Rights and Freedoms

The Oka crisis happened in March 1990 in Quebec in the small town of Oka. The crisis started with the expansion of their golf course onto the native's burial ground. This is historically significant to Canadian history because it shows that people still try to walk all over the Native Americans and take what is rightfully theirs. The Mohawk First Nations put up a barricade to stop the bulldozers. This started aggression between the contractors and the Mohawks. This caused the Mohawks to bare arms to show that they would not back down and die for there sacred burial grounds. The consequences of them baring arms was a shoot out with the Quebec police. "Shots fired lead to the death of Corporal Marcel, Quebec's minister of Indian affairs commented, I never thought it would go so far". This resulted into the army being brought in and the Mohawks would not back down. Eventually it was settled and the Mohawks got to keep there sacred land, the Mohawks justify there actions by protecting what is rightfully theirs. One of the results from the crisis is it inspired Aboriginal people all across Canada to fight for there rights. The media coverage revealed this problem and people across Canada started to question Canada's relationship with its Aboriginal people. This Created long lasting change in the sense that Aboriginal people now fight for there right, and now they can make a difference by the events that occurred in Oka.

The Oka crisis connects the FLQ crisis both in Quebec Canada both sides were fighting for what they believed in. Both sides during there time periods were seen as secondary citizens. The Mohawks and FLQ used violence and baring arms to fight for what they believed in.

The FLQ was an extremist group in Quebec named Front de Liberation de Quebec or FLQ. This group believed in separatism for Quebec. They wanted to have Quebec as its own communist country. This group used extreme tactics such as bombs, kidnapping, and killing 6 people. Pierre Trudeau was the current Prime of Canada in October, 1970. Pierre instated the Wartime Measures Act to help catch the FLQ. This was a very controversial topic some people disagreed with his use of the Wartime Measures Act saying it was unnecessary. But the FLQ had been involved in over 200 bombings at this point and Pierre Trudeau was asked "At what cost? How far would you go? To what extent?" he replied with "Well, just watch me." Pierre was willing to go as far as necessary to bring down the FLQ. The FLQ had a large following and were support by younger generations until they killed one of the men that they kidnapped. This lead to there downfall with them losing almost all support. They then worked out a deal with the Canadian government for safe passage to Cuba, in return for another man that they had in hostage.

The FLQ Crisis or The October Crisis relates to what happened to the Japanese Canadians in WWII. The Wartime Measures Act was invoked in both of these incidents. Both the FLQ and the Japanese lost all there rights and had the people of Canada turned against them. With pearl harbor for the Japanese and when the FLQ killed a man in cold blood.

After the events at Pearl Harbor in 1941, during the second World War. The Japanese in Canada were frowned upon. People feared that they were spies and and hated them. With the Canadian government producing propaganda to slander them, in they went as far as invoking the Wartime Measures Act. They ripped 22,000 Japanese Canadians out of there homes and put them all in secluded interment camps away from the public. They justified taking them out of there homes and moving them that it was for there own safety from the general public after Pearl Harbor. In these camps the Japanese Canadians were forced to do slave labor and live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. Some of these Japanese Canadians were Canadian citizens some even 2 third generation Canadians. This group of people were stripped of there rights and payed for something they didn't do.

The Japanese Canadians had no rights and had to fight through this rough period, so did the women of World War One. The women of World War One although never losing there rights were never given the equal rights of a male. They started the push for equality for gender in Canada.

Women in the early 1900's were seen as fragile and that there job was to stay home and take care of the kids. During the first World War the lack of men introduced women into working full time jobs. With men of fighting the women had to step in and take over there jobs. This is what first started women in the workforce. The fight for women started after the war when the men came home and wanted there jobs back. Some of the women wanted to keep there jobs and liked the self dependence that was given by earning there own money. These women are what started the push for women's rights and equality. The amount of women in the workforce was steadily increasing throughout the war "accounting for nearly 40% of all women workers by 1918". The women worked hard and deserved there jobs. After the war the number of women working decreased a bit because of returning men, but women now wanted to work which made them start to fight for there rights. Creating long lasting change forever inspiring women to work.

The women in World War One relates to the Oka crisis in the sense that after the men returned home some would not give up there job and fought for there rights. Both the Mohawks and the women of WWI needed to fight for there rights and show everyone that they are not lesser. They both brought to light there problems with the Mohawks inspiring Aboriginal people to fight for there rights, and the women showing that it is okay for a women to work for herself. There are still slanders and unequal rights today showing the continuity of the topic rights and freedom.