Reconciliation and the 'Indian Problem': How Some Parts of Canada Are More Forward Looking than Others

Charlie Angus was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2004, a role which took him to the Forgotten Children of Attawapiskat. It was his experiences prompted him to write his book, Children of the Broken Treaty: Canada’s Lost Promise and one Girl’s Dream, which tells the story of Indigenous persons of Canada’s struggles, including treaty rights, residential schools, as well as the fight for education and safe housing. The book provides a challenge to many common assumptions, and it also explores many themes which are used to explain the events which have shaped Canadian culture and policies. Angus begins his book by touching on some of the original treaties signed between the first Canadian government and the members of the bands that are indigenous to the land. One of these was Treaty 9, which promised education for Indigenous children. The book then developed into the foundation of residential schools, and the horrors that are endured there. In addition to the horrendous amounts of verbal, physical and sexual abuse which took place in these schools, the students who attended these institutions faced the mass genocide of their culture, as the unspoken purpose of these schools was “to kill the Indian in the child” (Angus, 2015, p. 14). The beginning of the book, while very dark, provides an honest introduction to some of the themes that can be spotted throughout the book, and history itself. The three themes that primarily stood out to me as a reader were: cultural

Protection, civilization, assimilation: An outline history of Canada’s Indian policy by John L. Tobias, 1991.

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).

“Where are they taking me, mom?! Help!” These were the screams of an Aboriginal child when he was dragged to a car that drove him away from his family. Aboriginal kids were forcefully abducted and placed at poorly built and equipped residential schools. Residential schools are a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. Like a disease, these schools spread so fast on Canadian land. They were every Indigenous child’s nightmare. Kids who attended were traumatized due to the mental, physical, and sexual abuse they suffered. Canadians felt superior to Aboriginals which lead them to use their power excessively to civilize these communities. This issue is considered to be one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history. It has a significant impact on Aboriginal communities. Indians suffered a loss of culture and identity. This issue violates various human rights such as; Freedom of language, freedom of culture and religion, freedom of choice, and the freedom of safety and health. The two groups in this controversy are the aggressors; Canadian government, and it’s churches, and the victims; the aboriginals. The question is, is the Canadian government doing enough to make it up to those who suffered the ill effects of residential schools?

Thomas Flanagan disapproves the idea of Native sovereignty ever coexisting with Canadian sovereignty. Flanagan identifies the flaws in Townshend’s arguments referring to them as a theoretical approach and not a practical approach. It is true that the sharing of jurisdictional power is the essence of the Canadian state but this cannot apply to the Aboriginals of Canada. One reason a third level of government cannot work in Canada is “In the 10 provinces, Canada has over six hundred Indian bands living on more than 2200 reserves, plus hundreds of thousands of Métis and non-status Indians who do not possess reserves,” (Flanagan 44). Flanagan draws the fact that “No one has proposed a workable mechanism by which this far-flung archipelago could

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.

Trudeau made a number of promises during his election campaign, including five central claims revolving around aboriginal education reform and a public inquiry into the abduction of indigenous women. Trudeau remains committed to Indigenous relations after his election to office but the success of his mandates and implementation of conciliatory policies attract controversy. This year marks the three year anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its 94 calls to action to amend relations with Canada’s indigenous people, all of which Prime Minister Trudeau promised to bring to fruition.

Aboriginals have made several contributions to Canadian history, which has helped improve one’s standard of living. They have helped with various things such as inventions, discoveries of plants, and have helped significantly in war efforts.

The Feds, Churches, Residential Schools and Truth & Reconciliation Commission The Canadian residential schools are part of Canada’s darkest history. The demoralizing society that the indigenous children were conscripted into was a nightmare in every sense. Abuse and child labour took place within the walls of each facility. Genuine education rarely took place in the ‘schools’. The children were forced into laborious activities for hours on end with little food.

Canada ¬ as a nation we are known to the world for being astute, neighborly, and generally incredibly enduring of all ethnicities. Regardless, the treatment of Canada's Indigenous people seems to propose something unique (Paquin, 2015). All through our history, we have shown clear measures of isolation towards Indigenous social orders. This, and that is just a hint of a greater challenge, has incited genuine negative social outcomes, mental and sociological effects. All these offensive outcomes can be attributed to Canada's imperialistic methodologies, for instance, the Indian Act, the British North America Act of 1867, and even the very structures of Canadian culture, which would all be able to be seen to strongly load Indigenous social orders.

The TRC represents a compilation of accounts that have come from the enduring legacy of Indian Residential Schools (TRC, 2015). It is important because it calls to action the ways in which non-Aboriginal people think, perceive history, and understand difference (CC). With its inclusion of 94 calls to action, I am left wondering if these calls will be answered – and by who. As both LaBoucane and Stonehouse expressed, it’s not just an Indigenous issue but a shared history (2017). This history that is not well understood by many – including myself. Therefore, I write this reflection with the intent of exploring what my role is in terms of two areas; thought and action.

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)

In this paper, I will examine the issue of Indian residential schools and, ultimately, will argue that while it may have been the custom to impose colonialist and imperialist ideals in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in today’s society we view what occurred as nothing less than inhumane, an act which must be remembered as a dark shadow that for decades – and still today - clouds relations between aboriginals and the Canadian government. To understand the complexity of this matter I will discuss why this policy was implemented; I will look at the goals and the methods used to achieve these outcomes; I will discuss indigenous response to this amendment of the Indian Act; and finally, I will look at the effects this action had on indigenous peoples and their relationship with the country. It is important to know that while my opinion is clear in that I see the creation and implementation of Indian residential schools as an evil action with no redeeming qualities, there are others – as recently as Conservative Senator Lynn Beyak on March 7, 2017, who spoke out in favour of those who worked at the schools – who do not agree with my point of view . These polarized viewpoints, often times skewed by emotions and poorly informed opinions, add to the complexity of the matter, particularly in moving forward and achieving reconciliation with indigenous

After the strangling claws of the Indian Act were felt, the Canadian government began to issue more laws that intruded with the aboriginals lives and took away their rights. The first of these was the “Potlatch Law” (Hanson, n.p.). It banned potlatches and other ceremonies of the aboriginals, all for the purpose of forcing the

The truth and reconciliation commission is an element of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (Truth and reconciliation commission of Canada (TRC), n.d., para.1). The TRC is a response based on comprehensive and holistic approaches (TRC, n.d.). It acknowledges the residential school system, and other inequalities