Abstract

The protection of cultural resources is essential for any society, as they serve as vessels of the shared human experience of thousands of generations. This paper seeks to identify the existing legal measures in Canada that are applicable to the protection of Traditional Cultural Places, in order to better understand their strengths and weaknesses. This review will consider the effectiveness of current Canadian Federal legislation aimed at mitigating environmental and cultural impacts stemming from development projects. While the Canadian practice of Cultural Resource Management has sought to protect current and historical objects and places regardless of cultural affiliations, efforts to protect Traditional Cultural Places would benefit from both a stricter adherence to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and additional provisions to the Historic Places Initiative.