Residential schoolsResidential schools were government-sponsored religious schools that were created to assimilate both Metis and Inuit First Nations children into European-Canadian culture. The schools are an extremely controversial and dark piece of Canada's history. It is evident that the schools did significant harm to Aboriginal children who attended them by removing them from their families, depriving them of their native languages by using sterilization, and by getting sexually abused by staff members and other students. In 2008, Stephan Harper made a public apology for the residential schools.
Idle No MoreFounded in 2012, Idle No More is an ongoing protest movement that has quickly become one of the largest Indigenous mass movements in Canadian history. It has sparked hundreds of rallies which are arranged to protest impending parliamentary bills, such as Bill C 45.
Perspective
Since the centennial and many years prior to it, the Canadian government has treated the First Nations peoples of Canada poorly by granting them unequal rights, sending children to residential schools, and creating barriers that separate them from the rest of Canada's citizens. Over the years the Canadian government has done a large part in destroying their culture and heritage. However, in recent years the government has accepted and admitted their mistakes and have made full apologies to those who have been affected. Even with the apologies though, many issues still exist today such as how Metis people in Ontario must identity differently and carry an Aboriginal Status Card with them. This is an obvious sign of discrimination and shows the barriers between the Canadian First Nations and the government. While the government is taking steps to help maintain Canada's rich history, many barriers still exist today which may take many years to help break. Aboriginal Status Card
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Canada’s Centennial and the White Paper
1967 was a time of celebration for most Canadians but for the First Nations peoples, it was a reminder of the injustices they had suffered over that 100 years. In 1968 the newly elected government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau brought in many social changes. He unveiled a policy paper that proposed ending the special legal relationship between First Nations peoples and dismantling the Indian Act. This white paper faced heavy opposition from Aboriginal leaders across the country and sparked a new era of Indigenous political organizing in Canada.
Examples of what the white paper proposed to do: -Eliminate Indian Status -Dissolve the Department of Indian Affairs within five years -Abolish the Indian Act -Convert reserve land to private property that can be sold by the band or its members Photo: An Idle No More protest on January 11, 2012, in Ottawa, Ontario. Freedom, equality and history are very important to many First Nations peoples and when Bill's created by the government threaten their beliefs, thousands take to the streets try to protect their identity, culture and rights.
Photo: A blemish in Canadian history, many people forget about the conditions Aboriginal children had to face in residential schools. Here, a survivor of one of the schools protests with a sign comparing the school situation to the Holocaust. This shows the true significance of the issue and how Aboriginal people feel about the residential schools, even after a formal apology from the Prime Minister in 2008. This is likely a reason why there is still a lot of tension between First Nations people and the government to this day.
Click here to watch a video The National did about the residential school policy being called "cultural genocide" |