Discrimination Against Aboriginal People Essay

Aboriginal peoples have a long history of facing discrimination in Canada. Their political background is not expansive or lengthy in terms of voting in federal and provincial elections. All Aboriginal peoples in Canada were granted the right to vote in 1960 without enfranchisement. During the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign, Aboriginal issues, such as the housing crisis and self-government, were not forefront for the candidates, but political involvement has incrementally become important for many Aboriginal people in recent years.
The purpose of this essay is to examine the fact that there continues to be discrimination against Aboriginal peoples, as well as to argue that more political Aboriginal representation and discussions of
Aboriginal issues need to occur in order for Canada to further a holistic democracy. This work will first explain the history of the Aboriginal right to vote in Canada, including enfranchisement and discriminatory treatment. Then, it will describe the discussions of Aboriginal issues by candidates and party members in the 2015 Canadian federal election campaign. As well, this paper will examine the Aboriginal perspective on voting alongside the issues of the Canadian voting system in Aboriginal communities. In addition, it will examine the results of the 2015 Federal Election in relation to Aboriginal peoples. Lastly, this essay will conclude that there must be more Aboriginal representation in the Canadian governments in order for Aboriginal issues to gain focus in Canadian political and social spheres, based on voter turnout and the issues and successes for Aboriginal peoples in Canada during the 2015 federal election. Aboriginal peoples have a short and negative history of voting in Canadian politics.
While all Aboriginal peoples were granted the unconditional right to vote on June 1, 1960, the Inuit population could vote by 1950. Métis and non-status Indians, however, have always had the right to vote as they were not considered wards of the state as status Indians were. However, Indigenous people still faced inequality, no matter their status. Moreover, it was not until the 1985 amendment of the Indian Act that the status of a woman was no longer tied to the husband’s status. In 1950, status Indians could gain franchise as an exchange for their tax exemption status. Until 1960, the only way in which status Indians could attain the unrestricted right to vote was through enfranchisement, which is defined by Ladner and McCrossan (2007) as “to give up or forfeit their status as Indians and take up the duties and benefits of citizenship”. While the Indian Act was a tool of assimilation by the Canadian government, status Indians lost many proclamations defined in the Indian Act through enfranchisement, such as education and social services. There was no public petition or pressure by Aboriginal peoples to obtain franchise. With the right to vote for all Aboriginal peoples in 1960, and later into the 1960s for some provinces, status Indians were not fully supportive of the decision. Regardless of their right to vote, Aboriginal peoples have faced oppression due to systemic and individual
racism. The Aboriginal voter turnout in federal elections reflects pessimistic perspective or a lack of education or access to voting in federal elections. In 2011, the Aboriginal voter turnout was significantly lower than the national average, as 37.6% of the Aboriginal voted in comparison to 58.8% of the non-Aboriginal population. This is partly due to the fact that many First Nations reserves lack addresses, which are necessary as a part of one’s identification for voting in Canadian elections. With that, it has become critical for Canadian citizens to have proper identification in order to vote due to the current modifications to the Fair Elections Act, which “prohibits the use of the voter information card as proof of identity, eliminates the ability of an elector to prove their identity through vouching” (Government of Canada, 2014). Some researchers adopt the viewpoint that Aboriginal viewpoint may be low in respect of First Nations Elders. When an individual in a role of leadership votes, one is no longer impartial and becomes biased. Similarly, some Aboriginal people state that, because the Crown must oblige by certain laws and treaties, no matter which party is governing. There is often no address at all for Aboriginal people living on reserves. Individuals running for Parliament often ignore or do not concern themselves with Aboriginal issues. Because politicians are aware of the low Aboriginal turnout, they repeatedly do not waste money or time on Aboriginal issues, and instead concentrate on issues with which the majority of non-Aboriginals are concerned. For example, in the first two federal debates of the 2015 election campaign, the words “First Nations” were spoken a total of eight times, compared to “economy”, spoken on 151 combined occasions. Despite federal funding on development of Aboriginal communities and reserves and on inquiries for missing and murdered Indigenous women, Aboriginal people continue to be oppressed and their communities are continually affected by aspects such as education, social services, access to potable water, the housing crisis, and the loss of traditional Aboriginal culture and languages. Instead, over $100 million is expended each year due to legal fees challenging Indigenous rights. With that, there are extreme socioeconomic divisions. First Nations school receive, on average, 30% less funding than provincial schools, often leading to a less education population. For many Aboriginal people, 2015 was their first time voting in a federal election. In some Aboriginal communities, the number of people voting in 2015 compared to the federal election in 2011 increased 20%, and in some communities, the increase was over 270%. This can be connected to efforts within Aboriginal communities. In fact, some chiefs individually met with members of their communities on Election Day to ensure proper education on voting procedures. Social media campaigns like “First Nations Rock the Vote” on Facebook encouraged Aboriginal people to become politically involved, and it aided individuals to verify that they were registered to vote. Another basis for this growth is because there is a large Aboriginal population currently residing in urban areas, which may connote that there are issues similar to the dominant society issues for Aboriginal people separate from Aboriginal issues. In at least 51 ridings across Canada, a large Aboriginal voter turnout would be a critical in the outcome of the 2015 federal election. As a result of increased awareness, education, and participation in the Aboriginal population, as many as six voting stations ran out of ballots. While this indicates that Aboriginal voter turnout was significantly higher, it also indicates that some individuals waited for an extended period of time to exercise their right to vote or did not have that right recognized at all due to waiting times. Additionally, this is evidence that Elections Canada grossly miscalculated the number of ballots needed, likely due to previous low voter turnout in Indigenous communities. Aboriginal issues have been more publicized in the news and on social media. For example, there are a number of bills targeting First Nations people: Bill C-10 targets Native tobacco, C-57 too broad anti-terror bill, and C-38 loosens environmental protections, including vital waterways. The heightened publicity of legislative attacks on Indigenous people may be an additional cause for the increase in Aboriginal involvement in Canadian politics. As Aboriginal peoples in Canada become more politically involved than ever, Aboriginal issues must be discussed and solutions must be implemented, as this will benefit all Canadians. With record Aboriginal peoples becoming politically in small scale ways, like voting and starting discussions online, and on the larger scale, such as running to become Members of Parliament, Aboriginal issues and concerns will continue to gain prevalence in political discourse among politicians and all Canadians. With a long history of discrimination that persists into the 21st century, Aboriginal peoples have overcome many obstacles, such as enfranchisement and systemic racism, and there are many hurdles that are ongoing.