How different would life be if your nation was discriminated and seen as unequal to the rest of the people in your country? Unfortunately, this is a major problem in the Indigenous community of Canada today. Discrimination against the Indigenous dates back to early European settlement, and although efforts have been made in recent generations to make the country a mosaic of peoples and cultures, a recent poll suggests that more than one-third of respondents believe racism against Indigenous people is increasing in Canada. Although the Indigenous are considered the “First Peoples of Canada,” they are continuously being discriminated because of their ethnicity / race, they are being unreasonably searched, and they are not receiving the basic …show more content…
In fact, it can be quoted by Emily Hill, advocacy director at Aboriginal Legal Services in Toronto, who says, "We see that in many areas there has been no improvement and in some areas it's gotten worse.” It was also mentioned that many Aboriginal people were unaware that they had legal rights that were to be treated with respect and without discrimination. That being said, this proves that the amount of discrimination they receive was enough for them to be unconscious of the fact that their rights were to protect them. Although this may be true, some people may argue that this isn’t a serious issue, and that discrimination occurs everywhere. However, the murder rate of Indigenous women is 3.5 times higher compared to other women in Canada, according to a report released by the RCMP. This example proves that to the Indigenous, the discrimination has been taken to a far higher level with murder of loved ones involved, and this counter-argument is inferior to the voices of the broken families. Now, this happens because the Canadian government either doesn’t bother to enforce the security in the Indigenous community, or that they aren’t educating the First Nations in health and well-being, even though the government is making the “citizens” of Canada, their top priority. Throughout the Vicelands Cut-off, many of Indigenous people from the community, where Justin Trudeau was visiting kept on questioning the actions of the Liberal government, which emphasizes the fact that they either did not vote for the party, or the elected government wasn’t fulfilling the needs of the people. In particular, there was an old Aboriginal woman who didn’t know who Justin Trudeau even was, emphasizing that she had absolutely no hope in the democratic system. This
Canada is considered a relatively peaceful country that has little conflict with foreign countries world wide. Although Canada has peaceful foreign relations, its biggest conflicts come internally with the Aboriginal population. The Aboriginal people of Canada were the first people to reside in Canada, but as European settlers arrived they were quickly pushed off of their lands. Aboriginal people have had constant conflict with the colonizing population ever since white European settlers colonized Canada. Many Canadian citizens are unaware of the atrocities that were committed against Aboriginal people by these European settlers.
MacDonald’s treatment of Aboriginals hurt the growth of Canada and set a standard of maltreatment toward Aboriginals that is continued today. While he was labelled as a friend and admired by Aboriginals, MacDonald’s actions reveal his true feelings and demonstrate his lack of regard for their wellbeing and rights. One can see that his mistreatment extends not just to those in Canada, but also those who are emigrating from other countries and regions, such as Asia. MacDonald was especially racist toward Asians, creating legislation that excluded the Chinese and Mongolian, marking them to be unfit for political office and representation. He felt that this exclusion was necessary to establish European dominance across Canada and
Promises were made to invest in reserve housing and infrastructure and Indigenous education programs (Eggertson, 2015: 469). Improving infrastructure and housing can improve the health inequities faced by the Indigenous population. Due to the significant Indigenous demographic within Nunavut, these Indigenous-specific policies made the Liberals appear as the obvious choice, in comparison to the Conservatives who made no promises to the Indigenous population. This contrast with Stephen Harper's term is seen once more when Justin Trudeau promised to launch an investigation into the missing and murdered Indigenous women, "something Harper repeatedly refused to do" (Murphy and Woolf, 2015). Once more, the Liberals demonstrated their potential for change.
The Metis people whole dynamic and attitudes changed and faced such degrading racism every time and everywhere they went. The effects of the past are still a problem and struggle today for the aboriginal people, as stated “Activism for the ages” “will take a long time to change attitudes at all levels of government, throughout society, as well as in our schools such a long time that it will be the children, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, who will need to carry on this work. And we have a responsibility for helping them.” (Shaker 3). Attitudes of the hegemonic society need to shift in order to make way for real social change.
As they confront the crisis that threatens their survival, they must also reckon with the deep-seated racism and distrust that has long characterized the relationship between Indigenous communities and the Canadian government. This is evident in the community's reluctance to accept outside help and their suspicion of the motives of non-Indigenous people who come to their aid. Through their shared exploration of the impact of systemic racism and discrimination on Indigenous communities, both works underscore the need for ongoing efforts to address past and present injustices. They also highlight the resilience and strength of Indigenous peoples in the face of adversity, and the importance of community, connection to the land, and cultural identity in healing and rebuilding. Ultimately, both "Moon of the Crusted Snow" and "One Native Life" offer powerful and insightful perspectives on the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the ongoing work towards justice and
Throughout the 60’s Canada had two prime ministers who impacted the lives of everyone in Canada and had an important role in Canada’s identity. In the beginning of this epoch the Indigenous people were given a voice to vote in the polling place without being stripped of their identity, culture and status. This socially changed Indigenous
Introduction Diversity is a characteristic that is characterized by the recognition and shared regard of the similarities and differences in culture, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and experiences that make people unique. Many people suppose that the Canadian society is diverse and problems such as discrimination and racism are not difficulties affecting this community. Canadians understand that they are characterized by diversity, tolerance, and acceptance and that these are the traits that virtually define the values of this nation. Although many people assert that the country is diverse, previous cases and literature have portrayed how the Canadian society is segregated and intolerant. The most disturbing elaboration of intolerance in the Canadian society was the Saskatoon starlight tours where law enforcement officers would pick aboriginals from their communities, and they were taken to the outskirts of the city in the dead of winter where they were left for dead.
This is the exact tactic Canada used on Indigenous people” (Elliott 105). This quote illuminates how the structural genocide by the Canadian government caused Indigenous people to become reliant on them. Under those circumstances, their freedom, autonomy, and agency are stripped away. In her essay “Not your noble savage”, Elliott discusses how Trudeau pretends to be pro-Indigenous but his government is not doing enough for reconciliation: “True reconciliation with Native peoples requires Canada to stop its paternalistic, discriminatory policies and, most important, stop interfering with our sovereignty over our identities, communities, and lands. These are by no means easy or comfortable actions for Canadians to undertake, but they must be undertaken regardless” (Elliott 163).
Political activism movements of aboriginal communities in Canada have been occurring since the late 19th century in an attempt to organize political associations to pursue equality and fairness throughout the nation. Throughout persistent criticism of the Canadian federal government (especially the “White Paper” policy from 1969), major aboriginal organizations – most commonly known is the Assembly of First Nations – that began gaining political recognition and was later joined in 2012 by the national advocacy movement of “Idle No More.”
Over the last two decades, numerous studies have shown that Aboriginal people in Canada face a substantial earnings gap in comparison to the non-Aboriginal population. Although some of these studies offer slightly different estimates of the wage differential due to different definitions of the Aboriginal population, they all consistently find that there is a positive relationship between the size of the earnings gap and the “degree of Aboriginal identification” (DeSilva, 1999). For men, there is a gap of 50.0% and for women, 34.2% (Lamb, 2013). A large portion of the differential can be explained by the fact that Aboriginal people have lower quality of characteristics that are associated with higher pay. However, most of these characteristics,
According to Anzovino and Boutilier (2014), “the legislative definition of Aboriginal peoples includes all persons of “Indian” blood who were known to belong to a specific band, living on specific land, with their descendants [and] all persons intermarried with any such “Indians” who resided among them” as well as all children and persons adopted in infancy (p. 90). These persons are immensely proud of their good character, race, beliefs, values and morals. However, they are receiving abuse and a lack of promised assistance from the government. How can Canada act so neglectful and inattentive to those that live north of the suburban area? Are we not all equal and deserve the same rights, especially basic living conditions in order to survive?
Canada, who was under the British Empire, was automatically involved in the world 's first greatest war from 1914 to 1918. It was a bloody time period not only for our fellow Canadian soldiers but for all of the men who courageously fought to make their country proud. Over 600,000 men and women bravely enlisted. Among these numbers, over 4,000 Aboriginal Peoples, between the ages of 18-45, voluntarily enlisted, served in the Canadian Expeditionary Forces, and tremendously contributed to the war effort. Many of the non-Aboriginal soldiers understood and treated Aboriginals as equals during the time they spent together in the battlefield.
Institutional and historical analysis often portray the motives of governments, especially in the cases of Quebec separatism and Aboriginal mistreatment. History describes attempts at compromise to rectify the problems by altering political institutions to provide more autonomy to the provinces, witness in various accords and the methods described previously. However, in regards to Aboriginals a historical relationship of exploitation and eradication sheds on the systemic issues that Aboriginals cope with and the institutions that caused them. As scholars of Canadian politics, it is important to consider historical and institutional analyses when looking at any issue, as it reveals the underlying motives of actors in regards to the cleavages that comprise a state.
Canada is known for its amazing healthcare and it is considered one of the best in the world. In Canada, healthcare is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Heath Care Act. However, not everyone has equal access to healthcare, Aboriginals being some of them. Aboriginals have trouble getting the access they need because of socio-economic status, geography, lack of infrastructure and staff, language or cultural barriers an more. Aboriginals on reserve face many barriers when it comes to access to healthcare, they include cost, language, distance, climate, education and more.
The Impact of Domestic Violence on the Aboriginal Community Domestic violence in Aboriginal community is a cause for concern regarding Aboriginal women 's health and safety. According to Kubik, Bourassa, and Hampton (2009) “In Canada, Aboriginal women have faced destruction in their communities and families as a result of multiple forms of oppression. Aboriginal women experience the highest rates of violence and abuse of any population in Canada”(p.29). Domestic violence is defined by Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary (2015) as “ the inflicting of physical injury by one family or household member on another; also: a repeated or habitual pattern of such behavior”. The objective is to look at the cause of domestic violence aimed at Aboriginal