Oppression In Canada

Michael Hart begins his book by juxtaposing his position as an Aboriginal person with his experience as a social worker. Traditional social work focuses on Euro-centric ideals, not only in determining which behaviors are adaptive and maladaptive, but also in what approach therapists should take to encourage behavior change in people. Unfortunately, this approach can be, not only isolating for many Aboriginal people, but actually harmful for them. By labeling adaptive behaviors as somehow wrong or maladaptive, traditional social work approaches stigmatize Aboriginal people. This runs counter to the core value in social work, which is service, to the individual and the community.

Racial injustice against Indigenous people in Canada is a prevalent issue, deeply ingrained in the country’s history and present-day society. The cultural genocide enacted through the stripping of languages, cultures and traditions of Indigenous children in residential schools is one of the many atrocities stemming from systemic racism. The long-lasting impacts of this racism include deep-rooted trauma that affects Indigenous communities across generations. Such effects are portrayed in the novel Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, where racial prejudice impacts the protagonist Saul’s life in profound ways. Starting from an early age, racism shapes Saul’s identity through assimilation in residential schools.

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).

In this research paper, I will be explaining how western colonialism and racism destroyed the reputation of aboriginal peoples in Canada. The reason why I chose this topic because it shows the strong relationship to anthropology and after taking aboriginal studies 30, it also shows that I have a clear understanding about the history of aboriginal peoples in Canada, the struggles they have been through over the past decade and the challenges they still face today in modern day society. I’ll be addressing these issues in a couple of paragraphs on the discrimination and the inequalities of these “minorities” and how they had to assimilate into European culture, leaving their way of life behind them.

Previous studies of the realities faced by the systematically disadvantaged Aboriginal peoples of Canada have emphasized the crippling impact of non- Aboriginal ignorance of these facts, making addressing these conditions of life for Aboriginals impossible (Schaefli 2012, p. 1) and easily maintained through colonialization. As discussed in this course, colonialization and systematic discrimination against Aboriginal peoples has resulted in their overrepresentation in Canadian incarceration institutions (Comack, 2014, pp. 116-142). To expand on this concept, it is my intention to argue that the Canadian Legal system has historically, and continues to, internally and sexually colonized Aboriginal peoples in Canada, suppressing their livelihood, cultures and communities. The political and legislative approaches of Canada’s provincial and federal government are the root of Aboriginal peoples’ historically subordinate political and socio-economic position within Canadian society. In the following essay, I will argue this claim by drawing on the history of containment, displacement, and assimilation of Aboriginal peoples in Eastern dominating Canadian society. I will also discuss and analyze the devastating situations of Aboriginal women, which emerged with the sexual colonialization of Aboriginal peoples sanctioned by the Canadian government and justice system. I will do this by providing historical and statistical evidence from scholarly sources regarding the impacts of

Canada ­as a nation is known to the world for being loving, courteous, and typically very welcoming of all ethnicities. Nevertheless, the treatment of Canada’s Indigenous population over the past decades, appears to suggest otherwise. Indigenous people have been tormented and oppressed by the Canadian society for hundreds of years and remain to live under discrimination resulting in cultural brutality. This, and more, has caused severe negative cultural consequences, psychological and sociological effects. The history of the seclusion of Indigenous people has played a prominent aspect in the development and impact of how Indigenous people are treated and perceived in today’s society. Unfortunately, our history with respect to the treatment of Indigenous communities is not something in which we should take pride in. The Indian Act of 1876 is an excellent model of how the behavior of racial and cultural superiority attributed to the destruction of Indigenous culture and beliefs. The Indian Act established by the Canadian government is a policy of Aboriginal assimilation which compels Indigenous parents under threat of prosecution to integrate their children into Residential Schools. As a nation, we are reminded by past actions that has prompted the weakening of the identity of Indigenous peoples. Residential schools has also contributed to the annihilation of Indigenous culture which was to kill the Indian in the child by isolating them from the influence of their parents and

Over the past decades, Aboriginal people (the original people or indigenous occupants of a particular country), have been oppressed by the Canadian society and continue to live under racism resulting in gender/ class oppression. The history of Colonialism, and Capitalism has played a significant role in the construction and impact of how Aborignal people are treated and viewed presently in the Canadian society. The struggles, injustices, prejudice, and discrimination that have plagued Aboriginal peoples for more than three centuries are still grim realities today. The failures of Canada's racist policies toward Aboriginal peoples are reflected in the high levels of unemployment and poor education.

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

As time passes Canada begins to recognize aboriginals and has put more funding in their reserves, opening so-called friendship centres, and child-family aid centres.4 This increased funding shows that the mistreatment of women and children can be changed and that it can have positive effects on the community and economy. Learning of First Nation cultures was

To what extent did the Canadian authorities affect the different races of people in Canada throughout history? Canada is a peaceful country that welcomes different cultures to Canada. The history of Canada is mainly about citizens meeting different cultures. It is expected that Canadians will welcome the immigrants and treat them nicely as if it’s their home country, however, this was not the case in the Canadian history. Despite, Canada’s history was full of discrimination or in other words, prejudgement of individuals.

It is clear that Aboriginal people are in critical need of the proper services to cater to their trans-generational trauma. Understanding the Aboriginal’s culture, spirituality, and values will provide the social work counsellor the tools needed in being culturally competent. This paper will examine the historical background of the Aboriginal people, the conflicts social workers face with cultural differences, as well as methods to overcome these challenges

Many will agree that the root of the horrendous conducts stipulated in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report is an old classical racism; but has this classical racism vanished or just done a cosmetic face lift over time? It would be naïve to think that the report in question had any impact on the basis of racism in Canada. Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada may have opened some eyes, but correspondingly, has not and cannot eradicated the source of racism, so as to stop racist based injustices from reoccurring. The probability of repeating such racism stipulated in TRC report looks feeble in today’s Canada, nonetheless a kind of modern racism which is complicated, hard to penalize, and is multi-dimensional, that has developed in the recent years, and needs to be addressed, exists. As defined contemporary racism is the

Throughout the past, the social justice in Canada for Aboriginal people has been neglected. In modern society equality is common throughout all of Canada, to create fair relationships between people and society. For matters such as financial hardships, health and wellbeing management, development, societies hurdles. When Europeans arrived it changed the lifestyle of the Native society.

Aboriginal persons in Canada have been facing oppression ever since colonization began. Even when Canada gained independence from the British Empire, the oppression continued and still goes on today. One major contributing factor to the oppression of Aboriginal people in Canada is the actions taken by the Government. The Government of Canada has in fact mistreated and found to be partaking in wrongdoing when dealing with the Aboriginal population in this country. With this ugly truth being revealed, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had to be tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government in the hope of resolving conflict left over from the past. (cite)

Throughout the history of Canada, we have acknowledged Indigenous cultures as being the first people of Canadian land. However, society has not treated them as equal members of society since the first explorers settled. The Euro-Canadian culture has impacted the Indigenous people negatively; as a result injustice between the two cultures has developed and inequality has widened as the two cultures interact more frequently. Lisa Monchalin (2016), author of the text The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada, noted multiple reasons how Aboriginal people are discriminated against in society, and how they are over-represented in Canadian correctional system. In society, according to Aylsworth, L., and Trovato, F. (2012) of The Canadian Encyclopedia, the indigenous population was approximately 4.3% of the total Canadian population, yet, the 2015-2016 Annual Report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator noted “an unabated increase in the number of Indigenous people behind bars, a rate now surpassing 25% of the total federal incarcerated population” (2016, n.p.). This raised the question as to why there was such a blatant over-representation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. Indigenous history has been speckled with injustices, hardship, discrimination, racism, and have been on the receiving end of multiple attempts to rid Canada of Indigenous ways and people. The history of these