According to the United Nations, there is staggering number of more than 370 million indigenous people spread across 70 countries worldwide, making up more than 5,000 distinct tribes. Speaking many different languages and practicing traditions as diverse as their lands, each and every Indigenous group is unique, with cultures based on varying histories, environments, and beliefs. These people have retained social, cultural and political systems, distinct from those of the modern society we live in today. Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, no one can quite come to an agreement on what is meant by “Indigenous Peoples”, neither is there a universally accepted definition for it. Indigenous peoples have much in common with other minority …show more content…
He has also elaborated that the government believed that the declaration only only affirms the rights given to the indigenous people and has no balance between individual and collective rights or the rights of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. In the past, Canada had a volatile relationship with their indigenous peoples, from various social effects of widespread inequality and the vanishing of Indigenous women and girls and a distinct lack of services accessible to Aboriginal communities, especially in obscure areas. Then, we had failed our Aboriginal peoples, leaving both sides torn in a severed relationship. Hence, Canada was one of the 4 countries that initially voted against the declaration proposed in the UN GA in 2007, along with the United States of America, New Zealand and Australia, only to reverse the decision in …show more content…
We have put forward our commitment to protect and promote the rights of the indigenous people at a national, as well as an international level. The Canadian Government would like to acknowledge and recognise the Aboriginal men and women who played an important part to develop this Declaration, which is an important document that speaks to the rights of the indigenous people not only in Canada, but all around the world. Canada has been given the opportunity, thanks to the declaration, to continue working hand in hand with indigenous people to create a better and a more accepting Canada. This has also made a path for the country as a whole, a path filled with reconciliation and hope to cherish and preserve the diverse indigenous cultures and traditions. The government has been focusing on building a positive relationship with the indigenous people, that is based on trust and mutual respect. The Canadian government has also acted upon their commitments through concrete actions in vital areas such as housing, economic development, education and other basic necessities, which are part of a continuous agenda focused on real results with willing partners. Doing so can improve situations for the hundreds or thousands of indigenous people across the nation and the globe. As a strong voice for the protection of human rights, Canada has numerous human
First I will define the definition of terms used in this paper. When I use the word Aboriginal, I understand this as a label given from the colonizers/ Europeans to identify Indigenous peoples. Canadian legislation defines Indigenous peoples as Aboriginal, I understand this as indifferent from the dominant ideology, therefore, the colonizers named Indigenous peoples as Aboriginal. According to teachings I have been exposed to it’s a legal term and it’s associated with discrimination and oppression. However, audiences I have written for prefer the use of Aboriginal. More premise to this reference is Aboriginal, Indigenous, First Nations, Indian and Native are used interchangeable, but it should be noted these names do represent distinct differences. Furthermore, I will use Indigenous to represent an empowering way to reference a unique general culture in Canada. Under the title of Indigenous peoples in Canada, for me represents: First Nations people, Metis people and Inuit peoples. These are the two titles I will use when I reference Indigenous people from an empowering perspective and Aboriginal from a colonizer perspective.
United nations declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples In United Nations. General Assembly, United Nations. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Eds.), . New York: New York : United Nations, 2008.
To start, there are a few key things people should know about the Assembly of First Nations such as: how they were formed, what exactly the organization does, and the multiple Chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations. Firstly, the Assembly of First Nations is a political organization that represents the First Nations labelled as Indians by The Indian Act of 1951 this is an approximate total of 900,000 Indigenous people. The Assembly of First Nations has a long and ever unwinding history. To start, many Canadian’s do not know that the Constitution sees the First Nations as one of the founding nations of Canada along with the British and the French. In 1927, the Indian Act of Canada did not allow the First Nations people to participate in any
“The recognition of the inherent right of self-government is based on the view that the Aboriginal peoples of Canada have the right to govern themselves in relation to matters that are internal to their communities, integral to their unique cultures, identities, traditions, languages and institutions, and with respect to their special relationship to their land and resources." (Wherrett
Our government’s predecessors have attempted to eradicate Canada’s first people, which is not only an insult to the indigenous people of the past, but to the present. This country did not start off as a joint endeavor of the two general groups of people that inhabited it during its birth, but decimation and forced assimilation of great traditions and people. The assimilation of a great culture, the destruction of oral histories, and the forced loss of language destroyed the chance trust. Only by teaching disgust towards that type of attitude and action, by not excusing it or attempting to justify, will begin a new age of
In Canada, access to health care is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Canadian Health Care Act and this system is considered to the one of the best in the world (Laurel & Richard, 2002). Access to health care is assumed on the strong social value of equality and is defined as the distribution of services to all those in need and for the common good and health of all residents (Fierlbeck, 2011). Equitable access to health care does not mean that all citizens are subjected to receive the same number of services but rather that wherever the service is provided it is based on need. Therefore, not all Canadians have equal access to health services. The Aboriginal peoples in Canada in particular are a population that is overlooked and underserved
Fleras, Augie. “Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Repairing the Relationship.” Chapter 7 of Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada. 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson, 2010. 162-210. Print.
Assess the extent to which Indigenous Australians have achieved rights and freedoms in the period from 1945-present.
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
The Indian act, since being passed by Parliament in 1876, has been quite the validity test for Aboriginal affairs occurring in Canada. Only a minority of documents in Canadian history have bred as much dismay, anger and debate compared to the Indian Act—but the legislation continues as a central element in the management of Aboriginal affairs in Canada. Aboriginal hatred against current and historic terms of the Indian Act is powerful, but Indigenous governments and politicians stand on different sides of the fence pertaining to value and/or purpose of the legislation. This is not shocking, considering the political cultures and structures of Aboriginal communities have been distorted and created by the imposition of the Indian Act.
The first interpretation of sovereignty that is examined by Flanagan views sovereignty in an international sense. Sovereignty for these leaders means gaining more international power and acceptance. Flanagan argues that major international bodies such as the United Nations will be accepting such an attempt at sovereignty (71). As the second largest country in the world the geographical constraints on uniting Aboriginal people living across the country plays a significant factor. Flanagan also points to the diversity within this group; there are over six hundred bands across the ten provinces in Canada in more than 2,200 reserves. Compounding the geographical constraints facing their unity, Aboriginal bands in Canada often differ from each other significantly in their culture including language religion/customs (Flanagan 71). Many Aboriginal people now choose to live off reserve which further complicates their unity (Flanagan 73). Flanagan highlights that as many small bodies they would not be able to survive in the competition of the international community. Current international governance is extremely complex and Flanagan argues it is unlikely for poor isolated people to succeed (73). One united aboriginal voice is also highly unlikely according to Flanagan; having been freed of one power most bands would not choose to become conne...
While efforts are made to recognize aboriginals in the present day such as National Aboriginal Day (June 21) and gaining the right to vote, it can never erase the permanent scars Canadian society has caused to aboriginals. Most of the First Nations people today are living in poverty and are suffering from bad health. "Why do you allow the first people of this land to endure and live in Third World conditions?" a indigenous, female student from Saskatoon asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mr. Trudeau answered, "Quite frankly ... this is a stain and a scar upon, not just our sense of who we are and our morality as Canadians, but on the kind of country we need to be building," (Justin
Indigenous people have identified themselves with country; they believe that they and the land are “one”, and that it is lived in and lived with. Indigenous people personify country as if it were a person, as something that connects itself to the land, people and earth, being able to give and receive life (Bird Rose, D. 1996). Country is sacred and interconnected within the indigenous community,
The year 1907 marked the beginning of treaty making in Canada. The British Crown claims to negotiate treaties in pursuance of peaceful relations between Aboriginal peoples and non-Aboriginals (Canada, p. 3, 2011). Treaties started as agreements for peace and military purposes but later transformed into land entitlements (Egan, 2012, p. 400). The Royal Proclamation of 1763, which recognizes Indian sovereignty and its entitlement to land, became the benchmark for treaty making in Canada (Epp, 2008, p. 133; Isaac & Annis, p. 47, 48; Leeson, 2008, p. 226). There are currently 70 recognized treaties in Canada, encompassing 50 percent of Canadian land mass and representing over 600,000 First Nations people (Canada, 2013). These treaties usually have monetary provisions along with some financial benefits given by the Crown, in exchange for lands and its resources (Egan, 2012, p. 409). Its purpose should be an equal sharing of wealth that is beneficial for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginals (Egan, 2012, p. 414).
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge and skills that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment. IK is unique to given cultures, localities and societies and is acquired through daily experience. It is embedded in community practices, institutions, relationships and rituals. Because IK is based on, and is deeply embedded in local experience and historic reality, it is therefore unique to that specific culture; it also plays an important role in defining the identity of the community. Similarly, since IK has developed over the centuries of experimentation on how to adapt to local conditions. That is Indigenous ways of knowing informs their ways of being. Accordingly IK is integrated and driven from multiple sources; traditional teachings, empirical observations and revelations handed down generations. Under IK, language, gestures and cultural codes are in harmony. Similarly, language, symbols and family structure are interrelated. For example, First Nation had a