Again I read in the paper letters criticizing the First Nations and land treaties. We, as Canadians, boast that racism is on a small scale in Canada, when in fact it exists every day here, with little hope of ever going away. We have gradually become politically correct by not using racial slurs against blacks, jews etc., yet I hear constant prejudice against the First Nations, putting them down and treating them as second-class citizens.
The actions by our forefathers would have the United Nations up in arms if it were happening today. Their slaughter and treatment of Natives was appalling at best. In the “Good Faith” treaties of the 1600s they took all the valuable land from them and gave them undesirable lands that would not be of immediate use. Yet when the government decided they wanted/needed such lands, they were made to sign (mark an “X”) and gave them cash for land they never really wanted to give up. The government in the late 1700s even made then sign blank treaties, taking land they found usable. The Natives were even excluded from any conflicting land sales.
Yes that was our forefathers and not in our time, yet it continued into the 1900s as well. In 1930, the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments gave government rights to all Native natural resources, while B.C., Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia gave themselves rights to Native land and natural resources. It took until 1948 for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for governments to re-think their complete disrespect, broken treaties and back-door land dealings with Natives. Yet the Natives were still not allowed to hold any cultural ceremonies until the 1951 “Indian Act”, nor legally allowed to consume alcohol until 1970.
In 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau tabled the “Red and White Papers” to end negotiations for Native land treaties. Fortunately that was short lived. Not so many years ago, government took their children away from them and put them in white homes and schools, some never seeing their families again. This is how our government treated the Natives and their rights.
It has been a 400-year battle for original treaties and self preservation for First Nations. How we as Canadians in present times have treated them is more damaging psychologically. We insult and make fun of them behind and in front of them and treat them as second-class citizens. We hastily object to any protests or road blocks without regard of their environmental concerns or land disputes of original treaties etc., yet we are proud to be Canadians? Could you imagine for a moment your life subjected to the same disrespect? Could the alcohol/drug abuse problems not indeed partially be our fault from the hundreds of years of disrespect, racism and demoralization?
In fact, the federal government should have a national “First Nations Day” holiday to honour the First Nations 400-year battle for survival and rights and to show finally they have the government and Canadians respect they have so long waited and fought for. There should also be more First Nations in government, Ministry of Environment would be a good start.
Natives are not, nor should they be treated, any less than ourselves. Some say there should be rehabilitation programs, but should rehabilitation not start on the white side of the fence first?
Clifford Martin
Penticton
