...Aboriginal Rights What are Aboriginal rights? Aboriginal rights are collective rights which flow from Aboriginal peoples’ continued use and occupation of certain areas. They are inherent rights which Aboriginal peoples have practiced and enjoyed since before European contact. Because each First Nation has historically functioned as a distinct society, there is no one official overarching Indigenous definition of what these rights are. Although these specific rights may vary between Aboriginal groups, in general they include rights to the land, rights to subsistence resources and activities, the right to self-determination and self-government, and the right to practice one’s own culture and customs including language and religion. Aboriginal rights have not been granted from external sources but are a result of Aboriginal peoples’ own occupation of their home territories as well as their ongoing social structures and political and legal systems. As such, Aboriginal rights are separate from rights afforded to non-Aboriginal Canadian citizens under Canadian common law. European Settlement and Aboriginal struggles Aboriginal people have a long and proud history that includes rich cultural and spiritual traditions. Many of these traditions, however, were altered or even taken away upon the arrival of European settlers. The forced introduction of European culture and values to Aboriginal societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal lands, and the imposition of alien modes of governance...
Words: 1344 - Pages: 6
...Canadians feeling threatened. Events, whether a large public occurrence such as the one identified above, or an individualistic personal episode, can result in the development of PTSD. PTSD is characterized by a variety of symptoms that last for at least one month, or longer, following a traumatic event (Brady 2004). It can be defined as the trauma itself and an individual’s response to that trauma. It effects the psychological, emotional, social, and physical states of the affected individual and can act as a pathway for other psychological disorders, the most common being major depressive disorder (MDD)(Van Ameringen, 2008). The purpose of this paper is to; examine PTSD and its causes, its ties to substance use/abuse in Canada, focusing on the Aboriginal population, and the reasons why traumatic...
Words: 3121 - Pages: 13
...country as wealthy as Canada, close to one million people continue to rely on food banks to provide themselves with basic necessities each month. Food Banks are used by a wide variety of people within Canada, ranging from children and families, to single people, to even individuals who are employed. People tend to use food banks because they are not able to maintain a healthy lifestyle on their own. Whether it is because of economic, social, or cultural reasons, many people have no other option but to do so. I have determined that the main cause of an increase in food bank usage in Canada is poverty. Within Canada, poverty has been an ever-present issue for many years. Although Canada is rated eighth on the Human Development Index, there continues to be a growing number of impoverished people. Individuals who are not able to provide themselves with the basic necessities of life are at an incredible disadvantage when it comes to maintaining their health and well-being. They can be exposed to many illnesses and life threats because they are not able to provide themselves with the resources needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Things such as food, shelter, and warmth all become optional for an individual living in poverty as they have little opportunity to better their life or living situations. Factors such as housing, education, employment, and environment are all equally important in determining an individuals economic standing. Specific groups such as Aboriginals can be at even...
Words: 3410 - Pages: 14
...remain seriously underfunded for children on reserves. The event was important to me as it brought awareness of the issues that are faced daily by Aboriginal families and their communities. I had previously read about how there was a discrimination complaint filed against Canada that was in violation of the Canadian Human Rights Act, that Canada provides significantly less funding for family and child services on reserves than that provided off reserves, but never knew much about the case so I was glad to be able to attend the event and gain more knowledge on the issue. In 2007, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) filed a human rights complaint alleging that the inequitable funding of child welfare services on First Nations reserves amounts to discrimination on the basis of race and national or ethnic origin, contrary to Section 5 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, RCS 1985, c. H-6 (the Act). Some of the current inequities in Canada are that almost half of all children in care under the age of 14 are Aboriginal. The placement of Aboriginal children in informal care with relatives is 11.4 times the rate for non-Aboriginal children, and 12.4 times the rate of non-Aboriginal children for formal placement in the child welfare system. In 2008 and 2011 The Auditor General of Canada confirmed that the federal government’s provision of First Nations child and family services and elementary and secondary education is flawed and inequitable...
Words: 683 - Pages: 3
...Struggle of Aboriginals in Canada “We owe the aboriginal peoples a debt that is four centuries old. It is their turn to become full partners in developing an even greater Canada. And the reconciliation required may be less a matter of legal texts than of attitudes of the heart.” - Roméo LeBlanc Aboriginal people are called the people from “First Nations” in Canada who have rich historical, cultural and spiritual traditions. However, many of these traditions were altered or even taken away upon the arrival of British and French settlers in Canada. Since then, forcing colonial culture and values on Aboriginal societies, the dispossession of Aboriginal lands and the seclusion of Aboriginals from modern amenities created a sequence of social, physical and spiritual devastation of their culture. Effect of these is quite noticeable even today. This is mainly because the Federal Government is not taking enough responsibility for providing proper support to Aboriginals with growing problems in the reserves. The Government of Canada recognizes the inherent right of self-government as an existing Aboriginal right under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 (AANDC). It recognizes that the inherent right may find expression in treaties, and in the context of the Crown's relationship with treaty First Nations. Recognition of the inherent right is based on the view that the Aboriginal peoples of Canada have the right to govern themselves in relation to matters that...
Words: 1821 - Pages: 8
...Mohammed Alabdulwahid Reg Johanson English 103-04 Ode to the joy of yes moments The struggle to create awareness Tears for the sake of joy There have been many negative issues covered in our class throughout this semester. Issues have ranged from social injustices, colonialism, and women’s rights. Some included personal tragedies concerning women of Aboriginal descent living in British Columbia. It has been quite emotional at times to actually read about the struggles that have taken place right here in British Columbia regarding immigrants and Aboriginal people. We even got to meet the author of Mercenary English, Mercedes Eng, in person to make the words of her story really come to life. However, not all of the books we have studied convey negative outlooks of certain problems being faced. There have been positive social changes, personal victories and many moments that make the reader believe things can be made right if an effort is put into it. This research essay will focus on the positive view portrayed in three books studied this semester which include: Mercenary English, Active Geographies-Women and Struggles on the Left Coast and the Unnatural and Accidental Women. The positive themes discussed will display triumphs on a personal level, meaningful change on a social stage and a look at how social activism deeply connects people together. Firstly, Mercenary English has a very unique way of showing social injustice, believed to be carried out in the eyes of its...
Words: 2501 - Pages: 11
...The topic I chose was residential schools because I think everyone should be more aware of them and the harm they caused. The idea of residential schools has changed a lot over time because it caused great harm to the children, families, and the culture. Canada has realized that they shouldn't have assumed that Aboriginal cultures and spiritual beliefs were inferior and unequal. They now know that there was no need to try and “Kill the Indian in the child.” It was racist and unnecessary. The impact it has had on Aboriginal people is horrendous. Over 4000 Aboriginal children died. Former students of residential schools have come forward and spoken of physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse at the hands of some of the staff. The...
Words: 370 - Pages: 2
...According to INAC, the term for Aboriginal peoples is defined as: “a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations), Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. More than one million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2006 Census.” (Indigenous Nationhood) Although many Aboriginal peoples in Canada identify as being Aboriginal, many Aboriginal peoples struggle to maintain or gain a sense of cultural identity due to the Canadian Governments assimilation policies. Throughout this paper I will discuss how the Indian Act, the Canadian Residential School System, and the Sixties Scoop assimilated Aboriginal peoples into a European way of life, by attempting to integrate them into society by abolishing their Aboriginal identities. This assimilation process impacted Aboriginal peoples in negative ways throughout the generations socially, culturally, and economically. The negative impacts within child welfare system, educational institutions, and the socio-economic status of Aboriginal peoples today, prove assimilation and the total integration of Aboriginal peoples within mainstream society is unacceptable. Decolonization techniques should be applied within those areas in order combat the long lasting effects of...
Words: 2439 - Pages: 10
...CANADA - Before Confederation, the Canadian government was not concerned about the education of the Aboriginal people. However, once the government policy changed in 1830 and it was required to provide Aboriginal youth with education and merge them into Canadian society, the Canadian government and various religious institutions formed church-run residential schools in every province besides Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. The Aboriginal leaders and elders anticipated that these schools would let their children learn the skills of the Canadian society and help them easily transition into the dominated society of Canada but the residential schools were of nothing they imagined or hoped for (). RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS: THE DARK SIDE Continued Currently, residential schools are still running and forcibly taking Aboriginal children from the ages five to sixteen from their families and communities and forcing them to attend the schools where they are deprived of their...
Words: 736 - Pages: 3
...Defining the issue Aboriginal families all across Canada were affected by the residential school system. The two main objectives of residential schools were to remove and isolate indigenous children from their families and cultures and to assimilate them into the Western cultures. From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s it was mandatory that Aboriginal children went to residential schools by the federal government, to try to make them more like “children in mainstream society” (Kevin, Beeds, and Filion 340). Aboriginal values were looked down upon. Schools were operated by a staff that consisted of nuns and priests. They focused on teaching children Christianity. This event was significant in Canadian history because it represented the loss of culture, language, and family connection due to long separations and the hardships faced at school. The experience at residential schools continue to affect generations of Aboriginals still to this day. History of the Issue Prior to the Canadian government’s involvement in the education of Aboriginal children, traditional education effectively sustained Aboriginal cultures for decades of years (340). Early in the 1600s French missionaries came to North America to convert Aboriginals to Christianity (340). They established mission schools in New France. By the 1800s the government focused on educating First Nations children in a way to indirectly assimilate them into Canadian society (340). In 1879, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald commissioned...
Words: 1857 - Pages: 8
...immigration, and the penal system. This paper will compare two of numerous federal investigations that have taken place in Canada between the years 1868 and 2008: the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada (The Bird Commission) and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. Both of these commissions tackle matters of early childhood education and care, education, the Indian Act, economic self-reliance, special treatment, the renewal of a relationship, the private sector, and the criminal code. After a more extensive comparison has been achieved between these two reports, I will decide which commission has had the largest impact on our Canadian constitution. Before forming a comparison, it is important that I explain briefly how each of these federal commissions came before us: Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson instituted the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada (RCSW) in February of 1967 (Royal Commission on the Status of Women, vii). It was launched as a direct response to a six-month campaign mounted by a coalition of thirty-two women's organizations and led by Ontario activist Laura Sabia, who, at the time, was president of the Canadian Federation of University Women (Encyclopædia Britannia). Sabia called a meeting of the coalition in Toronto in May of 1966 to discuss concerns surrounding the status of women in Canada. Because of the coalition’s lobbying efforts, mounting pressure in the media, and a threat from Sabia to lead a women’s march...
Words: 2594 - Pages: 11
...Introduction: In Canada, for many years there has been growing concern and controversy about the over-representation of Aboriginals within the Criminal Justice System, a considerable problem that has been found to be more even extreme with Aboriginals female offenders. For Aboriginal women the rates of incarceration are particularly disturbing. Aboriginal women are over-represented in the federal prison system. They represent only 4% of the women in Canada yet account for 32% of the women in federal prisons. The number of Aboriginal women federally incarcerated has increased by 151% between 1997 and 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). Aboriginal women are not only disproportionately over-represented but also the fastest growing population sentenced to federal prisons. The over-representation is even more pronounced in terms of Aboriginal women incarceration rates: As of April 2010, Aboriginal women accounted for 32.6% of the total female offender population (SOURCE 5). This means that one out of every three women federally incarcerated is of Aboriginal descent (Correctional Service Canada, 2009/2010, at 18). Furthermore they are over-represented in the maximum security prison population, making up 45% of the maximum security federally sentenced women, 44% of the medium security population and 18% of minimum security women in 2006 (Elizabeth Fry Society, 4). The justice system has played a major role in the creation of poor social conditions in Aboriginal communities today. It...
Words: 3165 - Pages: 13
...In the 19th century, the Canadian government believed it was responsible for educating and caring for Aboriginal people in Canada. The government believed that the best chance to be successful was for them to learn English and adopt Christianity and Canadian customs. In an ideal world, these new customs would be passed onto their children, meaning their native traditions would diminish and completely disappear within a few generations. The Canadian government developed a policy called “aggressive assimilation” to be taught at these new church-run, government-funded schools, called residential schools. It was believed that children were easier to influence that adults, so the idea of sending these children to a boarding school to learn new values would be the most effective. These schools were created based on the belief that aboriginal culture was unable to adapt to a rapidly modernizing society. Students were discouraged from speaking their first language or practising native traditions and were faced with severe punishment if they did not comply. Most students lived at these schools 10 months a year, away from their parents, segregating them from opportunities to see examples of normal family life. Siblings at the same school rarely saw each other, as all...
Words: 626 - Pages: 3
...Whether observed through the perspective of the media or within a historical context, women at a national premise have a greater awareness in the struggle of gender equality and female identification. Feminism looks at how the social, economic and political structures affect and shape women at the individual level. Accordingly, feminist theories analyze the relationship between gender differences, gender inequality and oppression. The idea of ‘waves’ in Canadian Feminist movements have been both diverse and dynamic in the act of coalition to obtain specific goals and broader changes in society. At the beginning of the 20th century, industrialization and nation-building came attached with a gender ideology that prescribed the public/private division between male and females. In modern-day Canada, issues concerning equal rights in the public and private sphere of women have become more relevant to the female community. In contemporary Canada, the discussion of sex work and the ‘entertainment industry’ is a controversial subject to many women. The traditional view is expressed to view these workers as individuals who have chosen this path as ‘immoral criminals’ or ‘victims’ of aggression. There is not much sympathy for these women as they are degraded to be invisible within Canadian society. Given the blind eye, these sexual deviants have historically served as an representation to regulate women of the public sphere. However, it is necessary to make distinctions of the ‘hierarchy’...
Words: 1578 - Pages: 7
...Dear the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, With the abrupt release of the statistics about the missing indigenous and murdered women and girls by the RCMP, I have growing concerns the Indigenous people’s safety. I am especially concerned by the 2009 statistic, where it was found that Aboriginal women were nearly three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being victim of a violent crime. As the newly elected prime minister, I hope to see a change for Indigenous people in the duration that you are appointed. From any viewpoint in the world, I believe that Canada is often conceived as a “safe” and even a “welcoming” country. However, with the newfound knowledge of the murders and abductions of Aboriginal women, I strongly believe that Canada cannot boast to have the security that it has had in the past. The released statistics make evident how not only the government, but all Canadians must support a movement in order to stop the violence against Indigenous women. For 62% of these cases, the violence occurs domestically – right in the...
Words: 438 - Pages: 2
