Much of what is said and done in the name of native reconciliation in Canada today amounts to a troubling misrepresentation of historical facts… History is no longer the collection of facts bequeathed to us by those who went before. Today it is whatever story satisfies current sensitivities, regardless of what actually happened.
Angela Shisheesh… would like her harrowing story of abuse to be part of the historical record, accessible to the public like those of many of her fellow victims. Yet because she, like so many others, settled her legal case before 2006, it is up the organizations responsible for her maltreatment to determine whether her testimony can be made public… To deny her and other victims a voice amounts to a sort of cultural erasure, an important aspect of the residential schools’ terrible impact.
Equality History
Although Indian Affairs has had to report to numerous people and departments throughout its history, it certainly has never had to report to Indigenous people. That lack of accountability and responsibility has continued for more than 150 years, unchecked… Canada agreed to include Section 35 in the Constitution, legally enshrining recognition and affirmation of Indigenous rights. Although… There have been no moves to change the Indian Act in a way that reflects the Indigenous right to both self-government and self-determination
Equality History
… over the last 30 years, the bottom 90 per cent of families saved zero, on average, while top wealth holders have been able to save more and more. The result: A huge increase in wealth inequality that, unfortunately, is likely to persist — short of adopting more drastic policies aimed at curbing the wealth at the top and encouraging wealth accumulation at the bottom.
In his day, Macdonald was a moderate and liberal-minded man who had excellent relations with the Indians of Eastern Canada… Macdonald sponsored a bill to give the vote to Eastern Canadian aboriginal men despite widespread opposition from the public and the Liberals. The bill passed but was rescinded… Macdonald also introduced a bill – never passed – to give women the vote, an idea that was decades before its time.
Equality History
… as the country marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, there is a widespread sense that any celebration… must be tempered by the conscious acknowledgment that the rise of the nation created in 1867 has gone hand in hand with state-enforced maltreatment of the people who were here first… If First Nations, Metis and Inuit people are Canadian, then the history of Canada can’t logically start at Confederation, or even at first contact with European explorers.
Equality History
Between 1870 and 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were shipped off to residential schools as the centrepiece of a policy of “aggressive assimilation” of Indigenous peoples. A more accurate description is state-sanctioned cultural genocide. Somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 children sent to residential schools died, and many more were victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse.
Equality History
… it seems the further the reality of the schools fades into the past the more over-simplified the national narrative becomes. Partisanship, positioning and rhetoric seems to be taking precedence over “truth” or even “reconciliation.” … the vast majority of aboriginals, suggests Miller, are like Gosnell and Calder: They emerged intact from the schools and remain Christian, with many syncretistically mixing their faith in Jesus Christ with native spiritual traditions.
Equality History
An expert in ancient history, Scheidel takes Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century and shows that its findings are applicable throughout human history (and prehistory)… he sees no way to achieve equality peacefully. Perhaps he’s right. It may be that the sure prospect of living a longer, healthier, happier life among equals isn’t good enough for those who want to be rich at any cost to others and themselves.
CAUT.ca – Bulletin/articles/2017/02/commentary February 2017. By Michael Lynk Human rights have become an integral feature of modern law in Canada. Rights that were […]
Recent Comments