In the Canadian society there exists millions of people of which majority are white people scientifically referred to as Caucasian, there too exists black people whom are referred to as ethnically African people and of course our case study today Aborigines whom have been Canada’s marginalized minority that have suffered social injustice across the board. Many authors have examined the nature of discrimination and ties between oppression and discrimination, I plan to utilise Neil Thompson’s PCS model, this model is frequently used through social work and services. Thompson looks at discrimination as originating from the interplay of actions and values at the personal level of our feelings and thoughts of our own, which are largely inclined …show more content…
by cultural constructions which in turn are located within the structure of society. In this thesis I plan to delve into the processes that sustain or lead to discrimination and how the aboriginal community in Canada does not fit into these processes. Marginalization: The aboriginal community has historically been a side-lined community but in a study by The McCreary Centre Society in 2008 has been found that recent changes in national and provincial government policies have a had a significant impact on Aboriginal youth and families.
These have included new treaties like the Tsawwassen accord, the children and family development delegation authority ministry for child welfare as wells as the aboriginal organisations and more and more aboriginal control over plenty of aspects of Aboriginal community life not excluding education, land usage. The change in BC provincial government in 2001 from NDP to the liberal party was mentioned a lot, this change has brought with it alterations in social policies and welfare access to services all these stands to affirm the increased inclusion in society of the Aboriginal …show more content…
community. Stereotypes and Racism: B.C is home to a large number of Aborigines, these Aboriginal youth in B.C do infact come from both off and on reserve group of communities, as well rural and developed areas. A large number of them are of mixed heritage or have been brought up absent from their aboriginal family members, this type of diversity challenges the stereotypes and expectations that society make aboriginal youth are. Invisibilisation: Being an Aborigine in Canada in the recent past seemed to have a stigma associated to it that would perhaps make the individual reluctant or even not all state their cultural heritage for fear of racism and shame of cultural dislocation this was based on survey done by the McCreary Centre Society 2000.
As compared to 2008 where a large number of Aboriginal youth are Aborigine specific services and which resulted in more youth being available for the survey all this indicating that more young Aborigines prefer to be noticed as Aborigines and Identify with the Aboriginal cultural heritage. Welfarism: Within the aboriginal community, it has come to be accepted that a large number of this community has historically been relying on welfare. According to a survey done in 2008 the sources of income for the youth, number 1 is the parents and number 6 is welfare that is significantly further down than expected whereas a legal job took the number 2 spot for source of income that indicates that there has been a shift from welfare to other sources such as
employment. Dehumanisation and Trivialsation: This kind of treatment would be classified as discrimination and has been in the past attributed to ethnicity but due to the new generation of youth who have some kind mixed heritage it has largely decreased the discrimination that the Aboriginal youth have experienced. As mentioned in the previous paragraph employment is on the rise for this community at an all-time high of 25% the rates of classism discrimination has declined attributing to an increasing middleclass of the Aboriginal community. However a lot more can still be done to value the life of Aborigine youth specifically the female who experiences 12% more discrimination as compared to the male. Medicalisation: This is a rather difficult topic to assess the process or processes that lead to or sustain discrimination. This is because most medical cases are not something visible that you would call a sign but rather a symptom experienced thus making discrimination based on Medicalisation low. Even with that there has been a high rate of injuries and health issues however most Aboriginal youth reported that their health was good or excellent (65%) more than 50% of the surveyed youth said they rated their physical health and fitness as either good or even excellent (58%). In Summary Neil Thompsons, eight steps have been useful in identifying discriminatory processes that have failed to be evident in the Aboriginal community. Utilising the Neil Thompson model to identify methods of oppression and discrimination is not 100% full proof in detecting foul play amongst human beings however it has yielded good fruit. In conclusion the Neil Thompson eight steps in the process of discrimination has been extremely vital as it allows us students to understand and know in great specification the institutionalized nature of abundant and wide spread discriminatory practices that goes on in the world around us. This model too helps us in the understanding of the main root causes of the discrimination that goes on which is essential if social discrimination and oppression is to be dealt with effectively. In closing when applying the methods it is vital that we note that discrimination is experienced by small-marginalised number within society and the oppressor is always more often than not the majority who have the bigger numbers in society. It is worth noting that discrimination however conditioned we have become to it is wrong and in the words of the great liberation leader of South Africa that lived under the Apartheid system, Nelson Mandela “I long to live in a world where I shall be judged not by the colour of my skin but my actions”.
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.
In the year 1957, Canada elected its first Prime minister without English or French root, John Diefenbaker. While growing up in the city of Toronto, because of his German name, he was often teased. [1] He grew up as an outcast, and so he was able to relate to the discrimination and inequality many of the minorities in Canada felt. This essay will attempt to answer the question: To what extent did Prime Minister John Diefenbaker help promote equality to the minority communities. . The minorities in this time period were the women, aboriginals, and immigrants. During his time as the Prime Minister, he was able to help protect the rights of this group because many of their rights were being abused by the society. Diefenbaker also helped the minorities to stand up for themselves and other groups. Diefenbaker was able to bring positive change to the minority communities by making an official Bill of Rights and appointing people of discriminated groups to the parliament while other members did not.
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.
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.
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 first reason youth leave home is according to Klodawsky, Aubry and Farrell, “pervasiveness of family conflict and violence”. Most street youth, including aboriginals, have been victims of disruption in their family homes, violence and abuse. A considerable amount of them reported having to live in group homes, foster care, jail or i...
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.
In the video “Aboriginal Peoples -- It's time”, the main topic of the video is advocating for equity and justice for the aboriginal people. Aboriginal people is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants. The Canadian constitution recognizes three groups of Aboriginal peoples: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations), Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. More than 1.4 million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, according to the 2011
It is well known that aboriginal youth located on and off reserve are more likely to drop out of school then non aboriginals and this happens for different reasons starting from health issues to poverty. “According to Labor Force Survey data, for 2007/2010, the dropout rate among First Natio...
Despite the decreasing inequalities between men and women in both private and public spheres, aboriginal women continue to be oppressed and discriminated against in both. Aboriginal people in Canada are the indigenous group of people that were residing in Canada prior to the European colonization. The term First Nations, Indian and indigenous are used interchangeably when referring to aboriginal people. Prior to the colonization, aboriginal communities used to be matrilineal and the power between men and women were equally balanced. When the European came in contact with the aboriginal, there came a shift in gender role and power control leading towards discrimination against the women. As a consequence of the colonization, the aboriginal women are a dominant group that are constantly subordinated and ignored by the government system of Canada. Thus today, aboriginal women experiences double jeopardy as they belong to more than one disadvantaged group i.e. being women and belonging to aboriginal group. In contemporary world, there are not much of a difference between Aboriginal people and the other minority groups as they face the similar challenges such as gender discrimination, victimization, and experiences injustice towards them. Although aboriginal people are not considered as visible minorities, this population continues to struggle for their existence like any other visible minorities group. Although both aboriginal men and women are being discriminated in our society, the women tends to experience more discrimination in public and private sphere and are constantly the targeted for violence, abuse and are victimized. In addition, many of the problems and violence faced by aborigin...
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.
Thesis: Given the struggles aboriginals have had to face in Canada, the Canadian government should take action to
The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done
Mixed race individuals have a long history within the world, particularly within Canada; and are a by-product of the continuous globalization and interaction of different ethnic groups caused by the influx of immigration to most Western countries. Consistently discussed within the media, the mixed race demographic of Canada is steadily expanding, and have admittedly created a more prominent emphasis on the importance of recognizing their demographic. The mixed race population within Canada has an influentially beneficial role within the nation, as is seen through their influence within history, Canada 's demographics, and media.
Indigenous people are the most disadvantaged minority in Canada and it has been this way for centuries. Missing women, flooding reserves, corrupt councils and a high suicide rate are only a small ratio of all the problems that are plaguing these communities and it is simply because they are not receiving the same amount of resources as the rest of Canada. Most Canadians cannot do much about this situation, but the government can. It has been shown that the government has tried to even with the Indigenous people in past accords and acts but most of these agreements were forced and hid the government’s racist motives in plain sight. For example, the White Paper Policy Paper of 1969 which was introduced by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his Minister of Indian Affairs, Jean Chrétien to “enable the Indian people to be free, free to develop Indian cultures in an environment of legal, social and economic equality with other Canadians.” The paper proposed items such as eliminating Indian status, dissolving the Indian Act, and converting reserve land to private property that can be sold by the band or its members. Indigenous people across Canada were shocked. The White Paper failed to discuss the concerns raised by their leaders during the consultation process (Mohan, 2018). It contained no provisions to recognize First Nations’ special rights, to recognize and deal with