Political Science 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Pierre Trudeau, Cultural Genocide, Cultural Assimilation
28 Apr 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
October 30th, 2017
Lecture #6:
Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Broad issues in North America and Canada:
1. The Basic Narrative: “Cultural Genocide” and “humiliation, neglect, and abuse”
2. Indigenous Peoples and Political Mobilization: 1960-2015
3. Towards a New Era of Reconciliation?
The Basic Narrative
1. Cultural genocide
2. Historical legacies of colonization by imperial power
- Military conquest of civilization of thousands of years
- Racial ‘superiority’
- Religious indoctrination
o Reinforced in turn by Christian teaching and mission to indoctrinate the
indigenous peoples
- Cultural assimilation
- Stolen land/natural resources
- Broken treaties
Institutionalized these mindsets and strategies
3. Political-legal framework Indian Act 1876
- Reserve system and extinguishing land title
- Residential schools
- No political rights (vote, representation)
Challenge and Change
1945 – Winds of Change: postwar decolonization
- imperial powers breaking down post ww2
1950s – United Nations and international human rights
- changes the broader Canadian government
1960 – indigenous people acquired the vote in Canada
- Diefenbaker: a human rights act, the product of the changing attitudes during the post war
era
1968 – PM Pierre Trudeau “White Paper”
- an outreach to these people
- much more viable opportunities under the Indian Act
- variety of programs introduced
- really about an aggressive assimilation strategy
- “white paper” has no recognition of the cultural genocide
- indigenous leadership start to mobilize: have to seek their own story
1970s – government hydro power/oil/gas projects “seize” Indigenous land
- province building
- going after natural resource projects, on lands claimed by indigenous people
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- Canadian economic development in the 1970s and 1980s
- A moral issue
1980s – Indigenous Peoples mobilize politically for cultural recognition, governance rights,
policy resources
Political mobilization: Constitution, Courts, Protest, Inquiries
1982 – constitutional deal: recognition of “Aboriginal Right to Self-government” and right to
negotiation process
- reflecting mobilization, he right to self-government and to negotiate the terms of their
government
- commitment from federal gov’t for them to self-government
1988 – Meech Lake Constitutional reform to “bring Quebec in” fails due to Indigenous Peoples
opposition
- Brian Mulroney re-opened, trying to get Quebec in
- defeated, members of provincial legislatures pressured by indigenous lobbying
1990 – “Oka Crisis” armed stand-off in Quebec
- a wakeup call for Canadians
1990s – Court decisions recognize Land Claims and call for political negotiation
- hiring constitution lawyers to follow up on the 1982, constitution promise
1990s/2000s – Commissions of Inquiry “tell the real story”: Royal Commission on Aboriginal
Peoples; Truth and Reconciliation Commission
2000s… some good news
1. Harper government
- Formal apology on government for residential schools and Aboriginal Healing
Foundation
2. Early 2000s, recognized the concerns of indigenous people worldwide
- UN Declaration of Rights of Indigenous peoples (rights, recognition, resources)
- Governments obligated that legislative framework and policies meet this declaration of
Rights
3. Self-government experiments in provinces and territories (local and territorial
- In response to court victories where Indigenous people have won titles to land
4. Trudeau government, financial promises to invest and re-invest in these communities
- Physical and social infrastructure
o Water, sanitations, health, education, housing
5. “Cree Consent” on natural resource development projects (environmental impacts and
Indigenous economies)
Bad news
1. Missing and murdered indigenous women
2. Infrastructure crisis
a. Both on reserves and off
3. Overrepresentation in Criminal Justice system
4. Public Health crisis in deaths by suicide (youth)
5. Idle No More Protest
6. Complex policy challenges: both on-reserve and in cities Indigenous populations (50% of
total live in cities)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The basic narrative: cultural genocide, historical legacies of colonization by imperial power. Military conquest of civilization of thousands of years. Religious indoctrination: reinforced in turn by christian teaching and mission to indoctrinate the indigenous peoples. Institutionalized these mindsets and strategies: political-legal framework indian act 1876. 1945 winds of change: postwar decolonization imperial powers breaking down post ww2. 1950s united nations and international human rights changes the broader canadian government. 1960 indigenous people acquired the vote in canada. Diefenbaker: a human rights act, the product of the changing attitudes during the post war era. 1968 pm pierre trudeau white paper an outreach to these people. Much more viable opportunities under the indian act. Variety of programs introduced really about an aggressive assimilation strategy. White paper has no recognition of the cultural genocide indigenous leadership start to mobilize: have to seek their own story. 1970s government hydro power/oil/gas projects seize indigenous land.
