Introduction “We are all treaty people” Campaign 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). Manitoba Métis Federation Land Claim The Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) represents the Métis community in Manitoba in political, cultural, social and economic matters (Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), 2013). Manitoba Métis Federation, representing Métis in Manitoba, filed a claim asking for a declaration that the federal and provincial statutes, which affected the implementation of Manitoba Act provisions, were "constitutionally invalid” (Chartrand, p. 477, 1991). In Section 31 of Manitoba Act, 1870, it provided lands to the Métis people. Section 32 assured the settlers, Aboriginal or not, that their occupied lands in 1869 would not be “jeopardized” by the wave of newcomers (Sprague... ... middle of paper ... ...f documents, Métis win land claim. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/after-140-years-and-a-review-of-2000-volumes-of-documents-Métis-win-land-claim/article9505274/ Isaac, T., Annis, K., & University of Saskatchewan (2010). Treaty rights in the historic treaties of Canada. Saskatoon: Native Law Centre, University of Saskatchewan. Leeson, H. A., & University of Regina (2009). Saskatchewan politics: Crowding the centre. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina. Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) (2013). Retrieved from http://www.mmf.mb.ca. Sprague, D.N. (1980). Government Lawlessness in the Administration of Manitoba Land Claims, 1870-1887. 10 Man. L.J. 433 (1979-1980) White, G. (2002). Treaty Federalism in Northern Canada: Aboriginal-Government Land Claims Board. Publius Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 89-114
Members of the Canadian government and the Indigenous people signed Treaty 6 in 1876. Treaty 6 was “a formal and binding contract between two nations” that would help deal with important matters. Treaty negotiations included land, education, healthcare, government funding, and more. The treaty was created to help benefit both parties – the Canadian government, and the Indigenous people. However, the Canadian government broke this treaty many times. In the mid 1880’s there w...
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...
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.
Razack (20020 defines the historical legacy of the “white settler society” that has dominated the legal and historical rights to land usage in relation to indigenous peoples and people of color. In addition to this problem, Razack (2002) also defines the problem of “mapping” that has allowed a primarily racist Canadian government to marginalize or remove people of color from land ownership and placement in the white hegemonic community. In response tot this, Razack (2002) proposes an “unmapping” method in which the underlying racism of Canadian legal policies can be exposed and reconstructed to resolve the problem of racism in land usage in Canada. These are the important aspects of racial identity and spatial organization that define the conflicts of racism in Canadian law and in the “unmapping” of the “white settler society” that Razack (2002) identifies throughout the
Disputes following the creation of the treaty will be resolved through negotiation, coinciding with the contemporary Specific Land Claims process that deals with “past grievances of First Nations” which relate to any historic treaty obligations that have not been upheld (Specific Claims). Negotiation, mediation and arbitration are stated to bring “closure, benefits and certainty for all Canadians” (Specific Claims).
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
MacDougall, Brenda. One of the Family: Metis Culture in Nineteenth-Century Northwestern Saskatchewan. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
Systems: The canadian Future in light of the American Past.” Ontario native Council on Justice. Toronto, Ontario.
Stanton, Kim. "Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Settling the Past?" The International Indigenous Policy Journal 2, no. 3 (August 30, 2011): 1-20. Accessed May 18, 2014. http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=iipj.
During the twentieth century, Canada as a nation witnessed and endured several historical events that have had a deep and profound influence on Canadian politics. The most influential and constant force in twentieth century Canadian politics has been the increasing power and command of Quebec nationalism and the influence it has had on Canadian politics today. Quebec nationalism has shaped the structure and dynamics of Canadian federalism from a centralized to a decentralized form of federal government (Beland and Lecours 2010, 423). The decentralization of several sectors within the Canadian government has been a direct effect of Quebec nationalism. Decentralization has led to more autonomy among the provincial governments, especially in the province of Quebec. This paper will argue that Quebec nationalism has affected Canadian politics through decentralization. Most importantly, the decentralization of Canadian politics can be determined constitutionally, institutionally, and politically.
The Douglas Treaties and the Numbered Treaties were treaties that started the transfer of land ownership negotiated between First Nations leaders and government officials. The Douglas Treaties were fourteen treaties that were about land on Vancouver Island. These treaties were signed between 1850 and 1854. The Numbered Treaties were seven treaties that were about land that covered most of the southern Prairie Provinces and Northwestern Ontario. These were signed between 1871 and 1877.
Did you know that Canada, a country that stretches across 5000 kilometres of land, was nothing but a pet of Britain? Imagine a dog walking a person. Now replace that person with The Rock, and you can see why it was so ridiculous. That’s right, Canada had to follow all of the British’s military calls and consult them for creating laws. This was the sad reality for Canada until 1931, when the country signed the Statute of Westminster. However, even before that, Canada strived for patriation as evidenced by the events that occurred during the interwar period. Various changes were made in Canada during the interwar period, but it is important to know that they were all for the better and are why Canada is what it is today. The Chanak Affair, Statute of Westminster, and Group of Seven are all crucial elements in Canadian History and they still affect us to this day. Because of these instances, Canada has become politically, militarily, and culturally autonomous.
The Numbered Treaties were a series of 11 treaties made between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples from 1871 to 1921. The Numbered Treaties cover the area between the Lake of the Woods (northern Ontario, southern Manitoba) to the Rocky Mountains (northeastern British Columbia and interior Plains of Alberta) to the Beaufort Sea (north of Yukon and the Northwest Territories).
The Indian Act is a combination of multiple legislations regarding the Aboriginal people who reside across Canada, such as the Gradual Civilization Act of 1857 and the Gradual Enfranchisement Act of 1869 (Hanson, n.p.). The Gradual Civilization Act was the Canadian government's attempt to assimilate the aboriginals into the Canadian society in a passive manner, through a method they encouraged called Enfranchisement. Enfranchisement is basically a legal process that allows aboriginals to give up their aboriginal status and accept a Canadian status (Crey, n.p.). This process, while under the Gradual Civilization Act, was still voluntary, but became a forced process when the Indian Act was consolidated in 1876 (Hanson, n.p.). The Gradual Enfranchisement Act introduced in 1869 was a major legislation that intruded with the private lives of the aboriginals. First, it established the “elective band council system” (Hanson, n.p.) that grants th...
Treaties are formal written agreements between nations. Treaties discussed throughout this paper are regarding the negotiated agreements between several distinct Indigenous Nations and European Settlers in Canada, generally regarding the sharing of land and/or land rights. The sovereign nation known today as Canada was shaped largely through these treaties, and the majority of its land is in part governed by them. Development of these treaties required two vastly different cultures to modify their political traditions and practices in order to amalgamate the two governing systems, resulting in ‘understanding’ and ‘agreement’ by both parties. Although the treaties helped form the diplomatic nation of Canada, the processes used for their creation