The Effects of Colonization:
The Past, Present, and Future of Indigenous Rights In Canada
Indigenous discrimination is something that has persisted for centuries and into the modern-day. However, this inequality seems to have been normalized by the federal government, and thus by most Canadians, stemming from generations of mistreatment and assimilation campaigns.
This racism originated from the moment the Americas were discovered by European settlers. Given that Indigenous peoples were undeniably the first residents of the New World, early Canadians took a more paternalistic approach regarding their treatment. This mentality manifested in their earliest forms of government, in treaties and legislatures like The Indian Act and The Gradual Civilization Act (1857), introducing a “status” and “non-status” system which served to further categorize and divide First Nations, Inuit peoples, and especially Métis.
Indigenous people were defined by how well they could assimilate and serve European ideals. Rights such as the right to vote and to land ownership were withheld for those of “Indian status” who made the choice not to assimilate. Thousands were removed from their own land, forced to live on reservations thousands of miles away. Children were taken away from their families and placed into church-run residential schools where they were forced to assimilate and put under terrible conditions, bracing verbal, physical, and sexual attacks by their superiors. Often, they would return to their communities feeling alienated from their own culture, having lost their native languages. The last residential school in Canada was closed in 1996, only 24 years ago.
Only recently have teachers started educating students on the darker parts of Canada’s history, and to this day, Indigenous peoples are still facing injustices. Even in a first world country, Indigenous peoples living on reserves are still living in third world conditions, such as insufficient, overcrowded housing units. Even in urban areas, they often experience racism from residents and landlords, posing another challenge in obtaining accommodatable housing. The UN also reports that in 2019, 75 per cent of Canada’s reservations had contaminated water, across over 3000 reserves. In 2019, in the country with the largest freshwater reserves anywhere else in the world, 3 out of every 4 reservations don’t have access to clean drinking water.
This is largely due to the fact that many reservations are situated far away from most big cities, making it difficult to transport water. Instead, many living on reservations resort to buying bottled water, and due to the long travel distance, the prices are incredibly more expensive than their urban counterparts. This goes the same for other products as well, including fresh produce and food. In 2017, journalist Alexandra Shimo commented that a carton of eggs costed $15 in Kashechewan, a northern Ontario First Nations Community, compared to the average cost of $3.14 in Canada at the time.
This gap also exists in welfare and other government-funded public services like healthcare, despite the implementation of Jordan’s Principle in 2007. Jordan River Anderson was born in a hospital in Winnipeg, where he stayed for the first 2 years of his life due to medical complications. However, when he was ready to be discharged, the government couldn’t agree on who should pay for his at home-care, since his family lived on a First Nations reserve. While Jordan stayed in the hospital, governments debated for 2 full years, until Jordan eventually passed away, having never gotten to meet his family.
In 2007, the government of Canada passed Jordan’s principle to ensure “-all First Nations children living in Canada can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them.” However, despite this principle, many welfare services in Indigenous communities still lack the funding needed to support households that need it. Because of this, thousands of children have to be separated from their families, something that’s supposed to be considered as a last resort.
While the government has stated before that “We are taking good first steps” and provided some relief funds regarding the gap in Indigenous child welfare and education, the truth of the matter is that it’s just not enough. Some might think that Indigenous people should be grateful that the government helped them a little, but in reality, not much of their current situation is changing. These people have endured centuries of inequality, and while they may have obtained certain rights like the right to self-govern, the government of Canada is still choosing not to work on levelling out their situation; they have all the more right to not be complacent with what they’ve been given.
Canada is often portrayed as a liberal front runner, a leading example for other democratic nations. This doesn’t mean, however, that we are without our own faults, and our democracy has been failing Indigenous peoples. The fact of the matter is that the effects of colonization have reached across generations, influencing societal systems that hold back basic resources and rights from Indigenous people. So much has been taken from them by early settlers, from their native land to their families to their own identities. Something as simple as a few promises and monetary sums will never be able to compensate for that. It’s time Canadians start advocating for change alongside First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people.
This year has been one of the most unfortunate of the modern era, but under this stress can brew massive movements. The turn of the decade has proven itself to be a catalyst for change, and citizens around the world are waking up to these unjust and biased systems.
