Canad The Role Of Discrimination In Canada

Discrimination in Canada has existed since the beginning of European settlement. The indigenous population was forced into isolation on reserves, and were forced into Christian schools (residential schools). Thousands of indigenous people were either killed or abused physically and sexually and lost both their culture and language. While the extremity of discrimination against aboriginals isn’t quite as severe as it used to be, the ripples of our past coupled with continued suppression have left Aboriginal people with a lot of problems. There are many things which make it clear that Aboriginal people are being discriminated against, one of them being suicide rates. Currently, Aboriginal suicide rates are two times the national average. So,
There was a belief that British culture was superior to that of the First Nations people, believing it was their duty to bring Christianity to First Nation society. The initiatives and plans to “civilize” First Nations, continued to affect Aboriginal people until 1998. When the Canadian government began providing financial assistance to Aboriginal families who may have struggled with breakdowns, violence and aimlessness brought on by residential schools. They damaged the Aboriginal people’s ability to acquire capital due to the poor environments at residential schools and thus, prevented those who attended them from performing well in the labor market creating very poor families. As a result of the poverty and abuse which residential school students succumbed to, children of residential school survivors often were raised by parents who suffered from addiction, mental illnesses and poverty. They may also have been victims of abuse from their
Mental health has become an issue within Aboriginal communities with limited access to appropriate health care leading to depression and other mental health issues. Depression can be described using the Behaviorist theory. Behaviorism puts emphasis on a person’s environment and how it can change their behaviour. It states that individuals learn behaviour through interaction with their environment. Meaning that depression . Pikangikum, often referred to as “the suicide capital of the world”is a reserve in Northern Ontario, the environment with which people live in is astonishing. As of now, only 80% of houses in Pikangikum have sewage pipes or running water. The reserve of 2,400 has seen 96 people commit suicide in the past 20 years which is equivalent to 250 per 100, 000 (20 times that of Canada). The poor environment and conditions in Pikangikum correlate directly with the Behaviorist theory whereas, the conditions and infrastructure in the reserve are very similar to that of a third world country. Life for people in Pikangikum is very difficult and has little for people living there to relish. In order to curb depression or to escape reality many Aboriginal people turn to alcohol and other narcotics. While in comparison to the general population a smaller amount of Aboriginal people drink alcohol (79% vs. 69%) the rate of problem drinking is much higher among Aboriginals