Transcript The 1960s… Important times

The 1960s… Important times
• Suffrage:
– In 1960, aboriginal peoples were finally given the right to vote
• The White Paper, 1969
– Until 1960, Aboriginal peoples living on reserves were did not
have the right to vote, own land individually, or consume
alcohol.
– Enfranchisement was encouraged, this meant that in order for
an aboriginal to vote and have rights as a Canadian citizen, they
would have to lose their “Indian status and the right to live on
the reserve”
• In 1968, PM Trudeau and Indian Affairs Minister Jean Chretien wanted
to make changes to the reserve
system… subsequently, a policy paper
was introduced by the CAN gov’t called
the White Paper
The White Paper II
• The White Paper proposed the abolition of reserves and the end of
special status treaty for aboriginals
– The premise was that equality (or non-discrimination) was needed in
order for a solution for the problems aboriginals, there was a notion
that by giving “special status” major difficulties had occurred
• Solution: Assimilate native peoples into the mainstream culture – to
be “citizens like no other”
– This was rejected by the aboriginal community, they viewed it as
potential “cultural genocide”
• Harold Cardinal (President of Indian Association of
Alberta, 1968-77) stated that this idea of conformity
would be an easy out for the government
(my words not his)
– He was a strong proponent of the protection of
aboriginal culture in Canada.
The White Paper III
• In response to the White Paper, two organizations
were formed:
– The National Indian Brotherhood (NIB): this
organization was formed to represent the Status
Indians
– Native Council of Canada: created to represent nonStatus Indians and Metis
• Due to the reaction of these, and other aboriginal
organizations caused Trudeau’s government to
withdraw the white paper in 1971…
The 1970s… Land Claims
• During the ‘70s the federal government funded
programs to support local government initiatives
among aboriginal peoples
– The Office of Native Claims (1974), was created to deal
with the issue of land rights
• Despite these measures, the federal government did
not contribute as much to the development of
aboriginal peoples in the 1970s as it did for the general
Canadian population
– In response, the NIB – now referred to as the Assembly of
First Nations – stepped up its efforts to work towards and
demand better conditions for aboriginal peoples in Canada
(1980)
Assembly of First Nations II
• The new office of Native Land Claims dealt with both
specific land claims and comprehensive land claims
– Specific Land Claims: Based on existing treaties
– Comprehensive Land Claims: based on traditional use and
occupancy
• Comprehensive land claims usually occur in areas where no land
treaties have been signed
• As a result of all the work the Assembly of First Nations put
into raising awareness among aboriginal peoples, aboriginal
rights became more recognized, and hundreds of land
claim submissions have occurred
– Declaration of First Nations, 1975:
• Adopted to include the rights of nationhood and self-government
within the Assembly of First Nations.