7 ms·

What does Canada need to do and what will it accomplish?

jsjsbdkj 5y ago
We had a multi-year project called the Truth and Reconciliation Comnmission which came up with a very exhaustive collection of testimony and calls to action. Their findings are heart-breaking, and the government has done nothing to follow through on their findings: http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html If you just want the 94 calls to action, they're summarized here: http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
- michael1999 5y ago
  We got the Truth. But did nothing about the Reconciliation.
- haecceity 5y ago
  Replace public education with this.
neom 5y ago
Remove the Indian Act. Integration of aboriginal culture into the Canadian education system. Not just offering an aboriginal studies class, but truly taking the native perspective into the education system. Most native people I've talked with don't take advantage of their free educational affordances because they don't want to continue to be whitewashed/don't feel comfortable in institutions that don't understand their culture/are understandably extremely scared of "education" in Canada given the residential school system. Including traditional aboriginal health practises into the health care system, both mandating and expanding the services that are covered by our national insurance, but allowing a medicine man to charge OHIP for their time performing service. People don't die on reserves because they're lazy drunks(as is often portrayed), they die because they don't trust the Canadian health care system. Adding Ojibway as an official language (either federally, or mandate the provinces provide services in the predominant native language of that territory). Guaranteed seats in the Canadian parliament. All of that on top of continuing the repreve on on taxation, and in my likely unpopular opinion, a reexamination of reparation. What will it accomplish? It will only serve to minimally undo the damage that was inflicted upon these people by colonialists, my forefathers.
- theluketaylor 5y ago
  I also want to see us pour far more resources and money into First Nations' lead preservation of as many languages as we can. Without native speakers languages die and so does the culture that produced them.
- hluska 5y ago
  I'd vote for you. The Indian Act is a truly messed up document with all these clauses that ultimately remove status from people. I'd be incredibly happy if they removed it, provided it was replaced with something designed by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. I'm from Saskatchewan where an almost unbelievable number of people believe Indigenous people pay no taxes. That's not true at all but that sure fuels a lot of racism. Under the Indian Act, a person with status does not pay federal income tax on any money they earn on reserve. Some reserves have almost no opportunity so it ends up being a hollow benefit. I figure we have to either teach non-Indigenous people how the Indian Act really works, replace it entirely, build strong economies on reserves or extend the tax free status to any employment in Canada. I love the idea of integrating Indigenous culture and health practices into our system and making them available for everyone. The First Nations University of Canada is a start. Sadly, if you watch the press conference in an hour, the Chief of the Cowessess First Nation (Cadmus Delorme) graduated from FNUniv, was heavily involved in their students association, hosted Prince Charles and Camilla when they were here a decade ago and then worked in Student Recruitment. It is a wonderful place... I'd also like to see a more interesting path for Indigenous kids who are being released from the criminal justice system. In my city, when kids are released, one of the biggest programs teaches them how to be short order cooks and dishwashers. That's fine, but it ignores that some of these kids are absolutely brilliant and can do so much more. We could have art based programs, tech based programs, teach them OSCP or any of a wide variety of possibilities. But it's pretty hard on a kid to go from making $1,000 a day selling drugs to $12 an hour slanging french fries. I think if our system acknowledged their talent and potential the world would only get a little better. I'd also love if they expanded Gladue factors in criminal justice sentencing, as well as started using more traditional Indigenous forms of restorative justice. Sentencing circles for example are not 'going easy' on crime. They're hard on crime but in a way that's distinctly Indigenous and that fits in with their entire culture, religion and belief system. On a more personal level, I wish that everyone in Canada was as open about referring to colonialists as their forefathers as you are. Right away, just that small bit of personal responsibility could change the tone of dialogue. And finally, honestly friend, your reparations idea will be unpopular, but you are 100% correct. It's necessary...

We had a multi-year project called the Truth and Reconciliation Comnmission which came up with a very exhaustive collection of testimony and calls to action. Their findings are heart-breaking, and the government has done nothing to follow through on their findings: http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html If you just want the 94 calls to action, they're summarized here: http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

michael1999 5y ago
We got the Truth. But did nothing about the Reconciliation.
haecceity 5y ago
Replace public education with this.

neom 5y ago

Remove the Indian Act. Integration of aboriginal culture into the Canadian education system. Not just offering an aboriginal studies class, but truly taking the native perspective into the education system. Most native people I've talked with don't take advantage of their free educational affordances because they don't want to continue to be whitewashed/don't feel comfortable in institutions that don't understand their culture/are understandably extremely scared of "education" in Canada given the residential school system. Including traditional aboriginal health practises into the health care system, both mandating and expanding the services that are covered by our national insurance, but allowing a medicine man to charge OHIP for their time performing service. People don't die on reserves because they're lazy drunks(as is often portrayed), they die because they don't trust the Canadian health care system. Adding Ojibway as an official language (either federally, or mandate the provinces provide services in the predominant native language of that territory). Guaranteed seats in the Canadian parliament. All of that on top of continuing the repreve on on taxation, and in my likely unpopular opinion, a reexamination of reparation. What will it accomplish? It will only serve to minimally undo the damage that was inflicted upon these people by colonialists, my forefathers.

theluketaylor 5y ago
I also want to see us pour far more resources and money into First Nations' lead preservation of as many languages as we can. Without native speakers languages die and so does the culture that produced them.
hluska 5y ago
I'd vote for you. The Indian Act is a truly messed up document with all these clauses that ultimately remove status from people. I'd be incredibly happy if they removed it, provided it was replaced with something designed by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. I'm from Saskatchewan where an almost unbelievable number of people believe Indigenous people pay no taxes. That's not true at all but that sure fuels a lot of racism. Under the Indian Act, a person with status does not pay federal income tax on any money they earn on reserve. Some reserves have almost no opportunity so it ends up being a hollow benefit. I figure we have to either teach non-Indigenous people how the Indian Act really works, replace it entirely, build strong economies on reserves or extend the tax free status to any employment in Canada. I love the idea of integrating Indigenous culture and health practices into our system and making them available for everyone. The First Nations University of Canada is a start. Sadly, if you watch the press conference in an hour, the Chief of the Cowessess First Nation (Cadmus Delorme) graduated from FNUniv, was heavily involved in their students association, hosted Prince Charles and Camilla when they were here a decade ago and then worked in Student Recruitment. It is a wonderful place... I'd also like to see a more interesting path for Indigenous kids who are being released from the criminal justice system. In my city, when kids are released, one of the biggest programs teaches them how to be short order cooks and dishwashers. That's fine, but it ignores that some of these kids are absolutely brilliant and can do so much more. We could have art based programs, tech based programs, teach them OSCP or any of a wide variety of possibilities. But it's pretty hard on a kid to go from making $1,000 a day selling drugs to $12 an hour slanging french fries. I think if our system acknowledged their talent and potential the world would only get a little better. I'd also love if they expanded Gladue factors in criminal justice sentencing, as well as started using more traditional Indigenous forms of restorative justice. Sentencing circles for example are not 'going easy' on crime. They're hard on crime but in a way that's distinctly Indigenous and that fits in with their entire culture, religion and belief system. On a more personal level, I wish that everyone in Canada was as open about referring to colonialists as their forefathers as you are. Right away, just that small bit of personal responsibility could change the tone of dialogue. And finally, honestly friend, your reparations idea will be unpopular, but you are 100% correct. It's necessary...