that the UAS process of consulting with the Toronto Aboriginal community does not enable Aboriginal participants to effectively participate in the democratic process.

Closing the Education Gap: A Case for Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada, A Look at the Aboriginal Headstart Program.

This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Abo... more This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Aboriginal youth population in Canada. It argues that the historical consequences of colonialism that resulted in diminished sense of self-worth, self-determination, and culture have placed Aboriginals at the low-end of the socio-economic strata. This continuing phenomenon has meant that Aboriginal youth perform far worse than non- Aboriginals in terms of their ability to obtain higher education and employment. Given this, using welfare-state theory and Indigenous-based theory I argue that early-childhood education which is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal children and controlled by Aboriginal communities will help to remedy and close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The paper concludes with solutions to rectify the situation in Canada. Specifically, it discusses the current government initiative, Aboriginal Head Start (AHS), that has been making significant strides throughout the Aboriginal community.

Unleashing the Power of Consultations and Partnerships Through Aboriginal Participation

What are the extent to which and the means by which Canada’s Aboriginals are involved in consulta... more What are the extent to which and the means by which Canada’s Aboriginals are involved in consultation and more importantly, partnerships with other political actors to achieve indigenous-based change? This paper examines this question in the larger framework of new public management (NPM) theory. NPM
postulates that consultation involving public sector engagement with citizens (community engagement/participation) will improve the quality of decisions regarding the content and delivery of policies and programs. The degree to which the public is empowered to engage with the public sector can be measured along a public participation spectrum, developed by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), which measures varying degrees of public participation resulting in different forms of consultations and/or partnerships (inform,
consult, involve, collaborate and empower). This paper will examine the existing literature on public consultation
and public participation which will help identify the level of Aboriginal involvement in the policy process. More
specifically, this paper will examine the Government of Alberta’s 2004 “Grades 10-12 Social Studies Consultation” and the Government of Canada’s 2008 “Environment Canada’s Aboriginal Consultations on Wastewater”, each of which involved government initiatives to carry out consultation with various Aboriginal actors. Ultimately, this paper argues that the different levels of governments in Canada have only employed the first two stages of the public participation spectrum (“inform” and “consult”) and therefore, have not empowered First Nations
communities to become meaningful partners in the policy-making process and the democratic process at large.

Social Policy News (SPN)

SPN highlights articles about current issues in social policy, prominent research, policy changes... more SPN highlights articles about current issues in social policy, prominent research, policy changes and other topics of interest to York Region staff to stimulate discussion on trends, support program planning, and highlight the work being done through the Social Policy team. SPN will be issued semi-annually in 2015, with plans to expand in 2016 based on interest.

Unleashing the power of consultations and partnerships through Aboriginal participation

Closing the Education Gap: A Case for Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada, a Look at the Aboriginal Headstart Program

Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De L Education, Oct 8, 2011

This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Abo... more This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Aboriginal youth population in Canada. It argues that the historical consequences of colonialism that resulted in diminished sense of self-worth, self-determination, and culture have placed Aboriginals at the low-end of the socioeconomic strata. This continuing phenomenon has meant that Aboriginal youth perform far worse than non-Aboriginals in terms of their ability to obtain higher education and employment. Given this, using welfare-state theory and Indigenous-based theory I argue that early-childhood education which is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal children and controlled by Aboriginal communities will help to remedy and close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The paper concludes with solutions to rectify the situation in Canada. Specifically, it discusses the current government initiative, Aboriginal Head Start (AHS), that has been making significant strides throughout the Aboriginal community.

Consulting Whom? Lessons from the Toronto Urban Aboriginal Strategy

International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2014

The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The ... more The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The purpose of this Strategy is to provide long-term investments to support Aboriginal communities in urban settings by focusing on three priority areas: improving life skills; promoting job training, skills, and entrepreneurship; and supporting Aboriginal women, children, and families. This article seeks to answer the following question: Does the UAS provide Aboriginal participants with the ability to effectively participant in the consultation process? It argues that the UAS process of consulting with the urban Aboriginal community does not allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal peoples because of problematics related to consulting in an urban setting and despite the language of partnership, the federal government still reserves the right to make final decisions. These problems diminish the ability to build renewed Aboriginal-State relations based on mutual respect and trust, ...

Consulting No One: Is Democratic Administration the Answer for First Nations?

In 1996,

Building Relationships or Building Roadblocks? A Look at the Winnipeg Urban Aboriginal Strategy

Do Aboriginal–state public consultations allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal part... more Do Aboriginal–state public consultations allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal participants in the democratic process, given the group’s political marginalization? This paper argues that public consultations are an effective tool for ensuring the successful participation of Aboriginal groups when the consultation process includes mechanisms for redistributing power from governments to stakeholders. Specifically, this paper looks at the federal government’s current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Winnipeg. Although the direction and tone of the UAS is set by the federal government, the members of the Steering Committee, composed of twelve Aboriginal members and three government officials, are the ones who decide which policies and programs will receive funding. Decision-making is done through ongoing consultation with the Steering Committee and the Aboriginal community at large. Employing ideas in Arnstein (1969) and public consultations literature to create an evaluation framework, this paper identifies critical components that must be present for consultations to be fruitful. And, based on interviews with the Steering Committee, it finds that the UAS in Winnipeg is a successful mechanism for enabling the effective participation of Aboriginal participants in the democratic process—a process which is resulting in the construction of a renewed Aboriginal–state political relationship.

Consulting Whom? Lessons from the Toronto UAS

The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The ... more The research conducted here looks at the current Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) in Toronto. The purpose of this Strategy is to provide long-term investments to support Aboriginal communities in urban settings by focusing on three priority areas: improving life skills; promoting job training, skills, and entrepreneurship; and supporting Aboriginal women, children, and families. This article seeks to answer the following question:
Does the UAS provide Aboriginal participants with the ability to effectively participant in the consultation process? It argues that the UAS process of consulting with the urban Aboriginal community does not allow for the effective participation of Aboriginal peoples because of problematics related to consulting in an urban setting and despite the language of partnership, the federal government still reserves the right to make final
decisions. These problems diminish the ability to build renewed Aboriginal-State relations based on mutual respect and trust, which has been absent within the Aboriginal-State apparatus and resulted in the political exclusion of Aboriginals in Canada. Though consultation can be a vehicle for empowering participants with
decision-making authority, this is not the case in Toronto. The lack of a common vision, political buy-in, and the aura of secrecy leads to a political relationship built on mistrust. Mistrust between members and government renders the consultation process ineffective. This article combines the literature on public
consultations with official government documents to identify critical components that must be evident for consultations to be fruitful and participation effective. These criteria are the benchmarks upon which to measure effectiveness. Based on interviews with the Steering Committee, this article finds that the UAS process of consulting with the Toronto Aboriginal community does not enable Aboriginal participants to effectively participate in the democratic process.

Closing the Education Gap: A Case for Aboriginal Early Childhood Education in Canada, A Look at the Aboriginal Headstart Program.

This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Abo... more This paper raises awareness concerning the education gap between Aboriginal youth and the non-Aboriginal youth population in Canada. It argues that the historical consequences of colonialism that resulted in diminished sense of self-worth, self-determination, and culture have placed Aboriginals at the low-end of the socio-economic strata. This continuing phenomenon has meant that Aboriginal youth perform far worse than non- Aboriginals in terms of their ability to obtain higher education and employment. Given this, using welfare-state theory and Indigenous-based theory I argue that early-childhood education which is culturally sensitive to the needs of Aboriginal children and controlled by Aboriginal communities will help to remedy and close the education gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth. The paper concludes with solutions to rectify the situation in Canada. Specifically, it discusses the current government initiative, Aboriginal Head Start (AHS), that has been making significant strides throughout the Aboriginal community.

Unleashing the Power of Consultations and Partnerships Through Aboriginal Participation

What are the extent to which and the means by which Canada’s Aboriginals are involved in consulta... more What are the extent to which and the means by which Canada’s Aboriginals are involved in consultation and more importantly, partnerships with other political actors to achieve indigenous-based change? This paper examines this question in the larger framework of new public management (NPM) theory. NPM
postulates that consultation involving public sector engagement with citizens (community engagement/participation) will improve the quality of decisions regarding the content and delivery of policies and programs. The degree to which the public is empowered to engage with the public sector can be measured along a public participation spectrum, developed by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), which measures varying degrees of public participation resulting in different forms of consultations and/or partnerships (inform,
consult, involve, collaborate and empower). This paper will examine the existing literature on public consultation
and public participation which will help identify the level of Aboriginal involvement in the policy process. More
specifically, this paper will examine the Government of Alberta’s 2004 “Grades 10-12 Social Studies Consultation” and the Government of Canada’s 2008 “Environment Canada’s Aboriginal Consultations on Wastewater”, each of which involved government initiatives to carry out consultation with various Aboriginal actors. Ultimately, this paper argues that the different levels of governments in Canada have only employed the first two stages of the public participation spectrum (“inform” and “consult”) and therefore, have not empowered First Nations
communities to become meaningful partners in the policy-making process and the democratic process at large.