Transcript Canadian Aboriginal Issues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adKggXHA1uM&feature=related
Canadian Aboriginal Issues
Indian Act 1876
• turned the Aboriginals into
legal wards of the state (like
children)
• goal of the government
through the Indian Act was
to force the assimilation of
the Aboriginal peoples
• All "half-breed" Indians, like
the Métis, were not entitled
to Indian status.
Assimilation – when a cultural group is
encouraged or forced to give up its
culture in favour of the dominant
culture
Reserves
• The more pressure there was for
settlement of Western Canada,
the more the government
pressured Indian people to
settle on Reserves
• Land controlled by the
government
• Reserve clusters were kept far
enough apart to discourage
Bands from forming alliances
against the government
• Also kept far from the rest of
Canadian population, making
assimilation difficult
Residential Schools – con’t
• After contact with
Europeans - education
became the primary
instrument to assimilate
Indian people
• Residential and industrial
schools were established
following the signing of the
Numbered Treaties
• Run by Catholic, Anglican
and Protestant
missionaries
The objectives were:
• to assimilate aboriginal children
• to Christianize;
• to teach the 3 R's; and
• to develop children into farmers
& housekeepers
Residential Schools
• After a century of operation,
the residential schools had
nearly destroyed First Nations
communities
• These schools suppressed
their language, culture, and
spirituality
• The extended period of time
spent in these schools with
caregivers who were often
abusive resulted in this abuse
of children moving into the
Indian communities
• The last government
controlled residential school
closed in 1986
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ryC74bbrEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_V4d7s
XoqU&feature=related
Aboriginal Rights
Bill of Rights 1960
• After the passing of the Bill of
Rights, Status Indians on reserves
gained equality in the right to
vote without losing their status
• Prior to this time, those who
applied to become enfranchised
lost their status
• Gradually, provinces gave
Aboriginals the right to vote
provincially in 1969
• Though a noble attempt, the Bill
of Rights legislation had not given
the aboriginals the right to
govern themselves
Federal White Paper 1969
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A “White Paper” offers a detailed outline of a
government policy, which gives Parliament and
outside organisations the opportunity to comment
on future legislation. White papers will often
become the basis for the actual Bill.
The 1969 White Paper rejected the concept of
special status for Aboriginal peoples within
confederation.
The government argued that Aboriginal and treaty
rights were problematic regarding the economy,
education and social issues and that all Canadians
should be equal in law to all other Canadians.
Could be argued that Trudeau didn’t want special
status for everyone/ anyone, so this IS equality (just
not equity).
Aboriginal peoples fought against it (response called
the “Red Paper” – 1970) because it meant losing
historical rights and ties to land and heritage: their
efforts eventually resulted in the inclusion of some
Aboriginal rights in the Charter.
The Calder Case - 1973
• Supreme Court of
Canada recognized the
existence of aboriginal
title in principle
• The Court ruled that
aboriginal title is
rooted in the 'long
time occupation,
possession and use' of
traditional territories.
• Result: Canada initiates a
Comprehensive Claims process
for treaty negotiations across
Canada
Mackenzie Valley pipeline- Berger
Commission 1974-1977
• During the 1960s, new natural
gas reserves were found in the
Beaufort Sea in the Arctic
• oil companies began to
express interest in building a
pipeline straight through the
fragile ecosystem of the
northern Yukon and
Mackenzie River Valley to
Alberta
• In the mid-1970s, the Berger
Commission, led by Thomas
Berger, examined the effects
of this proposed pipeline
Berger Commission 1974 - 1977
• Aboriginals in the region were particularly
opposed to the pipeline, for several
reasons:
– Environmental concerns
– Skepticism about the motives and
interests of big business
– Perceptions that it infringed upon their
land rights and special status.
– believed the project that could
jeopardize regional land claims
• Berger Commission - ruled that a
moratorium should be placed on
construction until 1987 to give time
towards land claim settlements.
• However, the pipeline was never built due
to the controversy and an unstable
economy. CBC archives: Victors and victims of the Berger report
http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/topics/295/
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The Oka Crisis was a land dispute and
blockade between the Mohawk nation and
the town of Oka, Quebec which began on
July 11, 1990, and lasted until September
26, 1990.
resulted in three deaths, and would be the
1st of a number of well-publicized violent
conflicts between Indigenous people and
the Canadian government in the late 20th
century.
crisis developed from a dispute between
the town of Oka and the Mohawk
community of Kanesatake.
The Mohawk nation had been pursuing a
land claim which included a burial ground
and a sacred grove of pine trees near
Kanesatake.
This brought them into conflict with the
town of Oka, which was developing plans
to expand a golf course onto the land.
The mayor of Oka, Jean Ouellette,
announced in 1989 that the remainder of
the pines would be cleared to expand the
members-only golf club's course to
eighteen holes. Sixty luxury condominiums
were also planned to be built in a section
of the pines. However, none of these plans
were made in consultation with the
Mohawks.
The golf-course expansion, which had
originally triggered the situation, was
cancelled. The Oka Crisis eventually
precipitated the development of Canada's
First Nations Policing Policy.
Oka Standoff- 1990
Quebec's Minister for Native Affairs John Ciaccia wrote
a letter of support for the natives, stating that "these
people have seen their lands disappear without having
been consulted or compensated, and that, in my
opinion, is unfair and unjust, especially over a golf
course."
CBC archives: The Standoff Begins
http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/civil_unrest/topics/99/
Nisga'a Treaty - 2000
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The Nisga'a Treaty is a negotiated
agreement between the Nisga'a Nation,
the Government of British Columbia (B.C.)
and the Government of Canada.
The last step needed to give legal effect to
the Treaty took place on April 13, 2000,
when Parliament passed the Nisga'a Final
Agreement Act.
As part of the settlement in the Nass River
valley nearly 2,000 square kilometres of
land was officially recognized as Nisg̱a'a,
and a 300,000 cubic decameter water
reservation was also created. The Bear
Glacier Provincial Park was also created as
a result of this agreement. The land-claim's
settlement was the first formal treaty
between a First Nation and the Province of
British Columbia since colonial times.