The Responsibility Of The Right Holders

The federal government is responsible for the delivery of primary health care services on-reserve as well as for funding the province for programs and services (Lavoie, 2013). Conversely, the province is responsible for primary health care services off-reserve, as well as hospital and physician services. While these jurisdictional boundaries seem to be clear in theory, in practice, they have been proven to be ambiguous and complex, and at times even self-serving (Lavoie, 2013; Kelly, 2011). This has contributed in an alarming burden of illness among First Nations communities that have economic, political and social implications for all Canadians. A study of these ambiguities and complexities as well as their consequences first requires a scan of the historical policies that have led to the current state of affairs in the healthcare of First Nations people.

Canada, like so many other countries in the world continues to deal with many different environmental resource issues. Throughout our history, one of the issues affecting our country has been the treatment of our First Nations people. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on the safe water crisis facing Canada’s First Nations communities. The Oxford Dictionary (2016) defines a crisis as a time of great difficulty or danger. The research included will help clarify the reality of the Canada’s First Nations safe water crisis. Despite some improvements over the past few decades, many of our First Nation citizens still lack access to safe and clean water. Our reserves have water that is contaminated, difficult to access or toxic because of outdated and faulty treatment systems. (Klasing, 2016) This safe water crisis is in need of immediate attention. It is Canada’s responsibility to provide the right to clean and safe water for all of its citizens.

Aboriginal self-government is a long standing issue that continues to be a struggle for the First Nations People. To truly understand the scope of Aboriginal self-government within First Nations communities, more effort is needed to understand the legislative system that runs Canada. This issue of self-governance has been very destructive in First Nations communities. After signing the Treaties, First Nations People was stripped of their livelihood and from that point on to abide by the Dominion of Canadas legislative policies. One current issue that would be a perfect example is the Nisga People in British Columbia who is no longer under the protection of the

As suicide rates rise and thousands of Indigenous women are added to the list of missing or unsolved murder cases, many First Nations people are reaching a tipping point. When the Canadian Government introduced the omnibus Bill C-45 in 2012, First Nations resentment flared even more. This federal budget bill included changes to land management on reserves that diminished the authority of First Nations without their any of their consultations. Unsatisfied with the federal government’s refusal to answer ongoing demands and no longer willing to let their cries of injustice go unheard, they take to the streets and other forms of protest in their Idle

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 1976 the Fraser government passed the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Several state governments passed their own Land Rights Acts, which recognised aboriginal and Torres Strait islander claims to land and guaranteed them royalty payments from mining companies working there. Some laws enforced by the government became challenging for most indigenous people to abide by. Through the analysis of this information we understand the impacts the government and its laws had towards the indigenous society of

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.

Second, Canada’s First Nations’ plight can be improved through self-governance. According to Pocklington, “For several years, Canadian aboriginal leaders have been demanding the recognition of a right of Native self-determination and thereby, for the aboriginal collectivities that choose it a right of self-government” (102). Aboriginal self-governance is a controversial issue in Canada. Before researching the issue I believed that self-governance would deter national unity, after further investigation, I presently believe that the claim for Aboriginal self-governance is justifiable. Although, according to Blakeney, “It will be a real challenge to make effective

Townshend describes how Aboriginals view the Canadian government as a foreign government. Furthermore, Townshend disputes the process of assimilation, integrating Aboriginals to the modern Canadian society. The solution is to create a third tier government that would work in cohesion with the Federal and Provincial levels. Different levels of government and the “…sharing of jurisdictional powers between government institutions is already part of the essence of the Canadian state,” (Townshend 39). If Canada is able to increase globalization and trade agreements on an international level, than Canada should not be so unwilling to share jurisdiction with an Aboriginal government.

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

The Canadian constitution divides power between the provincial and federal levels. Division of power is used in a democracy society and has resulted division of responsibilities. For an example, provinces have jurisdiction over non-renewable resources, oil, electricity generation and forestry, however the federal government responsibilities include fisheries, navigation and international waters. This division of power may have been helpful for certain environmental issues however not, when it comes to regulation of the water. This is because, there are multiple levels of government that control the water (Olive, 2016). Division of powers, instead of a national policy

The issue of the missing and murdered indigenous women is a headache everyone in Canada should worry about. These missing women are like every other woman in Canada and the same rights that keeps the other women safe should also keep the indigenous women safe. Ignoring the issue of the missing women, the government of Canada is going back on its words as it has promised to take care of them. The indigenous people lack support or good homes and they raise their families on the reserves which are not well taken care of nor safe. It is really disturbing because the Canadian government does not see this issue as something serious which indirectly means that the indigenous people are seen as unimportant and they seem to be the Canadian government’s

The government in which “…does not recognize Aboriginal and Treaty Rights…” (Christoff 2013) The Canadian government does not empathize or care for the aboriginals and lack care for them altogether. The Aboriginals who were one of the first few human beings living in Canada should have the right to their religion because they are the first, yet they are the ones being pushed back and are oppressed from expressing themselves.

As a means of making amends with the aboriginal population, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau announced a renewal of relationship between his administration and indigenous population, along with reviewing and repealing indigenous legislations. He claimed that the reforms will be a community effort. Trudeau said, “[...] the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the First Nations are not an inconvenience but a sacred obligation.”

The lesson to be learned here is to make sure you are asking the right person's permission when it comes to their property. I don't think that he did anything wrong by letting his daughter sample the tomato; however he should have made sure he had the right person’s permission. I don't believe that there is nothing wrong with protecting ones property, however when something like this happens over something as small as a tomato. This man was badly beaten and now has these injuries for the rest of his life.