“Kanehsatake : 270 Years of Resistance” deals with the Oka crisis, a confrontation between Mohawk Indians living on area near Oka and the Canadian military. The interest of a local land development leads to government approval to expand a private 9-hole golf course and to build a luxury housing, both to be located on a burial ground and sacred pine grove belonging to the Mohawk nation. These serve as a momentum of a 270 year battle to officially regain their territory. A crowd of Mohawk Indians bloked incoming contruction equipment, and then the invaders called SQ(Quebec’s provincial police) in.
Hello Tamara Thank you for the insight on the federal Indian termination policies durning the 1950’s,and our selfish acts in attempting to move Indians off reservations and into subruban areas, I feel that justice could never be made for the todays native americans simply because the suffering we put their ansestors through could never take away the tears or pain we inflicted on them ,even though our federal government had even initiated a policy of removal as well as termination of the native americans under this particular policy that was souly created so the Native American people would no longer be government wards on reservations which todays era they are entiltled for the most psrt “subject to the same laws and entitled to the same privileges
North-West Uprising The North-West Uprising was a battle between the Canadian government and the people living in the North-West. The uprising was caused by a series of events. The government was slow in handing out land grants and treaties to the Métis, land was devoted to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), and the rights were not known to the Métis. Métis/Natives tried to solve matters out peacefully with John A. Macdonald.
With a state of insurrection in Canada caused by the infamous terrorist group, the Front de Liberation du Québec (FLQ), it is believed that the invocation of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis of 1970 was justified. In 1970, Canada was in a state of apprehended insurgence attributable to the acts of the notorious Quebec terrorists known as the FLQ. From 1963 to 1969, the ethnically delimited terrorists fought tirelessly to create a revolution and instigate public hate crime within Canada, however the groups most climactic incident was the kidnapping of British diplomat James Cross and Quebec Minister of Labour, Pierre Laporte in the October Crisis of 1970 (Torrance, J., 1988). Both men were captured at gunpoint, whilst authorities received a list of ransom demands to be filled in exchange for the lives of the hostages. With political upheaval, public resistance and immense fear in a state of proclaimed ‘apprehended insurrection’, on October 16 1970, the formidable War Measures Act was invoked by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to eliminate all FLQ members and supporters (Bélanger, C., 2000).
Pierre Trudeau is definitely one of Canada’s most successful Prime Ministers. He was able to bring Canada together by implementing the Official Language Act resolving the October Crisis and repatriating, creating Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedom. Pierre Trudeau was born in Montreal on October 18, 1919. He was raised in a wealthy Montreal suburb of Outremont. As he growing up he and his sibling spoke both French and English.
Personally I have plenty of thoughts and opinions regarding what happened in July 11th, 1990 in the village of Oka, Quebec regarding Oka Crisis. The people of Oka, also known as Mohawks, were confronted with a plan to extend a golf course onto their native land. This specific piece of land was very sacred to the Mohawks as it has been burial grounds for their families. The people of Oka then made a barricade in attempts to protect these grounds. On July 11th the police intervened and attempted to destroy this barricade meanwhile, shots were fired, people were injured and the whole place was a mess.
Was the enactment of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis Justified? When one thinks of a terrorist attack, Canada is not usually the first one to come to mind. Canada is usually regarded as a very peaceful country. But Canada was not always peaceful internally; in fact it had raging internal battles with the French wanting independence.
Kanehasatake: 20 years of Resistance The Oka crisis had huge effect on the First Nations, The Government of Canada decided they wanted to make a golf course on the Mohawk’s territory. The Government later invaded without notice, sending 1000 police officers to community of 1800 people. The Mohawk owned this burial site, the year of 1990 the Mohawk’s stood strong for the land. This crisis could have been avoided, by the Government of Canada choosing to make better decisions along with beneficial actions for both parties instead of taking the Mohawk’s claimed land.
Critical Summary #3: First Nations Perspectives In Chapter eight of Byron Williston’s Environmental Ethics for Canadians First Nation’s perspectives are explored. The case study titled “Language, Land and the Residential Schools” begins by speaking of a public apology from former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He apologizes for the treatment of “Indians” in “Indian Residential Schools”. He highlights the initial agenda of these schools as he says that the “school system [was] to remove and isolate [Aboriginal] children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them[…]” (Williston 244).
September 20th on the CBC News website a story published titled “Dudley George's brother in serious condition after being accidentally set on fire”. This story explains a celebratory walk done by Kettle Point First Nations that took a turn when a group called Stony Point set a protest fire in front of a military camp that was just agreed by the Ottawa government to be returned to the First Nations. The fire was set to show that not all band members where in support of the agreement that was made. Perry Neil Watson George was caught on fire and is now suffering from second degree burns. The story also mentions Dudley George, Perry's brother who was shot in a protest in 1995, and the accusations made by the Stony Point people that there chief is buying votes.
Institutional and historical analysis often portray the motives of governments, especially in the cases of Quebec separatism and Aboriginal mistreatment. History describes attempts at compromise to rectify the problems by altering political institutions to provide more autonomy to the provinces, witness in various accords and the methods described previously. However, in regards to Aboriginals a historical relationship of exploitation and eradication sheds on the systemic issues that Aboriginals cope with and the institutions that caused them. As scholars of Canadian politics, it is important to consider historical and institutional analyses when looking at any issue, as it reveals the underlying motives of actors in regards to the cleavages that comprise a state.
In Life Among the Piutes, sarah winnemucca hopkins describes what happens when soldiers came to their reservation based off what white settlers tell the government. The most shocking instance of this happened when Winnemucca encountered a group of soldier who told her the white settlers accused the natives of stealing cattle, “the soldiers rode up to their [meaning the Piute’s] encampment and fired into it, and killed almost all the people that were there… after the soldiers had killed but all bur some little children and babies… the soldiers took them too… and set the camp on fire and threw them into the flames to see them burned alive”(78). This is an abhorrent act that is unthinkable in a functioning society. The natives had done nothing but want to hold some shred of land from the settlers who had taken everything from them and are exterminated like vermin. This was something that stayed hidden from many white settlers because of its barbarism and by exposing it Winnemucca truly educates the reader, past and present, on how natives are
The conflicts between Canadian government and aboriginal groups have existed since the first British and French settlers came to Canada; however, some problems still appear today. The Oka Crisis is one of the major chaos caused by these left-over problems. In 1990, in order to stop the government from taking over their claimed lands, some Mohawks on the Kanesatake reserve blocked the roads near the Quebec village of Oka. Police forces were called to action; however, the aboriginal protesters killed a policeman and the police failed to take over the blocked. As the crisis upgraded, more and more protesters from all areas started to do the same thing.
1. The poem I’ve chosen is from Mary Elizabeth Frye, and I chose it because it has a very special place in my heart. I find it very comforting and solacing during times of grief and sorrow.
The indigenous people have a long and proud history, including the rich cultural and spiritual traditions. However, many of these traditions have been changed or even disappeared after the arrival of the European settlers. Forced introduction of European culture and values, Aboriginal community, indigenous land being deprived, and the imposition of a period of governance outside the pattern of the beginning of a cycle of social, physical and spiritual destruction. You can see the effects of today. Some of the effects include poverty, poor health, and drug abuse.
