Indigenous Groups In Canada

After the creation of Manitoba was the métis were treated in terrible and cruel ways. Canada was viewed as taking advantage of the métis. After the creation of Manitoba the Europeans believed they were superior to the Metis and many laws were made to just benefit themselves. The métis had tried to obtain scrips which were basically a piece of paper that could be used to certify possession of land or be exchanged for money. The land scrips would allow the Metis to either claim 160 acres of land or sell it for $160. You could also get money scrips that were either $160 or $240. The problem with scrips is that they were frequently stolen which caused major problems for the métis as there weren't any names attached to it which meant it was useable to anyone. At

Indigenous governance is filled with legislations and amendments that began with the Royal proclamation act of 7th October 1763. Since then, there has been a massive effort to civilize the indigenous population in order to integrate them with the non-indigenous population by the government of Canada. The main purpose of such a congress is debated till date.

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).

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.

During the first half of the 20th century the western countries experienced what was called the Great War, commonly known today as the First World War (WWI). There were 330,000 men and women that served (WWI) for Canada, some of whose experiences were very diverse. Aboriginal men who served in the war suffered great inequality because of racism.

My first reason to support the fact that Canada hasn’t affirmed collective rights for the Aboriginal group is the Indian Act and how poorly it treated the Aboriginals. The Indian Act is a federal legislation that is related to the rights and status of First Nations peoples (“status Indians”), which was first passed in 1867. During this time, the government thought that is was appropriate/acceptable to make laws for the First Nations peoples without consulting them. This move connected to Canada’s colonial past, the part where people of European descent strongly believed that their culture and way of life was way more superior to any other culture existing. In other words, they were ethnocentric. Within the Indian Act, it defied who may be registered as a “status Indian” with treaty rights. This meant that the Federal government were the ones who mostly made

Section 35 of the 1982 Constitution Act of Canada, recognizes the existing rights of aboriginal people but leaves them undefined. This had led to further debate on the status of Aboriginal rights, and their inherent right to self-government (Henderson, 2006). The following year, the Penner Committee on Indian Self-Government gave recommendations that “First Nations’ right to self-government be explicitly stated in the Constitution, and the federal government recognize a distinct First Nations order of government and work towards implementing self-government” (Hurley, 2009, 1). This report was created by Special Committee of the House of Commons which promoted the creation of legislation to advance aboriginal Indian-government (this report focused solely on Indian self-government, instead of the self-government for all Aboriginal people). This report led to elevating the conversation

Under-representation in Parliament has a damaging effect on Aboriginal peoples. While Canada itself is diverse in its regions and cultural backgrounds, many groups feel as though elected parties do not represent them, including Aboriginal peoples (Couture, 2014). Aboriginal peoples want their historic claims to be made good (Pilon, 2001). However, this can be difficult to achieve without proper representation. Without proper representation of Aboriginal peoples, issues that affect Aboriginals such as historic claims and treaties can remain largely unchecked. A mere 2% Aboriginal voice can be easily drowned out by the other 98%

The Aboriginal peoples of Canada had gone through many situations to get to where they are today with their education system. Pain, sorrow, doubt, and hope are all feelings brought to mind when thinking about the history and the future of Aboriginal education. By taking a look at the past, anyone can see that the right to education for Aboriginal peoples has been fought about as early as the 1870s. This is still is a pressing issue today. Elder teachings, residential, reserve and post-secondary schools have all been concerning events of the past as well as the present. Though education has improved for the Aboriginal peoples of Canada, there are still many concerns and needs of reconciliation for the past to improve the future.

Since the first Europeans came to Canada hundreds of years ago, the First Nations have been seen and treated as inferior peoples and thus treated in a deplorable manner. In 1876 the Indian Act was first implemented and was changed most significantly in 1951 and 1985 . This act stipulated that the federal government of Canada had the right to determine who was given ‘Indian’

The Canadian native aboriginals are the original indigenous settlers of North Canada in Canada. They are made up of the Inuit, Metis and the First nation. Through archeological evidence old crow flats seem to the earliest known settlement sites for the aboriginals. Other archeological evidence reveals the following characteristics of the Aboriginal culture: ceremonial architecture, permanent settlement, agriculture and complex social hierarchy. A number of treaties and laws have been enacted amongst the First nation and European immigrants throughout Canada. For instance the Aboriginal self-government right was a step to assimilate them in Canadian society. This allows for a chance to manage

From the first contact between Aboriginal Peoples and European immigrants to the present day, the aim of Canadian government policy has been to assimilate the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The attempted forced abandonment of their culture was perpetrated through a variety of strategies including force, aggression and legalities. While historians and politicians may disagree about the motivations of Canadian policy, the impact has been irrefutable. In efforts to create one unified nation, successive governments failed to recognize their destructive actions. In this failure, Canada has come close to shattering the sub-nations and peoples who comprise them. This paper will review the government’s effort to absorb the Indigenous peoples’ culture, their refusal to assimilate, and will also identify potential strategies for future relations.

Who are the Indigenous people? The Indigenous people are a small group of minority. However, the Aboriginal peoples in Canada, or Aboriginal Canadians, are known as Indigenous peoples in Canada or Indigenous Canadians are the indigenous peoples. Although Indian is a term still used in legal documents, First Peoples and First Nations are both refering as indigenous peoples of Canada.

The first people, or aboriginal people, of Canada consists of the Inuits, Métis, and various groups of Indians referred to as the First Nations. Although all three groups are considered aboriginal, the very first people to settle in Canada were the First Nations. They were followed by the Métis, and finally Inuits. Various pieces of information, such as bones and artifacts, show that the First nations arrived at Canada right after the last Ice age, which is approximately 12,000 years ago. At that time, America and Asia were joined by a land bridge, and people were spreading across the world. Scientists believe that a group of nomadic hunters followed big game from Asia to present day Alaska. Then, they spread across Canada, and settled.