Essay on Aboriginal People of Canada
Aboriginal people have played a significant influence in the history and culture of Canada. Canada's 1.67 million indigenous peoples are divided into three larger groups: First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. However, Indigenous peoples in our nation face several challenges, some of which are caused by government budgets while living on reserves, others by a lack of resources and others by historical events and regulations. Understanding Indigenous peoples' perspectives is a first step in restoring hope in our society. Before reading Karen McBride's book "Crow Winter" I had a much larger missing link toward the knowledge of the issues that Indigenous peoples experience in Canada. This book piqued my desire to know more about life on reserves, particularly for those who reside there. Understanding the viewpoints of Indigenous peoples is necessary to better understand their difficulties. Reading Indigenous literature and listening to podcasts from actual Indigenous peoples is a much more reasonable way to approach Indigenous people and learn more about them. We are usually kept in the dark about the genuine difficulties that exist since the media likes to show whatever they choose.
I'm sure you have sidewalks, paved roads, sewage systems, clean water, medical services, and good education in your city. The government covers everything. In metro areas, far more money is spent per kid on these public programmes than there has ever been on a reserve. We continually overlook the importance of returning home to a warm, clean atmosphere. For individuals who live on reserves, however, this is far from the case. It's distressing to see how they're treated. "I take my time on the road, making sure to avoid potholes where I can." (McBride 78). A statement like this entices anyone's interest
in the extent of Indigenous peoples' mistreatment. This was the start of my learning journey more about their lives. In an interview with 16:9 titled "Cold Reality of Canada's Northern Communities." It became very clear that the living conditions of people in reserves are deplorable. They were compelled to use thin layers of plastic to shield themselves from the bitterly cold winters because their homes lacked windows. In the houses, mould was developing and bad living conditions were evident. This raises the question of what funds those on reserve get. The Indigenous Community Support Fund of the Canadian government estimates that 545 million Canadian dollars are spent on reservations per year. This amount was reasonable at first sight. When you consider that there are 700,000 Indigenous peoples living on reservations, the cost per person comes to less than $800. This is not at all suitable. According to a datasheet from the Assembly of First Nations, the average family income for First Nations living on reserve in 2006 was $15,958. The FNMI community in Canada has a noticeably lower average income than the non-Indigenous population. The removal of First Nations' lands, traditional livelihoods, and customs, as well as their placement on less valued territories as reserves, have resulted in poverty, as well as a severe lack of educational possibilities. Apart from money, another major problem for persons living on reserves is the accessibility to clean drinking water. Despite being one of the world's most water-rich countries, Canada has refused to provide Indigenous peoples with potable water for years. For at least a year, the water in hundreds of villages has been deemed unfit to drink, and the government admits it has failed. Justin Trudeau, who was then running for Prime Minister of Canada, made an ambitious commitment in 2015 to eradicate the problem of contaminated water in more than 100 First Nations communities throughout the nation. However, the federal minister in charge of the problem today said that the government missed its own five-year goal in March of 2020. And that he had "no legitimate justification" for why reserves that have been without clean water for decades are still without it. Many Indigenous people suffer annually due to the measures of ignorance regarding this issue. Each year, contaminated drinking water is thought to be responsible for 90 deaths and 90,000 illnesses in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada, 201 0). Unquestionably distressing.
"The goddamn council doesn't know the first thing about business! They're idiots to think that a place like this can survive on Indian Affairs funding." (McBride 88). This statement refers to Indigenous peoples and their interactions with non-Indigenous people. Needless to say, it requires some improvement. Many historical, previous, and present legislation impact Indigenous peoples on a daily basis. We don't hear much about them, and our knowledge of the subject is limited. "White people always win when they tell our stories, eh?" (McBride 55). This phrase encapsulates how the media is biased. The lengthy and contentious history of Canada's national Indian Act continues. The Indian Act was formerly responsible for the establishment of residential schools, which forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families. It has been updated several times since its inception in 1876 to conform to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, yet many people still believe it is unjust. "No Indian is legitimately in possession of land in a reserve unless possession of the land has been assigned to him by the band council with the assent of the Minister," according to the Indian Act ( RSC, 1985, c. I-5). As a result, reserve lands cannot be claimed through legal means, it is difficult for individuals living on reserves to obtain money because their land cannot be listed as an asset. Making accessibilities to funds harder than it already is. Up until the Canadian Charter rights of Freedom, many Indigenous cultural beliefs and practices were deemed illegal. They were deprived of their lands, traditional economies, and traditional foods that had nourished them since the dawn of time, all of which weakened their immune systems. Their independence was lost, and they became reliant on government authorities. Their customs and culture were declared unlawful. However, not too long ago, was when the Charter began to protect and restore some rights. Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982 protects Indigenous peoples' Aboriginal and treaty rights in Canada (Section 35). Section 35 safeguards Aboriginal ownership of certain lands in Canada as well as Aboriginal rights to utilize those lands for traditional purposes (such as hunting, fishing, or trapping). It should never have been, and it should never be proper, to deprive a population of their traditions and customs. Though this isn't a shocker, Indigenous in Canada has faced years of extreme segregation, and mistreatment.
Canada as a country has issues with acknowledging and portraying Indigenous heritage in a positive light. "Nobody tells our stories. When's the last time you saw an Indian on the screen who wasn't riding a horse somewhere in the American desert or gripping a bottle of 50 or something. " (McBride 55). Health problems, lower income levels, Inadequate housing and congested living circumstances, higher imprisonment rates, higher suicide rates, and so forth. It's not about our past that only matters. The way we correct things and take responsibility is just as important, if not more so. Many Indigenous people believe that Canada does not adequately educate them about their past. And that the inability to learn about their history as they grew up contributed to a decline in the strength and closeness between Indigenous peoples and their traditions. (CBC - What reconciliation truly means; Jesse Wente). Directly impacting the whole population, both on and off the reservations. Should we, as Canadians, be proud of our heritage if people who are affected do not feel pleased and comfortable living in the nation that was once "theirs"?
To recapitulate, we as a Nation have many flaws. ”Suffering clearly continues to be related to the politics of race.” (William F. Felice, 2002). Canada's treatment of Indigenous peoples has been appalling for far too long, from the residential schools, where fear-mongering and abuse lasted for over a century, to systemic discrimination in the twenty-first century, where so many of the structures that hold our society together have been built to disadvantage those who need it the most. Although we have clearly evolved as a nation since the last residential school closed, it is clear that much more needs to be done.
