Pierre Trudeau
Canada's First Nation
Indian Act & White Paper
3. White Paper
but due to opposition from Aboriginal groups, government quickly withdrew the paper
the White Paper angered First Nations people
1969: the Prime Minister released White Paper
he was against the Indians getting a "special treatment"
intended to eliminate Aboriginals as a group and make them fit into the normal Canadian society
included reserve lands, fishing, hunting and edcation rights, medical services, use of land and economic development on reserve lands
declared that government wanted to get rid of Indian status and the Depatment of Indian Affairs
2. 1876-1951
act was attempting to familiarize First Nations with non-Aboriginal society but it wasn't done in a correct way
these changes made it seem as though the First Nations couldn't take care of themselves
changes were made to the to the Act
made it illegal for First Nations to practice religious ceremonies
Children had to attend residental schools
Now, the Indian Act gave the government the ability to take out anything related to First Nation identity, political structure, culture and education
1. 1763-1876
The 1850 Act for the better protection of the Lands and Property of the Indians in Lower Canada was the first document that had requirements on what a legal Indian should be
people that were adopted or married an Indian were also considered Indian
based on blood and whether they were tribal or not
Further policies and rules were appointed in the first half of 19th century
policies wanted to make the First Nations adapt to the non-First Nation poulation whie protecting them and their lands at the same time
known as the Royal Proclamation of 1763
laid down the process of how the government could aquire the lands they owned
it guaranteed the First Nation people certain rights and protections
statute in which the federal government administers Indian status, local First Nations governments and the management of reserve land and communal monies.
first introduced in 1876
Creation of Nunavut
2. Its Government
there are training programs to prepare Inuit for government related jobs in the territory.
focusd on management, administration and support services
government is similar to NWT as it has an elected legislative assembly, cabinet and territorial court
some challenges included
finding ways to live a life that costs 2 or 3 times higher than southern Canadians
increasing education
levels
increasing people's income
creating job opportunities was difficult as 56% of Nunavut's population is under 25 years old
1. Its History
the agreement gave Inuit control of more than 350,00 squaare km
36,000 square km include mineral rights
additionally the settlement gives Inuit $1 Billion over 14 years
After negotiations, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was settled 1993
largest land claim in Canadian history
1976: the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (represents Inuits across Canada) asked the federal government to put a boundary between the eastern and western regions of the NWT.
federal & territorial governments along with the Inuit in the Eastern Arctic talked about dividing the NWT for many years.
Nunavut is the traditional land of the Inuit as they have lived there for thousands of year
population is 85% Inuit
made up of the central and eastern parts of the former Northwest Territories
Means "Our Land" in the Inuit language Inuktitut
On April 1, 1999, The former Northwest Territories (NWT) was divided in two, creating a new territory called Nunavut
Missing & Murdered Women
5. Government Response
But on December 8, 2015, Trudeau announced an independent national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
$53.86 million would go into this investigation
A final report is expected to be out by November 2018
Despite pushes from the Indigenous community to start a national inquiry, the federal government has continued to ignore it
Stephen Harper said that a national investagation was last on the government's list
4. Spreading Awarenes
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also investigated Highway 16 of British Columbia, also known as Highway of Tears
believe that over 40 women are missing or murdered along this stretch
The Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence against Indigenous Women (LSC) was formed 2014
support national inquiry and they look to bring justice to the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) started the Sisters in Spirit Initiative
created a report that addressed preventing violence against Indigenous women and policies that would help protect them
overall, created more awareness for the women
they tracked cases of violence against Indigenous women
3. Reasons for violence
against women
no police responses
disruption of Indigenous communities such as the government occupying land
inequality regarding economic, social, political and cultural rights
racism
2. Call To Action
October 2004- Amnesty International released a report titled Stolen Sisters: A Human Rights Response to Discrimination and Violence against Indigenous Women in Canada
called for more police
awareness
highlighted the stories of 9 Indigenous women that were killed to show how severe the violence was against them
this report was a call to action
1. What Is It
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) did research and concluded that violence against Indigenous women doesn't only happen more but is also more severe.
1997-2000: the homicide rate for Indigenous women seven times higher than the rate for non-Indigenous women.
over 4000 have gone missing or murdered but only 1,200 have been reported
but these homocides also affect communities and family memebers as many are scared that their mom or sister can be the next one killed
Indigenous women would dissapear or get killed and the government would take no action
Before the launch of the national public inquiry on December 8, 2015, federal government would constantly ignore calls to investigate missing and murdered women
human rights crisis that has gained attention through the media
60s Scoop
recent actions have been taken regarding the 60s Scoop by the government
the Canadian government was sued for failing to protect the culture indentity of Indigenous kids
could cost the government 1.3 Billion dollars in damages
Manitoba apologized for the Sixties Scoop and announced that it will be included in the school curriculum.
there are lots of long-term impacts on adult adoptees
Many adoptees were also sexually and physically abused
birth records couldn't be accessed until both the child and parent consented so adoptees learned about their true heritage late in life, causing frustration and emotional distress
mental health
loneliness and confusion
low self-esteem and feelings of shame
loss of cultural identity
to this day, First Nations kids are still over-represented in adoption programs
between 1960 and 1990, more than 20,000 kids were taken from their faimilies
from the beginning, Aboriginals were poor and had high death rates with no financial support from anyone
Instead of providing help to the families, provincial child welfare agencies chose to remove children from their homes
began in 1951, when changes to the Indian Act gave the provinces control over Indigenous child welfare
this term was first used by Patrick Johnston who was a a researcher for the Canadian Council on Social Development
happened from 1950 to 1980
refers to scooping of Indigenous children
after being removed from their homes without consent, the kids would be placed into Christian families that did not know anything about Aboriginal culture
Sometimes, these homes would in the United States
Ipperwash
3. Aftermath
September 1915: Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nations accepted $95 million from the federal government
this includede return of the land, $20 million in compensation and $70 million for the future development of land
negotiations between federal government and Kettle and Stony Point continued until 2015
2010: Ontario government announced it would transfer land to federal government and they would have the power to add it back to the reserve
Ontario also agreed to give Ipperwash Provincial Park to the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation in 2007
May 2007: Ontario government established Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs
The final agreement was completyed on April 14, 2016, when it was signed by Chief Thomas Bressette, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett and Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan.
2. Confrontation
several physical confrontations took place
during the chaos, Sergeant Ken Deane shot Dudely George because he had pointed a firearm at the officer
there were rumors of Aboriginals carrying firearms which made OPP believe that protestors were about to become violent
OPP Emergency Response Team, the Crowd Management Unit and the Tactics and Rescue Unit were called in.
the presence of police, weapons, boats and helicopters increased tension
this led to both the protesters and OPP to belive that the other side was planning to attack on September 6, 1995
1994: federal government said they would close the camp and return the land
However, military equipment stayed on the site until July 29, 1995.
this led to angry protesters forcing their way into the camp's buildings and demanding the military to withdraw completely.
May 1993: Stony Point memebers peacefully occupied part of Camp Ipperwash, where the military training camp was.
1. History & Background
underlying cause of Ipperwash
was the government taking Stoney
Point Reserve in 1942 to use as a military camp
After requests for the land to be returned, members of the Stony Point First Nation occupied the camp in 1993 and in 1995.
took place in 1995 around Ontario's Ipperwash Provincial Park
this was claimed by the Kettle and Stony Point First Nations
On September 4th, 1995 protesters also occupied Ipperwash Provincial Park.
Tension between the protesters and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) increased, resulting in a confrontation on September 6th, 1995.
Dudley George (aboriginal protestor) was killed
Oka Crisis
4. Resolution
During the crisis, government purchased Pines to stop development on that land
After Oka Crisis ended, they also bought additional land for Kanesatake, but these lands have not been transferred to them yet
lots of media coverage
for this crisis across the nation
this crisis made more Canadians aware of Aboriginal rights and their land space
several of them were captured by military and lots were later charged by the SQ for crimes like assaukt and theft
Mohawks continued to protest until Sep 26, 1900
surrendered to the army
Altogether, 800 members took over from the SQ at the barricades and took position only meters away from the Mohawk warriors.
By August, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was brought in as SQ failed to resolve the crisis
At the same time, Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa wanted Canadian armed forces to help
3. Resistance
Aboriginal supporters from the country joined Mohawk at the barricades for support
this led to SQ blockading roads leading to Oka and the reserve
after this, Mohawks from the nearby Kahnawake reserve put blockades up at the Mercier Bridge to cut off access between Montreal's southern suburbs and Island of Montreal
this angered local residents and relationship between them and Aboriginal people got worse
A gunfight occured after where SQ Corporal Marcel Lemay was killed
SQ retreated
used tear gas, concussion grenades
To stop construction, Mohawk protesters formed baricade to block the area.
Mayor of Oka then asked police force (Sûreté du Québec (SQ)) to intervene and they attacked on July 11, 1990
SQ not only dealt with the barricades, but also with frustrated and hostile civilians who blamed them for the situation
2. Background
1989: announced that the golf course would be expanded to 18 holes & condos would be built
1961: 9-hole golf course built on land claimed by Mohawk
land was built even after governement found out that this site was a burial ground
area known as Pines
Since 18th century, Mohawks wanted the government to recognize their land
but request kept getting denied
1. What was it?
occured in Oka, Quebec
Village on the northern bank of the Ottawa River
the new course & buildings would interfere with a Mohawk land, including their burial ground
this was sacred to them
dispute was due to expansion of a golf course and development of condos
78-day standoff between Mohawk protesters, army, police
during this time, Corporal Marcel Lemay, a police officer, was shot and killed
lasted from July 11– September 26 1990
Residential Schools
6. Aftermath
since 1998, indigenous families started
getting help from government
many former students got
compensation money
2008: P.M Stephen Harper apologized to indigenous people on behalf of Canadian Government
apology epmasized how horrible
residential schools were
5. Definace
By 1986, most schools had closed
1969: Department of Indian Affairs took control of residential schools, ending church involvement
catholic churches objected;
wanted to force culture on them
parents protested, but were ignored
indigenous students sometimes
burned schools down
4. Health
3,200 Indigenous children died due
to overcrowding, malnourishment, tuberculosis, influenza and abuse
3. Life at Residential Schools
missionary staff continously
bashed indigenous culture
sometimes forbidden to
speak their language
isolated; it was
a culture genocide
if they were caught speaking their language
they would get beaten
workplace: employers/overseers
were harsh
lessons were taught in languages that indigenous students didn't comprehend (English & French)
Teachers were not
fit to teach
clothing for winter barely
covered the student's body
barely any food and
even that tasted bad
condition were horrible
However, schools by late 1950s had enough
money and got rid of the half-day system
half-day system failed to give
students proper education
Students spent half the day working and the other half doing school work
assumption was that students would learn valuable skills while working
In reality, they were working because schools didn't have enough money to hire workers
2. Residental Schools after 1880
1930: 80 school systems
were counted
These schools tried to take away the culture of Indigenous people by trying to convert them into Christians.
But these schools were not what the leaders envisioned
After Indian Act (1976), government had to provide Indigenous youth with an education and incorporate them into Canadian society
Indigenous leaders hoped that Euro-Canadian schooling would help their kids make a smooth transition to a world of strangers.
1. religious schools provided by the government to bring Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture.
Residential schools were located across Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but there were also significant numbers in northwestern Ontario and in northern Québec.
Instead of converting Indigenous, it
disrupted lives and community
first schools to be built
were in New France
Provided care and schooling
