Rob Ford is not the only one who has addictions. We too have been living a lie.
Let us look at the whole truth about, “Canada in the making…” King George III issued a proclamation in 1763, which in essence said that his subjects would have to come to an agreement with the indigenous people who were already living here, before settling on the land. The Niagra Treaty of 1764 created a new covenant chain between Britain and the aboriginal people, including the Iroquois Confederacy, the Algonquin and Huron Nations. In essence, the aboriginal people were willing to share the land in exchange for the Crown spending as much money on education, housing and health for them, as they did on the settlers. The aboriginals designed a wampum belt to symbolize the treaty agreement. This showed two nations travelling down the river of life, each not interfering with the other’s way of living.
Too soon a policy of assimilation began to show its ugly head. The British saw the aboriginals as British subjects and not equal independent nations. At about the same time, the original United States representative democracy, was being designed. It was fashioned by such central authors as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who drew much inspiration from this confederacy of nations. This was 100 years before John A. MacDonald and his government considered the aboriginal people to be savages, uneducated, and in need of a “Father Knows Best,” to look after them.
The Indian Act of 1876 which they concocted, is still the law of the land. Indians are still wards of the government. It is a bold-faced lie, which most Canadians have not yet come to grips with. If Rob Ford can admit he was living a lie, why can’t we?
Dan MacQuarrie
