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Colonization of indigenous people canada
The consequences of colonization for aboriginal people in Canada
Essay on colonization of canada
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Robyn Bourgeois (2015:1433) argues that Canada’s history of settler colonialism plays a large role in the government’s participation in the human trafficking of Indigenous women and children. She explains that human trafficking has become crucial to maintaining the domination of Indigenous peoples and their land throughout historical and contemporary forms of colonialism. Bourgeous’ article (2015:1433) examines how Canadian laws, policies and definitions about human trafficking enable the trafficking of Indigenous women and children. Furthermore, she explores Indigenous women’s theories on human trafficking by identifying and describing Canada’s history of colonialism via residential schools, land theft, and legislation such as the Indian Act. …show more content…
The Act excluded Indigenous peoples from their communities, implemented identity provisions and targeted Indigenous females by reducing and eliminating their access to resources such as education, housing and childcare. In turn, this puts them in an impoverished situation. Bourgeois noted explicitly sexist policies within the Indian Act such as, “if an Indian woman married a man outside of her band, she was forced to move to his band and her status would be conditional. Furthermore, her status would be revoked if she married a non-Indian man. The Act would not permit status to Indian women whose husbands died” (Bourgeois 2015:1456). These point support Bourgeois’ argument because the Indian Act authorizes poverty and isolation, which consequently increases the vulnerability of being trafficked for Indigenous …show more content…
For example, Bourgeois explained that colonialism is deeply embedded within our policies and practices, yet Canada is a country which claims that diversity is a necessary part of the Canadian society. She could have explained that if Canada is supposedly multicultural, then why is it that such policies and practices reveal the unwillingness to provide equal opportunity to racial groups. Nevertheless, Bourgeois (2015: 1443) did explain that Indigenous females face discrimination in health, justice and social services systems. Although some health care institutions have made the effort for anti-racist approaches, “the reinforcement of biases and stereotypes are barriers to incorporating these initiatives into health care” (Chan and Chunn, 2014:45). Therefore, Bourgeois could have elaborated on the ways in which racism and sexism shape the experiences and outcomes of Indigenous
Jiwani and Young's argument also causes me to consider Audra Simpson's talk, "The Chief's Two Bodies," in which she discusses both how and why the eradication of Aboriginal women was necessary to the development of patriarchal colonialist society. In short, Simpson acknowledges that through the creation "status," an arbitrary blood relationship to one's Aboriginal lineage, marriage, and scrip colonialist were able to remove land "ownership" from Aboriginal women, by essentially making them invisible. In effect, Jiwani and Young reinforce and provide evidence to suggest that ideologically, the concept of Aboriginal women being invisible or contrarily "hypervisable" (899), in that they are the antithesis of the "good" Christian women (the mother, the sister, the wife, the virgin) creates a binary. These apposing ideological women cause a "moral and racialized economy of representation [that] works to privilege dominate societal norms" (Jiwani and Young, 904). What is interesting about these discursive modes is the fact that news reporting itself is a colonialist practice rooted in economic stability. These modes maintains the cycle of violence and marginalization and only counter media rooted in art, such as the "Red Dress Campaign," or the "Walking with Our Sister's Campaign" which, bring awareness to the Aboriginal perspective can act as a retaliation to standard media
Until the 16th century, Aboriginal people were the only inhabitants of what is now Canada, hence, they were an independent and self-governing people till the Europeans had the capacity to dominate Canada's original inhabitants and possessors (Elias 1). The European Invasion brought about The 1876 Indian Act, which was developed over time through separate pieces of colonial legislation regarding Aboriginal peoples across Canada such as the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869. In 1876, these acts were consolidated as the Indian Act (Hanson). This essay aims to explain how the Indian Act tried to destroy the Aboriginal culture through residential schools and unequal recognition of women, successive acts,
In this proposal our team seeks to explore the injustices within the Indian Act. To achieve this our proposed research will examine the target population being the aboriginal woman. The paper will further explore the oppressions faced by the aboriginal women within the Indian Act. In conclusion, this proposal will sum up the negative impact that the Indian Act had on aboriginal women and how it continues to oppress this population within the Canadian National discourse.
Generations of native people in Canada have faced suffering and cultural loss as a result of European colonization of their land. Government legislation has impacted the lives of five generations of First Nations people and as a result the fifth generation (from 1980 to present) is working to recover from their crippled cultural identity (Deiter-McArthur 379-380). This current generation is living with the fallout of previous government policies and societal prejudices that linger from four generations previous. Unrepentant, Canada’s ‘Genocide’, and Saskatchewan’s Indian People – Five Generations highlight issues that negatively influence First Nations people. The fifth generation of native people struggle against tremendous adversity in regard to assimilation, integration, separation, and recovering their cultural identity with inadequate assistance from our great nation.
Systemic discrimination has been a part of Canada’s past. Women, racial and ethnic minorities as well as First Nations people have all faced discrimination in Canada. Policies such as, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, provincial and federal Human Rights Codes, as well has various employment equity programs have been placed in Canada’s constitution to fight and address discrimination issues. Despite these key documents placed for universal rights and freedoms Aboriginal and other minority populations in Canada continue to be discriminated against. Many believe there is no discrimination in Canada, and suggest any lack of success of these groups is a result of personal decisions and not systemic discrimination. While others feel that the legislation and equality policies have yet resulted in an equal society for all minorities. Racism is immersed in Canadian society; this is clearly shown by stories of racial profiling in law enforcement.
Neylan (2013) suggests that the Aboriginal women of Vancouver have perhaps experienced a similar and lingering attitude to those of the colonists. As well, it seems the Canadian justice system has also retained some of the same cruel and biased ideologies as its earlier colonialists. Neylan identifies a parallel here, explaining both colonists and the current justice system treat natives in a demeaning manner, disregarding the value of human life because of an indigenous lab...
Human trafficking is “Modern Day Slavery,” in Canada today. From April 2007 to December 2013, there were 50 cases where human traffickers were found guilty, and from those cases, 97 people were convicted of human trafficking offenses. The Ontario Women’s Justice Network (OWJN) defines human trafficking as the recruitment and control of individuals that are exploited and taken advantage of against their will, (OWJN, p. 1- 2). There are various forms of human trafficking in Canada and the victims are vulnerable in all classes, genders, ages, and industries, but research needs to improve to validate concrete statistics. However, there are many Canadian sex workers that do object to the regulation of their chosen profession of prostitution
Canada likes to paint an image of peace, justice and equality for all, when, in reality, the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in our country has been anything but. Laden with incomprehensible assimilation and destruction, the history of Canada is a shameful story of dismantlement of Indian rights, of blatant lies and mistrust, and of complete lack of interest in the well-being of First Nations peoples. Though some breakthroughs were made over the years, the overall arching story fits into Cardinal’s description exactly. “Clearly something must be done,” states Murray Sinclair (p. 184, 1994). And that ‘something’ he refers to is drastic change. It is evident, therefore, that Harold Cardinal’s statement is an accurate summarization of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous relationship in
In Canada 60% of all first nation children live in poverty, with benefits not being seen on or off the reserves. The Indian Act, created in 1876 is an act which covers native land, education, health care, governing, and eligibility for having status. The “act to amend the Indian act”, Bill C-31 was introduced in 1985 and was created to regulate gender equality within native communities under the act. The Indian Act is the root of many problems in the Native community and the act does not protect and provide for natives as it is thought to among the majority of the Canadian population. Special Status for natives should not be enshrined in the constitution.
The Indian Act no longer remains an undisputable aspect of the Aboriginal landscape in Canada. For years, this federal legislation (that was both controversial and invasive) governed practically all of the aspects of Aboriginal life, starting with the nature of band governance and land tenure. Most importantly, the Indian act defines qualifications of being a “status Indian,” and has been the source of Aboriginal hatred, due to the government attempting to control Aboriginals’ identities and status. This historical importance of this legislation is now being steadily forgotten. Politically speaking, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal critics of the Indian act often have insufferable opinions of the limits of the Indian Act’s governance, and often argue to have this administrative device completely exterminated. Simultaneously, recent modern land claim settlements bypass the authority of the Indian Act over specific groups.
Her book focuses on the myriads of issues and struggles that Indigenous men and women have faced and will continue to face because of colonialism. During her speech, Palmater addressed the grave effects of the cultural assimilation that permeated in Indigenous communities, particularly the Indian Residential School System and the Indian Act, which has been extensively discussed in both lectures and readings. Such policies were created by European settlers to institutionalize colonialism and maintain the social and cultural hierarchy that established Aboriginals as the inferior group. Palmater also discussed that according to news reports, an Aboriginal baby from Manitoba is taken away every single day by the government and is put in social care (CTVNews.ca Staff, 2015). This echoes Andrea Smith’s argument in “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy: Rethinking Women of Color Organizing” that colonialism continues to affect Aboriginals through genocide (2006, p. 68). Although such actions by the government are not physical acts of genocide, where 90% of Aboriginal population was annihilated, it is this modern day cultural assimilation that succeeded the Indigenous Residential School System and the Indian Act embodies colonialism and genocide (Larkin, November 4,
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914. First, is because of the attitudes of European Canadians towards aboriginals, which were mostly cruel and inhumane.
Simard, J. (2012). The True North Strong and Free? A detailed look into human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation in Canada.
Vancouver currently maintains an image as a sort of maternal ethnic melting pot, a region rich in cultural diversity and with a municipality that is both tolerant and welcoming of various displays and traditions. However, upon closer examination of recent history, it becomes clear that the concept of the city embracing minorities with a warm liberal hug is both incorrect and a form of manipulation in itself. The articles Erasing Indigenous Indigeneity in Vancouver and The Idea of Chinatown unravel the cultural sanitization that occurred in Vancouver at the turn of the nineteenth century as means of state domination. Through careful synthesis of primary documents, the articles piece together the systematic oppression suffered by BC indigenous
The Indigenous community of Canada has had a history of facing discrimination from the Canadian government. The Indian Act was passed in 1876 to address this discrimination which provided a point of view as to how they would deal with the 614 First Nation bands in Canada. Since then, the act has been amended many times to adjust to the modern Canadian society. One of the amended portions of the Indian Act was the discriminatory section against Indigenous women. The section stated that if a woman married a non-Indigenous individual, her status as an Indigenous would be revoked. However, there were no repercussions for man if they did the same.