I Watched A Video On My Ppg 103 Class Essay

The documentary begins with a recounting of issues faced by indigenous people in Northern British Columbia stating that the economic growth is strong, however the division of wealth sharing is still not in place, forcing smaller communities to live below the poverty line, with an unemployment rate as high as 92% in some first nation reserves. The issue of the murdered and missing women and girls is a sad result of systemic and socioeconomic issues that have

Since the colonization of Canada First Nations people have been discriminated against and assimilated into the new culture of Canada through policies created by the government. Policies created had the intentions of improving the Aboriginal people’s standard of living and increasing their opportunities. Mainly in the past hundred years in Canadian Society, policies and government implemented actions such as; Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reserve systems have resulted in extinguishing native culture, teachings, and pride. Policies towards the treatment of Aboriginal Canadians has decreased their opportunities and standard of living because of policies specified previously (Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reservation systems).

Canada can be considered one of the most desirable First World Nations to live in however what many people are not aware of is the Third World nation that lives within our borders. Fist Nations people within the Canadian North live in the most extreme poverty often with inadequate access to water due to either a lack or deteriorating infrastructure. The statistics about First Nations water issues are startling and this leads to implications of their quality of life, a disappearing culture and pure lack of serious government intervention. This can be attributed to many things such as Canada’s Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal and centralists versus decentralists fault lines. If I have learned anything in my life time, it is that people deserve the right to life and that means meeting them at their most basic needs such as providing opportunity in water resources.

Poverty is a serious issue in Canada needs to be addressed promptly. Poverty is not simply about the lack of money an individual has; it is much more than that. The World Bank Organization defines poverty by stating that, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time”. In Canada, 14.9 percent of Canada’s population has low income as Statistics Canada reports, which is roughly about two million of Canadians in poverty or on the verge of poverty. In addition, according to an UNICEF survey, 13.3 percent of Canadian children live in

On a Wednesday evening at 9:05pm in Minnesota, an African American couple was driving in their car with a four-year-old daughter in the back seat. After being pulled aside by Joronimo Yanez, a police officer, for a broken tail light, Philando Castile, the driver, stopped his car. Officer Yanez asked Castile for his license and registration. Castile handed the officer his car license and registration, but also told him he has a weapon in his car, for which he was licensed to carry. Officer Yanez immediate words were “Don’t move!” As Castile put his hands up where the officer could clearly see them, officer Yanez shot him repeatedly four times in the arm to the horror of Castile, his girlfriend, and their four-year-old daughter. Completely stupefied by the event, Castile’s girlfriend, Reynolds, took out her phone and began streaming an online video directly to Facebook showing the immediate aftermath of the incident. In the video, Reynolds narrates the accident’s story and exclaimed, “You shot four bullets into him, sir. He was just getting his license and registration, sir. Please don’t tell me he’s dead.” While recording, her four-years-old asked “Mammy, I’m scarred!” Reynolds answered, “It’s okay, I’m right here with you.” Officer Yanez returned and ordered Reynolds on her knees out of the car. Still being recorded, the other officers on the scene asked officer Yanez of his mindset, checking if he’s ok, completing ignoring the true victim, Castile. Castile was left bleeding

In not seeking justice for these people, a high human cost is created because the rights of those who are negatively impacted are being ignored and they are suffering with no hope of reconciliation. Using the Canadian Charter as an example, every citizen has the right to seek justice and restitution. However, if the current generation is not accountable for past events, the justice that indigenous peoples deserve will not be given, and they will be forced to live with the negative legacies of historical globalization. Recently, the Canadian government has stepped up and acknowledged the immoral actions of the past, such as the removal of children from their homes to be placed in residential schools and the trauma and suffering it may have caused these individuals. Because of this, First Nations now receive financial benefits such as money for post-secondary education, land set aside for reserves, health benefits, and other things in an attempt to give then the compensation and justice they

Despite of their many requests the government is not helping them at all. During the winters time without transportation facilities first nation people have to cross the river to buy their groceries, gas etc. How difficult it is to cross river of ice . Everyday their life is in danger while crossing the river. Government never thought about their life security. They are compromising their life to fulfil their own needs. This shows how cruel government could be .First nation people of shoal lake 40 did so much for Winnipeg city, they provide them water which is basic necessity of life for decades but they did not received anything for it. Even thought they were forced to an artificial land , Created aquaduct without their knowledge they never said anything . What they asked for a water treatment plant, a proper road access because there is nothing for them on that land which will help them to develop their future but every time government made false promises. Every time when people of Winnipeg city open tap they should be great full for this community. It was estimated that it cost around $75,000 per year excluding cost of transportation, storage and supply . How bad it is when community have to pay for water when they provide water to whole city. All their discretionary cost are going to access cost rather than building houses, improving the education system . On January 2015 the 124 first nation

These ‘White Papers’ focused on the social and economic problems that were rampant within the First Nation communities and was considered to be humane because of the fact that Native peoples were integrated within mainstream society [pp.6]. These problems were ‘highlighted’ through the result of various studies conducted by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development from 1966 to 1969 and became the basis of the ‘White Paper’. Although the paper was ultimately defeated, these beliefs were brought into mainstream society and became a more idolized form of modernizing the Aboriginal peoples. This form of ‘helping’ the First Nations peoples was the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development [D.I.A.N.D] way of dissolving the First Nations reservations. These institutionalized ideologies were masked as social and economic reforms that addressed the First Nation communities [pp.5-6]. Such reforms include the state of welfare on First Nation communities, re-educating the youth, and the identification of a First Nations person according to the government, which also includes the apology that Prime Minister Harper spoke on June 11th, 2008. These ideals have become the driving force behind the United Nation’s ‘Universal Declaration of Indigenous Rights’. This declaration has yet to be signed by Canada for a variety of reasons, one of them being that it is in direct violation of Article 25, which is a right to social services and health

The video “Still Waiting in Attawapiskat: Will Canada Fail the Next Generation of First Nations Students?” was released in 2008 based on the inequity that first nations experience in poverty, education, safety, mental health and so on. The main issues were focused on poor education environment and youth mental health.

A health concern that may not be considered a common issue to the Canadian population is the lack of access to safe water among the Aboriginal population. The National Household Survey indicated in 2011 that about four percent of the Canadian population identifies as Aboriginal. The Constitution Act of 1982 identifies three main groups of Aboriginal people: First Nations, Metis and Inuit. First Nations are referred to as Status Indians, non-Status Indians, or Treaty Indians and represent sixty percent of the Aboriginal population. Status Indians are those that are registered under the Indian Act through a proof of ancestry, well non-Status Indians are not. Treaty Indians are the Indians that are a part of the First Nations that signed the treaties. Métis people represent about thirty-three percent of the Aboriginal population and identify themselves as mixed Aboriginal and European dissent. The Inuit are Indigenous people that represent about five percent of the Aboriginal population and live in the northern regions of Canada. The E. coli contamination that occurred in Walkerton, Ontario led to the general Canadian population inquiring about the quality of their own drinking water. This event was widely publicized and resulted in a policy inquiry that supported a new change in legislation. Media attention was not raised as to the conditions that the Aboriginal populations were facing, as many of their water systems were considered high

Thesis: Although their were contributions in improving the lifestyles for the native Canadians by the Canadian government the prejudice they faced does not nearly way out of how they were treated through deficient access to health care, poor living conditions, and lack of education.

As Perry Bellegarde, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations said, Trudeau’s claims finally allow for an optimistic view of the general aboriginal community’s future (Mas, 2015). Indeed, it is promising to witness the government taking action towards addressing issues such as lack of funding in aboriginal education, as it is these issues along with indecent access to fresh produce or to proper entertainment, which most often leads to both physical and mental health problems in First Nation communities. Furthermore, although most of the Canadian population is aware of the health issues faced by aboriginal communities, what seems to be lesser known is that the cause of those issues go far beyond maladaptive genes. Consequently, measures addressing the socioeconomic risk factors, such as access to adequate health services, must be taken as soon as possible.

The substance of this paper will be to discuss the discourse regarding the inequalities facing aboriginal peoples living on reserves in the northwestern corner of Ontario. Inequality is not naturally occurring; poverty is not an innate cultural trait that accumulates at the feet of the marginalized (Schick & St.Denis, 2005, p.304). Stephens, Nettleton and Porter stated in the Lancet (2005) “Aboriginal people in Canada suffer enormous inequalities in health and in accessibility to health

‘After the Last River’ depicts the obstacles faced by the Indigenous reserve of Attawapiskat over the course of four years. Linking many of these obstacles to the government-sanctioned construction and operation of a De Beers diamond mine adjacent to the reserve, the filmmaker highlights how Canada continually neglects and exploits its Indigenous population with a neo-colonialist agenda. What makes this film unique is that it addresses an oft-ignored issue in a very comprehensive manner. Indigenous people are very seldom in the public eye and when they are there is a tendency for the media to disparage them and the challenges they face, often ‘otherizing’ Indigenous people and portraying them and their interests in opposition to the rest of urban Canada’s. This film does an excellent job of bridging this fabricated gap by humanizing the residents of the Attawapiskat community: filming their everyday lives with their families, all while trying to improve their communities.

British Abolitionist William Wilberforce once said, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know”. In contemporary Canadian society today, apathy is a severe problem. Canadians may be aware that there are people in the world who are starving, homeless and diseased, but don’t do anything themselves to help end global suffering. Often, this is because of a lack of understanding and experience. It is difficult for Canadians to relate to people they do not know exist or see for themselves, even if they are aware that people around them might be suffering. Others might believe that even if they did try to help the underprivileged, that it wouldn’t be enough to cause a lasting effect. In experiencing the culture and the lives of marginalized groups of people, and by choosing to become involved in their lives, I have learned through my volunteer experience, that there is something everyone can do to help someone else who is in-need. I will begin this essay by telling about myself and my volunteer experience. Second, I will address my privilege and how my volunteer experience has changed my perception of it. Third, I will explain my assumptions on North American care homes at the beginning of my volunteer experience and on whether or not my assumptions were justifiable in the end. Finally, I will state how my volunteer work at the Sherbrooke Community Centre has effected my views on Canadian society and the underprivileged in society.