ill-famed Residential School System

ill-famed Residential School System

Executive Summary

Reconciliation is an emerging concept that has taken center stage in the struggle to create a harmonious relationship as well as resolve historical conflicts between indigenous and non-indigenous people. While Canada as a country is known to the world for being polite, kind, and very friendly to all ethnic groups, the treatment of indigenous people seems to suggest otherwise. Many cases of unfair treatment against the indigenous people have been evidenced in our history, including the ill-famed Residential School System. The current approach of advancing reconciliation through establishing the Truth and Justice Commission is not resolving the conflict between the aboriginals and the non-aboriginals. We know this because incidences of violence against indigenous women, racism, and devastating land dispossession have continued to be witnessed despite the establishment of the Commission. Moreover, indigenous people have disproportionally been receiving social assistance compared to the white’s counterpart, an issue that further aggravates their relationship. The most effective way of addressing the overwhelming legacy of the infamous residential school system and other forms of discrimination committed against the indigenous people, the Canadian government should create a National Healing and Reconciliation Day where it will apologize for the prejudices committed against the indigenous population.

Context of the Problem

Definition of Major Terms

Indigenous people– the earliest inhabitants of Canada. They include the First Nation people, Metis, and the Inuit

Reconciliation– the process of building a good relationship between the indigenous people and the non-indigenous, primarily due to the injustices committed to the former ethnic group by the latter.

Over a million indigenous people in Canada face various forms of rights violation and discrimination that directly or indirectly can be attributed to legacies of colonialism. This has been evidenced in many sectors, including education, health, and housing. The Residential School System that lasted for over one century serves as a perfect example of imperialism. Indigenous children were forcibly taken to Christian schools to assimilate the new western culture (Miller, 2017). However, the system was characterized by sex abuse and physical torture. One of the survivors, Campbell Papequash, recounted

“After I was taken there, they took off my clothes, and then they deloused me … ‘the dirty, no-good-for-nothing savages, lousy.’ And then they cut off my beautiful hair. You know, and my hair, my hair represents such a spiritual significance of my life and my spirit. You know, and I cried, and I see them throw my hair into a garbage can, my long, beautiful braids.” (Miller, 2017)

Moreover, indigenous patients have reported that they are treated like intruders in the healthcare sector. There have been cases of abusive treatment, racism, stereotyping, and lack of quality care.

Markedly, in the last general election, Canadians made a bold and decisive decision of choosing leaders that will help them create jobs, invest in their communities and families, fight climatic changes, and keep the country’s economy growing. This was a clear message that Canadians want to work together as a united society to make progress on issues that matter most to them. Among the many concerns is to enhance unity and coexistence through reconciling with the indigenous people.

It is more important than ever for Canadian citizens to unite and build a more inclusive and resilient nation. As such, the Canadian government, led by his Excellency the Prime Minister, Hon. Justin Trudeau, is the central institution to lead in promoting peace and unity and, as the Minister of Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, you have a personal obligation to fulfil this objective.

The Canadian government needs to adopt a better way of solving this problem. The current practises have totally failed.

Critique of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee Policy Option

The setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in 2015 fuelled the believe that indigenous people would reconcile with the non-indigenous. However, as things stand, the Commission has done little to bridge this gap. The Commission had a broad mandate, calling all Canadians affected by the Residential School System to participate in the reconciliation process. As a result, it gathered statements from more than 6,000 people. When the report was released, it established the framework for a national reconciliation project between the indigenous and the non-indigenous population. The report proposed ‘call to action” practises that would address all inequalities in six domains; education, health, child welfare, language, culture, and justice.

However, despite the recommendations, little success has been seen in reconciling the two groups. Take the health sector, for example. Findings of previous studies conducted after establishing the Commission consistently indicate that indigenous people face discrimination from white physicians when accessing medical care (Boutilier, 2017). In contrast, white patients are much more likely to be attended when they visit hospitals than the aboriginals. Besides, an indigenous woman working at the same level as white counterparts are likely to be paid less. Moreover, aboriginal women are likely to be victims of psychological abuse due to physical violence that targets them (Veenstra,2019). Again, despite most of the indigenous people living below the poverty level, the government continues to support them in their social welfare disproportionally. Thus, we need to develop an approach that will fully reconcile the two groups.

Policy Recommendation: Creation of National Healing and Reconciliation Day

The National Healing and Reconciliation day would provide a moment for the national government to issue an apology statement to all indigenous people who have been victims of discrimination by the non-indigenous. To address this atrocious issue of Residential School System, the government should consider erecting public monuments in all major cities across the country. This will be considered to be an act of honor to commemorate survivors of the residential school system as well as those that lost their lives during that era.  Also, the government should make a decree to compensate all families that were affected by this education system

This important day should be considered as a moment when the Canadian government should acknowledge that the relations with Indigenous people need to be founded on respecting their inherent right to self-determination and self-governance (Wilson-Raybould, 2018). The government should recognize that it must uphold the Crown honor, which requires all agencies and officers to act with honor, fairness, and good faith to all indigenous people. The overarching objective is to ensure that First Nation people are treated with respect as Canadians citizens (Wilson-Raybould, 2018). The recognition of the rights of the Indigenous people are defined and grounded in the constitution.

Finally, I recommend that the government improve the social-economic status of Indigenous people, especially those living in urban areas, through adopting an urban indigenous action plan. Work in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing to develop a housing strategy that addresses the unique housing needs and challenges of the indigenous people.

While this strategy is likely to face criticism from a section of the government officials, it is important to thus conduct a massive awareness program aimed at sensitizing the public on the importance of having such a day in the history of Canadian, as  a way of ending the wrangles that have existed between the indigenous and the non-indigenous people.

I encourage you to consider this recommendation that will successfully build on the momentum that we have achieved over the past few decades in creating a united and peaceful country.

Works Cited

Boutilier, S. (2017). Free, Prior, and Informed Consent and Reconciliation in Canada. WJ Legal Stud., 7, 1.

Miller, J. R. (2017). Residential schools and reconciliation: Canada confronts its history. University of Toronto Press.

Veenstra, G. (2019). Black, White, Black and White: mixed race and health in Canada. Ethnicity & health, 24(2), 113-124.

Wilson-Raybould, J. (2018). Principles Respecting the Government of Canada’s Relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Routledge