Genocide
Why?
The Canadian government is guilty of several crimes. Several are small scale crimes, not too much of a big deal on the grand stage of the world. However, one crime the government is guilty of is genocide. Before taking a deeper look into the crimes, first we need to clarify what genocide means. The term is often associated with mass killing and historical events such as the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, and the Cambodian Genocide. However, genocide is not just slaughtering people of a certain race or religion--there are many other circumstances which can be called genocide.(refer to figure 2.01)
To this day, genocide is one of the most significant crimes against indigenous people. The first record of mass nationwide assimilation was the Indian act. This act had policies which allowed the government to set up residential schools. These were not schools for First Nations people--these were assimilation techniques wrapped in propaganda. The students that survived these schools were very damaged--years of abuse(verbal and physical), loss of family, and loss of identity are several factors impacting quality of life.
Significance
Genocide is arguably the most significant crime in relation to Canada's history with Aboriginal people. Once again flipping back to our examination of historical significance, we can say with certainty that residential schools were very important and influential at the time, and suicide rates suggest that they still have influence today. Creating laws to commit genocide against the first nations people by forcing students to abandon their culture by abusing them, beating them, and attempting to brainwash them tells us the story of Canadian Genocide.
Are they important under the categories of significance?
Residential schools changed the course of history. Yes, the Indian Act allowed the government to implement and establish these schools, but it the government hadn't taken the opportunity to create these schools, First Nations history would look a lot different. The government may have still neglected them and discriminated against them, but they wouldn't have waged war the same way against the culture. Several thousand descendants wouldn't be living in the legacy of these schools if they hadn't been operational (obviously), so the schools changed the course of history. These schools allowed for the discrimination, racism, and ethnocentrism at the time to grow and flourish, all while scarring a culture forever. The Bryce Report and several other instances must have changed the public opinion of these schools, because the last one closed its doors in 1996, so the government, as well as the public, must have learned something. All of these answers suggest that genocide is definitely significant.
Arguments
The Canadian government put in place several laws and policies which either did, or was supposed to, assimilate First Nations people. As figure 2.01 states, intent to destroy... in part... ethnical, ... religious group... forcibly transferring children of one group to another. Removing and attempting to eradicate the First Nations culture from the children, by the UN definition, is against the law. Therefore, the government should be tried.
These laws were the first appearance of genocide in Canada. Although genocide wasn’t entirely recognized across the country, many people were aware that measures were made to assimilate people, they just didn’t know how far the policies or laws would take it. With the disappearance of the buffalo causing dependence problems, the first nations people were on the verge of disappearing themselves, almost like the Beothuk. The charge is still quite apparent today, however, several attempts at penance have been committed by the government, including the residential schools apology and the Nunavut act. Nevertheless, the crime is still relevant, as unrest is evident in today's society, including causes like “IDLE NO MORE”. Aboriginals across the country were affected by these attempts into and successful genocide. The events cannot be changed, but they can be rectified, and by charging the government with their crimes, justice may finally be served.
These laws were the first appearance of genocide in Canada. Although genocide wasn’t entirely recognized across the country, many people were aware that measures were made to assimilate people, they just didn’t know how far the policies or laws would take it. With the disappearance of the buffalo causing dependence problems, the first nations people were on the verge of disappearing themselves, almost like the Beothuk. The charge is still quite apparent today, however, several attempts at penance have been committed by the government, including the residential schools apology and the Nunavut act. Nevertheless, the crime is still relevant, as unrest is evident in today's society, including causes like “IDLE NO MORE”. Aboriginals across the country were affected by these attempts into and successful genocide. The events cannot be changed, but they can be rectified, and by charging the government with their crimes, justice may finally be served.
Again, interesting and powerful information,
but why is it able to be charged?
Genocide is legally defined as intent to destroy [in this case, ethnic/religious group] Duncan Campbell Scott, the deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs, appears to claim that the objective of residential schools is one of genocide: "I want to get rid of the Indian problem … Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic." I think this constitutes as more than just intent to harm and wipe out the First Nations culture.
Intent to destroy a religious/ethnic group, able to be charged in a court of law.
Causing serious mental damage to a group, able to be charged in a court of law.
Causing serious mental damage to a group, able to be charged in a court of law.
-
Witness Testimony
-
Bibliography
<
>
These statements are excerpts from an interview with Jim White, a survivor of a residential school. His words suggest the results of the residential schools. They turned survivors to any means to get away from the past--alcohol, drugs, death. He has come to terms with what happened, and is proud to be a survivor, but his story tells us the horror of residential schools, and just how far this genocide went. Experiments were held on indigenous children without parental consent. This put them in harms way, and the kids didn't know what was being injected into them. Mental abuse is a category under genocide(refer to figure 2.01). This means that residential schools have several accounts of genocide applicable to them.
Pictures:
start with why, https://intrigueme.ca/blog/2014/12/16/part-2-start/ School image, http://www.danielnpaul.com/CarlisleIndianSchool.html , Documents: Indian Act, 02/05/16-----------------------------------------> Information: Government quote, http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/pamela-palmater/2015/06/canadas-residential-schools-werent-killing-culture-they-were- Residential schools information, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools/ Assimilationist Policies, 28/04/16, http://www.fns.bc.ca/pdf/uttp-pages9-18.pdf Criminal Negligence, 28/04/16, http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/criminal-negligence-laws.html Indian Act 2, 02/05/16, http://www.ictinc.ca/blog/21-things-you-may-not-have-known-about-the-indian-act- Graduation Rates, 02/05/16, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/aboriginal-graduation-rate-1.3383908 Jim White Experiments, 02/05/16, http://globalnews.ca/news/2503875/what-happened-to-jim-experiments-on-canadas-indigenous-populations/ Methods of transferring children, http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/government-policy/the-residential-school-system.html |