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How Did The Indian Act Affect Canada

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First Nations were one of the first people in Canada, but suffered horribly. Through the genocide from the European settlers to the residential schools for Indigenous children, many families were destroyed and in grief for their lost ones. As Canada became a country, the Indian Act was founded in 1867. This Act governs the matters relating to Indian status, reserves and bands. There are many parts to this Act. They are the “Potlatch Law” and Section 141, Bill C-31 and gender discrimination, White Paper, and the 1951 amendments. The Act was established to eliminate the cultural, social, political, and economic qualities of Aboriginals through assimilating them into the culture and lifestyle of Canadians. Some of these laws were unfair to Indigenous people. The Indian Act …show more content…

It was proposed by Prime Minister Trudeau. The white paper’s purpose was to achieve a greater equality for First Nations. The policy was later abolished by the government. This hinders the First Nations’ identity because many people was against the white paper. If the people were not against it, the Indians would have better equality and would not be treated any worse. For the white paper, Pierre Trudeau’s idea was to: “... assimilate Aboriginal peoples into Canadian society, thereby eliminating any special status and treatment they received up to that point” (Henderson). Assimilating people into the Canadian culture prevents the child from seeing their traditions, and listening to their language. Their identity eventually disappears and they are now used to the Canadian lifestyle. The 1951 amendments is also another part of the Act. Although, the Indian Act was revised and that the Indigenous people were now allowed to practise their traditions, they still were not allowed to do some other things. For example, restrictions on alcohol. The Indians were not able to get as much alcohol as they want to unlike others, who could get as much as they

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In his essay “To be Indian in Canada today”, Richard Wagamese relies on logos to explain the struggles and obstacles that come with the Federal Court’s decision to recognize Metis and non-status Indians in Canada as “Indians” under the Constitution Act. He then begs the question, “what does it mean to be Indian in Canada today?”(Wagameses). Being First Nations himself, Richard Wagamese knows firsthand all barriers that come with being Indigenous in Canada today. While using logos Richard Wagamese implements many different statistics and percentages in his essay to show the hurdles that Indigenous people face: “To be Indian in Canada today is to see youth languish in chronic unemployment and malaise, endure high rates of alcohol, drug and solvent

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Determination means that one has a “firmness of purpose; resoluteness” in themselves. This was one of Trudeau’s greatest skills that reflected his leadership qualities to the world. The October Crisis of 1970 was when the FLQ (Front de libération du Québec) kidnapped Quebec Labor Minister, Pierre Laporte and British Trade Consul, James Cross. This was because many citizens of Quebec no longer wanted to be a part of Canada. Trudeau responded to this act by bringing back the War Measures Act.

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It removed clauses from the Indian Act that restrained a woman's ability to be registered and based their heritage on who they married but it was not a perfect remedy. Many women were forced to live new lives or lost their sense of identity. These women who are suffering have been heard and continue to suffer until Canada finds a better solution. A main goal of the Act to Amend the Indian Act was to give bands more self-governance and although they do have more power than they did from the Indian Act, they are still largely controlled by the government. Bands have also been strained on resources with the flux of Status Indians and they have been given no federal help.

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It also took away the tribal ownership of most tribes. The act moved Indian families onto their own land, and took away Indian children away from their families and sent them to boarding

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By doing this, colonial Canadians assumed that aboriginal cultural and spiritual beliefs were invalid in relation to European beliefs (244). The problem with ridding the First Nations Peoples of their languages, as Williston points out is to “deprive them of the sense of place that has defined them for thousands of years” (245). The private schooling system was an attack on First Nations identities, and their identity is rooted in “a respect for nature and its processes” (245).

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The voices of Indigenous children are unheard and purposely ignored. This is portrayed through the literature of Birdie by Tracey Lindberg and Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. Despite both apologies from Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau, the government system to protect First Nations children appears to have detrimental effects on the life of a child. This is proven by young children turning to drugs in order to satisfy their growing pain, family members who abuse their children because they consume high amounts of alcohol, which has a negative impact on the child, and discriminatory behaviour by surrounding communities. To begin with, young children turning to drugs in order to satisfy their growing pain.

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Supporters of the Act believe the Act is necessary because it has provided protection to Indian children and their families. The ICWA has been an important piece of legislation because it sought to rectify historical injustices the Native Americans encountered. There was a lack of knowledge about the American Indians’ customs and mores and for many, they believed the American way of doings things were far more superior (Cross, 2014). Opponents, on the other hand, argue that the Indian Child Welfare Act is flawed and should be changed or abolished completely. They believe the Act has not protected the Indian youth’s interests, but has instead caused more problems and trauma for the youth.

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In Knoph’s “Sharing our Story with All Canadians”, Knoph emphasizes the effects of propaganda on the First Nation by describing the “colonizing gaze to depict Aboriginal culture to be inferior” (Knoph 89), showing that the aboriginals were brainwashed to believe they had to adapt to the newfound culture. The narrator speaks of the uniform brainwashing of minority groups in order to appeal to western culture; “in the face of a crass white world we has erased so much of ourselves and sketched so many cartoons characters of white people over-top the emptiness inside” (Maracle 158), revealing that the heritage of the older generations will soon be completely forgotten. Maracle chose to implement the idea of brainwashing into the story to place emphasis on the importance of carrying on traditions to remember the roots instead of becoming a one indifferent

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Imagine being ripped apart from family members, culture, tradition, and labelled a savage that needs to be educated. Imagine constantly facing punishment at school for being one’s self. Unfortunately, these events were faced head on for many First Nations people living in Canada in the late 20th century. These First Nations people were the victims of an extensive school system set up by the government to eradicate Aboriginal culture across Canada and to assimilate them into what was considered a mainstream society.

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