Laurier professor awarded The Pierre Savard Award

WATERLOO – The International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS) has recognized Christopher Alcantara, an associate professor of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University, with The Pierre Savard Award for his book Negotiating a Deal: Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement in Canada.

The Pierre Savard Awards recognize and highlight outstanding scholarly monographs on a Canadian topic. The awards promote works that have been written by members of the Canadian Studies international network and designate exceptional books that contribute to a better understanding of Canada.

“Winning this book prize is a real honour,” said Alcantara. “Not only is the award special because it’s an international competition, but there were a number of challenges to overcome in getting the book published. The end result was very positive, and earning the Pierre Savard Award makes it all the more gratifying.”

Alcantara’s book provides the first systematic and comprehensive analysis of the factors that explain both completed and incomplete treaty negotiations between Aboriginal groups and the federal, provincial, and territorial governments of Canada. Using in-depth interviews with Indigenous, federal, provincial, and territorial officials, Alcantara compares the experiences of four Aboriginal groups: the Kwanlin Dün First Nation (with a completed treaty), the Kaska Nations (with incomplete negotiations) in Yukon Territory, the Inuit Nations (completed treaty) and the Innu Nations (with an incomplete treaty) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Based on the experiences of these groups, Alcantara argues that scholars and policymakers need to pay greater attention to the institutional framework governing treaty negotiations and, most importantly, to the active role that Aboriginal groups play in these processes.

Alcantara’s main research interests are in the fields of Indigenous-settler relations and politics and territorial governance in the Canadian north. His research also covers federalism and multilevel governance, public policy and voting behaviour. He has authored two books and has published papers in a number of journals and publications.

Alcantara was a finalist for the Donald Smiley Prize in 2014, the Donner Prize in 2011 and the McMenemy Prize in 2013. He won the 2014 Canadian Studies Network-Réseau d’études canadiennes Prize for the best book in Canadian Studies, the J.E. Hodgetts Award for best article in the journal Canadian Public Administration, and the David Watson Memorial Award.

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Contact:

Kevin Crowley, Director Communications & Public Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University
519-884-0710 ext. 3070 or kcrowley@wlu.ca

or

Christopher Alcantara, Associate Professor, Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University 519-884-0710 ext. 3410 or calcantara@wlu.ca

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