Lisa Monchalin - The Colonial Problem: An Aboriginal Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada

Kwey Kwey. Lisa Monchalin nidijinikz. Niagara Nidonjab. I am grateful to the land in which I live, work, and play and to which I wrote this book. The majority of the writing took place in the shared traditional unceded territories of Kwantlen, Katzie, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen, where I currently reside. Some parts were also written while I was living on unceded Algonquin territory.

The completion of this book would not have been possible without the unwavering support of several friends, family members, and colleagues. My sister Rene Monchalin was always a phone call away, ready at any time to talk through ideas or concepts. Rex Turna proofread an early draft. Nadine Pluzak spent countless hours of her time proofreading and providing many thoughtful comments. I am extremely thankful for all of this wonderful help, love, and support.

Another big thank you goes to Sino General, Shelly Hill, Melinda Bige, Shylo Pruyn and Jerilynn Snuxyaltwa Webster who all continued to provide their words of encouragement throughout the writing phase. I wish to also thank to my PhD supervisor and mentor Irvin Waller, who provided invaluable guidance and support. I want to acknowledge also the outstanding reviewers Greg Younging, Wenona Victor, Jennifer Dalton, and Rob Nestor, as well as the blind reviewers, who provided exceptional and helpful feedback that shaped this book. The time and energy you gave are much appreciated, and your thought-provoking comments and suggestions were extremely valuable.

I am grateful for the time, experiences, opinions, and stories shared by Darrell Bob, Robert Shintah, Kim Baird, Dan General, Ian Campeau, and Bear Witness, which helped shape parts of this book. I am also appreciative of the time and comments provided by Jeff Corntassel and Taiaiake Alfred. They graciously had me out to the University of Victoria, where they provided outstanding comments, feedback, conversation, and support for which I am forever grateful.

A special thanks goes to my friends and colleagues at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Jeff Shantz, Chuck Reasons, Michael Ma, Hisham Ramadan, Seema Ahluwalia, Mike Larsen, Wade Deisman, Jane Miller-Ashton, and Dave Lyon warrant notable mention, as they provided intellectual guidance and keen support throughout the project. A special thank you goes to Darlene Willier who has provided guidance, advice, and insightful conversation. I would also like to express gratitude to my previous colleague Stephen Dooley, who has been a great friend and mentor during this process.

Thank you to Jackie Traverse for her amazing artwork that is on the cover of this book. I would also like to thank Karen Taylor who did an outstanding job copyediting this book. Thank you to Jesse Thistle for his outstanding advice on certain historical terminology.

A big thank you is also deserved for the Pow Wow community. Dancing helped carry me through this project. The laughter, friendship, and healing in the Pow Wow circle has been key to this books completion. When I needed a break, I would dance, laugh, and socialize with this amazing circle of friends and family. Finally, a big meegwetch to my ancestors who have been with me every step of the way as I danced to heal, listened and watched to learn, and taught and wrote to try to make a difference for our future generations.