Having considered the importance of building awareness and pressuring government and industries, Idle No More also creates social change through building allies with non-indigenous individuals. As Beamish and Luebbers (2009), explain “ Alliance building across social movement groups is an important aspect of social movement dynamics, contributing to their viability and capacity to promote social change” (p. 647) When social movement groups are able to create alliances with other individuals this helps to affectively achieve social change because the more individuals they have fighting for a cause, the greater their voices will be heard. However, one of the main reasons as to why building allies can be difficult within Canada is because of the …show more content…
As a result of this, other social movements need to organize themselves in a way to work in solidarity with indigenous struggles. An example of an alliance that the Idle No More social movement has already created includes the support granted from the Green Party of Canada. The leader Elizabeth May believes that all Canadians should take part in Idle No More events and invited citizens to join in the rally in Ottawa in 2012 (Mann, 2013). A statement from the Green Party of Canada was also released which states “ We need to work in partnership with and learn from indigenous people to ensure that Ontario’s land and water are used wisely, protected and conserved for future generations. This includes a commitment to improving the standard of living in First Nations’ communities.” (Schreiner, N.d). Being able to unite and connect with others on an emotional and personal level through alliances can help to stop all of the negative consequences the indigenous community faces and ultimately achieve the social change they have been striving …show more content…
I believe that researching this topic and understanding the ways in which this social movement strives for change should be important to every Canadian. Although I have a different set of personal experiences compared to indigenous individuals I respect what they are fighting for. Before taking classes in post-secondary education, I had no idea about many of the issues that indigenous individuals faced. I am convinced that the government does everything in their power to hide these issues, which is why if you are not educated on the importance of them you will truly never understand why indigenous voices need to be heard. I also think that many individuals are skeptical of viewing the importance of indigenous issues and making this a part of their priority because they are afraid that, as Martin Lukacs (2012) mentions, “ Canadians will be hustled out of their jobs and off the land. Or more absurdly, onto the first ships back to Europe”. What these individuals do not realize is that the indigenous people do not want to start pushing people off the land and forcing them out of their homes they just “simply want to steward it responsibly”(Lukacs, 2012). They ultimately want the respect that they deserve and this starts by changing government policies. When we are able to realize that providing a helping
Existing within the movement must be a leader or leaders, as well as a large number of committed followers or members. Additionally, social movements have “organizations or coalitions” working as a guiding backbone for collectivity and regulation (Stewart,
"Social Movements in Canada." Web log post. Social Movements in Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014. .
Throughout the history of Canada the indigenous population of the country have been voiceless. They have been both suppressed and oppressed by the Federal and various Provincial governments within Canada. Many organizations tried to provide a voice for the native population but failed in their attempt. These organizations eventually merged together to become what is now known as The Assembly of First Nations. The Assembly of First Nations gives voice to the issues and problems facing the different components of the aboriginal community in Canada.
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.
Living in Canada, there is a long past with the Indigenous people. The relationship between the white and First Nations community is one that is damaged because of our shameful actions in the 1800’s. Unnecessary measures were taken when the Canadian government planned to assimilate the Aboriginal people. Through the Indian Act and Residential schools the government attempted to take away their culture and “kill the Indian in the child.” The Indian Act allowed the government to take control over the people, the residential schools took away their culture and tore apart their families, and now we are left with not only a broken relationship between the First Nations people but they are trying to put back together their lives while still living with a harsh reality of their past.
Many Indigenous women are craving for a change in our society and it is time for a change. The women being interviewed came up with a few statements that they would like to see changes too. Firstly, women would love to see the return of Indigenous women’s positions in Indigenous societies. Regarding the equality of women and men. In Indigenous cultural women were viewed as life-givers and care givers of life. This gave women a great reasonability of the children and the future generations. “Women figured centrally in almost all Aboriginal creation legends. In Ojibway and Cree legends, it was a woman who came to earth through a hole in the sky to care for the earth.” Women were treated as an essential part of life, unlike how they felt after the Indian Act. Secondly, Indigenous women would like to set differences aside and work together with other races in making our society much more bearable for women. Thirdly, they want to set focus in Indigenous youth and creating a better education and guidance program for those who are new to urban areas. Granted, they are the next
While I am not sure if I truly am, or if I could actually trace my roots, the issue of Native Americans has always been a prominent one to me. It is especially important now that my son is confirmed Native American through his father, whose heritage traces back to the Chippewa tribe. However, I have always been interested in Native American culture, heritage, issues, and the like. In history, I have always found the story of Native Americans to be one of the most interesting. I also feel that through researching Native American problems in the past and present, I am contributing to the solution by becoming more educated, giving myself the ability to educate others because I am more understanding of the Native American concerns. Native American issues are very rarely touched upon, even in schools, where the story of Native American’s is often summarized into a page or two in history books, as well as being grossly misconstrued to reflect the “pilgrims and Indians” ideal held by America today. The way for Native Americans to move forward from the current issues of unemployment, poverty, and so much more, is to begin with educating the public on their history and bring light to these issues. Too often, people assume that Native Americans have the ultimate pardon from the government, going untaxed and rolling in riches because of the abundance of casinos they own. These
“In about half of the Dominion, the aboriginal rights of Indians have arguably been extinguished by treaty” (Sanders, 13). The traditions and culture of Aboriginals are vanishing at a quick pace, and along it is their wealth. If the Canadian Government restore Native rights over resource development once again, Aboriginals would be able to gain back wealth and help with the poverty in their societies. “An influential lobby group with close ties to the federal Conservatives is recommending that Ottawa ditch the Indian Act and give First Nations more control over their land in order to end aboriginal poverty once and for all” (End First). This recommendation would increase the income within Native communities, helping them jump out of
ü Making common cause with “all the oppressed” and commitment to a larger project of political change.
On January 29, 2015, I attended Pamela Palmater’s book launch for her book, “Indigenous Nationhood,” which was a two-hour event that started from 6 PM to 8 PM. Palmater is a well-known lawyer, activist and academic from the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick. The event started with an opening performance from the Hidden River Singers. Palmater then addressed the crowd for around 30-40 minutes, in which the audience, including myself, sat in awe at the passion and intensity in her voice in empowering Indigenous people. She emphasized the importance of exercising peoples’ voices, both allies and Indigenous people, in advocating for Indigenous rights and freedom. A question and answer portion then followed and Palmater answered
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
In “From slacktivism to Activism,” Evgency Morozov helps his audience to people who want to create any group on Facebook of any type for instance social awareness. He also directs these groups how to get their followers or group members to make change. He targeted the users of group members. His purpose was to make the groups more challenging so Facebook members have to master their social identity. Some of them when they join the group, they do not really participating as much as they could because, they thought the other members are doing the work, so they don’t really care to participate. Morozov uses the term “social lofting” to show how large groups reduce the separate pressure on others. Sometimes it is hard to make too many people participate
Hawken writes that the movement, a collective gathering of nonconformists, is focused on three basic ambitions: environmental activism, social justice initiatives, and indigenous culture’s resistance to globalization. The principles of environmental activism being closely intertwined with social justice rallies. Hawken states how the fate of each individual on this planet depends on how we understand and treat what is left of the planet’s lands, oceans, species diversity, and people; and that the reason that there is a split between people and nature is because the social justice and environmental arms of the movement hav...
Researchers classify social movements according to the type of change they seek (Aberle, 1966, Cameron, 1966, Blumer, 1969, as cited in Macionis, 2007). According to John Macionis, a social movement is when people commonly band together to create an organized activity that encourages or discourages social change (Macionis, 2008). In the case of this radical society, Hippies were typically ...
7). Stephen finds these grassroots movements to be motivated by issues of survival that are related to: domestic power inequalities such as lack of personal reproductive choices, domestic violence, and lack autonomy; economic power inequalities resulting in the inability to secure appropriate food, money, housing, land, and medical care; and social power inequalities such as physical and sexual abuse by authorities, sexism within the movements and unions, and active social exclusion of by the community. Yet, the researcher notes that by participating in grassroots social movements, these women grew in self-confidence, personal awareness, and became increasingly independent (Stephen, 1997, p. 114-122). Thus, the women represented by this author exemplify the aforementioned transformation of self, moving from a powerless person who is acted upon by external forces, to one who uses power to actively shape the