Preview

Canada's Policy of First Nations

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
506 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Canada's Policy of First Nations
1969 White Paper:
The Citizens Plus Challenge

Indg 201
Professor Michelle Segu
November 29, 2011 Canada is a nation built upon legislation that not only believed there would be no future in society for its First Nation peoples, but specifically created colonial policies that would ensure that this future become reality through the process of assimilation. These policies were created without First Nation input in an in effort to destroy First Nation culture and were used to undermine First Nation treaty rights especially with regard to land distributions by way of the Indian Act. Following the second world war, however, a new outlook of human rights grew in society that highlighted discriminatory policies against First Nation peoples. After government sanctioned study called the Hawthorn report was released raising concerns about the overall health and welfare of First Nation people, the newly elected Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau issued his response to First Nations problems in his controversial 1969 White paper . Unfortunately, 1969 White paper proved to be not only a politically motivated policy objective benefiting the Federal government in the future, by relinquishing its responsibilities following treaties, and inevitably avoiding future law suits, but was yet another attempt to do away with the First Nation culture through assimilation into the dominant society. The signing of the treaties and the misconceptions by both parties entering into them, the First Nations bands and the Canadian government, has served as a platform for future politics problems still going on today. First Nation people understood treaties to mean allowing "settlement by non-native people....[but] at the same time, native people would retain large tracts of land on which they would govern themselves...[and where their] language and culture would flourish" (Bird, Land and Macadam 5). The Canadian government, on the other hand, seen it by way of the Royal Proclamation

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Everyone in Canada knows the name of our current Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but he has done nothing compared to our very first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald. Macdonald did many things for our country, including making it a country, and it all started from his vision. He had a vision to unite all of Canada as one through a transcontinental railway, which went on to be known as the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The CPR cost a ton of money though, and the Canadian government just didn’t have enough money to keep pouring it into the CPR. Macdonald needed money, and he decided to get it from Hugh Allen, which led to the Pacific Scandal. Due to the Pacific Scandal, Macdonald was kicked out of office, and by the time the next election came around, he knew that he needed a political platform to win the election. In 1876 he created the National Policy, which became the basis of the Conservative election platform during the 1878 election. This National Policy had three initiatives to it; to create a system of protective tariffs against foreign goods; to encourage greater immigration to the west; the cornerstone of the national policy was to finish off the CPR. The National Policy got Macdonald back in power, more importantly though, Macdonald’s National Policy hugely impacted Canada economically, politically, and socially.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This commission was carried forward following the Oka Crisis that took place in 1990 (Doerr). The relevance of this commission is the fact that the report submitted, instructing that there is a necessity of reconstructing relations between First Nations peoples and the average Canadian (Doerr). The purpose of the commission was to collect data and provide recommendations based upon the data collected to the government (Doerr). However, implementing the recommendations within the Commission would have required for the constitution to be amended (Doerr). The report was released in 1996 and it had accurately addressed that the government would be required “to commit to a new set of ethical principles respecting the relationship between [First Nations] peoples and the state (Doerr).” When the report had been released, the federal government made a commitment to studying it and finding ways of implementing its recommendations (Doerr). The issue that occurred was that there was a jurisdictional problem, one that has been cemented in Canada for some time. It was the framework of the Federal and Provincial governments, the Federal government could make all the promises it wants, however the provincial governments also need to be on board, hence there was little to no responses provided by the provincial governments, as they themselves viewed it as a federal initiative…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Source 1: Wells, Donald, and Heather C. Hudak, eds. Canada 's Road on Independence. Vol. 2. Calgary: Weigl Educational Limited, 2005. Print.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Part of the Crown’s obligation to First Nations’ communities is to guarantee that their rights are protected. Both the Royal Proclamation, 1763 and the Canadian Constitution both have clauses to protect and ensure the rights of First Nations. The Royal Proclamation affirms this through its acknowledgment of how the relationship between the Crown and First Nations is built upon these obligations. Therefore, it is the Canadian government has a cumulative obligation to protect First Nations’ health and safety. To achieve this, the Crown must work with Aboriginal peoples to come up with a viable solution to how they can provide safe drinking water on reserve.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Francis, R.D., Jones, R., Smith, D.B. and Wardaugh, R., Destinies: Canadian History Since Confederation. 7th Ed. Toronto, Thomson, Nelson, 2012…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aboriginals have inhabited the region of "Canada" as far back as historical records exist. From the first contact, Europeans have had a negative impact on Aboriginals. Disease and loss of land contributed to the rapidly declining number of Native peoples prior to the development of Canada. As opposed to the French influence, the English colonial culture was especially destructive. Aboriginals achieved some benefits by allying with the French. During New France times, the French lived among the Aboriginals and learned their culture and way of life. After the American Revolution, the British acquired land treaties with Aboriginal nations to support their growing immigration to Canada. Today, Aboriginals are still fighting for their rights and…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pierre Trudeau's Reforms

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In 1982, Pierre Trudeau brought the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (See Appendix 1). The charter desired to protect individual rights by regulating laws that unjustly discriminate or minimize human rights. It allows that everyone despite of colour, race, or religious beliefs hold certain major rights that no government can get rid of without matter. With the signing of the Charter of Rights and Freedom, human rights became an essential and permanent part of our Canadian identity. Trudeau introduced regulations to build up gun-control laws, and to reduce limitation on abortion, gambling, and homosexuality. He introduced those legislations since he believed in individual freedom. Trudeau believed that freedom was the key for Canada to grow because everyone would be accepted the way they are. In 1971, Trudeau imposed the Canadian Multiculturalism Act where he…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    October 8, 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau had announced that Canada will embrace a policy of multiculturalism to the House of Commons, known as the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. Multiculturalism was planned to keep the cultural freedom of individuals and provide acknowledgement to the diverse racial groups to Canadian society. It was a huge symbolic recognition of cultural diversity rather than a genuine change in government policy. Although most Canadian citizens supported Trudeau in the Multiculturalism Act, some residents were against it.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pierre Trudeau

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Pierre Trudeau Pierre Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada, was once described as "A French Canadian proud of his identity and culture, yet a biting critic of French-Canadian society, determined to destroy its mythology and illusions". He has also been identified as "A staunch, upholder of provincial autonomy holding the justice portfolio in the federal government". Such cumulative appraisal and observation made by past fellow bureaucrat provides high testimonial for the ex-Democratic Socialist. This critique will establish and dispute the prime directives that Trudeau had advocated in his own book written during the years 1965 to 1967. The compilation of political essays featured in his book deal with the diverse complexities of social, cultural and economical issues that were predominant in Canadian politics during the mid 1960's.…

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Firstly, the Canadian government's intention of the treaty was quite well-known. Obviously, they wanted to take the land which belongs to the natives'. In order to achieve their ambitious goal, they took advantage of the decay of the bison. Clearly, the Canadian government knew what the natives thought: they were losing their main source of food and they were willing to negotiate with the Canadian government. The Canadian government could just give the natives a small amount of land and suggested them to be farmers. They verbally promised that they would give them the equipment, supplies, and instructions they need for farming.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Historically, canada faced enormous economic growth in the beginning of the twentieth century based on significant growth in populations. as the demand for labourers became stronger due to the economic growth canada became more acceptable with the idea of migration.just as population increased, social constructions of race,ethnicity, class and gender played important roles in formation and development of canada as a nation state.furthermore, the experience of visible minorities to canada was critically depended on these social concepts as immigrants were crucial in progress of economy during the 1900.as canada was known as the "whites men land", many immigrants suffered from social discrimination and inquiry of immigrant's experience is central…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The native people constantly experience neglect from the government, it was recorded that the mortality rate of the natives were higher compare to other Canadians. Nobody care that their babies were dying, water the primary source of livelihood were often poisoned with chemicals and yet no provision was made…

    • 182 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The issue that is being dealt with in the article is Canada’s racial problem. Canada is ranked second amongst all the nations from its tolerance and inclusion. Although it is hard to see, but our racial problem is worse than the United States. Canada may not have incidents like the Ferguson, Missouri, Staten Island, New York or Los Angeles, California; however our problem is the greatest in Winnipeg due to the 49 per cent of Aboriginal people living on the reserves. When the African-American community is compared to Canada`s First Nation by every measurable indicator, it is clear that the First Nation population in Canada is treated worse and lives with more hardship then the African-American population. Some individuals agree upon that…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first nation education problem that they are gaining low level education can be described as a hot problem because that represents the attitude of the government when they are facing some problems about rights. The government now has realized that if they can’t solve this problem as soon as possible, there would become to a more complex question, referring to lots of different area like the human rights and law. I would compare the policy made by other countries about first nation questions and then consider if these policies made by Canadian government is practical or…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Execution of Riel

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Everything began with the arrival of the surveyors. Due to the fact that Canada had bought Rupert’s Land from the Hudson’s Bay Company and was to be officially transferred to Canada on June 23, 1870, the Canadian government sent out people to inspect the lands that would soon be theirs. From the arrival of the surveyors, the Metis learned of how the Canadian government had planned to purchase the area that they lived in. They were not consulted by either the HBC or the Canadian government during their negotiations for the rights of the land. The Canadian government acted as if they were the owners of the vast lands. However, these lands were first inhabited by the First Nations people before any European settlers arrived. Although the Metis people were half Native and half European, they were treated like Natives. In reality, the European settlers arrived to the new lands claiming it was theirs while giving the First Nations people no compensation. If justice was to be truly served, the Canadian law could not exist because they were made by the very people who arrived from overseas and the Europeans would have to follow the customs of the First Nations people. However, the obnoxious Canadian government did not take such actions. Instead, they thought the Natives could be governed by one of their own and sent William McDougall to become the lieutenant-governor for the North West Territory. Riel acted swiftly and prevented the Canadians from taking control. Before the Metis were to be a part of Canada, they would need sufficient rights…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics