Canada and Australia : SDP and Indigenous peoples

This chapter discusses programs and policies under the banner of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) aimed at Indigenous peoples in Canada and Australia. There is great diversity within and between Indigenous peoples in Canada and Australia. Importantly, within the country that is now known as Canada, there is a growing rejection of the term ‘Aboriginal’ to refer to Indigenous peoples (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 2016). According to the Canadian Constitution Act, Aboriginal refers to three groups of people: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. In this chapter, we use the term Indigenous unless we are referring more specifically to First Nations, Métis, or Inuit populations, or where ‘Aboriginal’ is used in an organization’s name or an original quote. Within the area now known as Australia, we also use the term Indigenous to refer to Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. Torres Strait Islanders (descendants of the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait, between the tip of Cape York and Papua New Guinea) are distinct with respect to origin and culture, but are generally considered to be original inhabitants of Australia. Overall, there are passionate debates with respect to how Indigenous groups self-identify and are identified by others within Canada and Australia. These debates, though important, are beyond the scope of this chapter