The First Nations in Canada

The First Nations' Struggle for Recognition and Equality in Modern Canada.


Today Canada is one of the most multi-cultural country in the world. 500 years ago, the only people living in Canada were the Aboriginal people of Canada."Aboriginal" means the original inhabitants, the people who were here first. The words "Native" are also used, and mean the same thing.

As much as we konw,there are not many "Native" around our lives.Therefore,there are some questions that where they are living , what language they are speaking and what kind of lifestyle they are. Eventhough we don't really konw that,the Aboriginal still try really hard to make their own lives better and protect their cultures to be continued and developed. In the Modern canada, what the Fist Nations struggled for recognition and equality are so hard.

Canada’s first people used at least 53 different languages. Each group referred to themselves by a specific name in their own language and most of which are spoken only in Canada and are in decline.

Two of Canada's territories gave official status to native languages. In Nunavut, Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun are official languages alongside English and French, and Inuktitut is a common vehicular language in government. which with about 29,000 speakers in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec), and Nunatsiavut (Northern Labrador); and Mi'kmaq, with around 8,500 speakers, mostly in Eastern Canada. Many aboriginal peoples have lost their native languages and often all but surviving elders, speak English or French as their first language.

As they try so hard to keep their own language,they recived lots of helps of learing an Aboriginal language from their parents.Moreover, school also plays an importan role.In 2001 APS showed that almost 68% childen who could understand or speak an Aboriginal language received help from thire parents and almost 36% children are received help from their teachers.
It was in 1972 that the first on-reserve First Nation school was established. Since then, numerous First Nation communities have taken over local control of their schools. Further more, in the past 37 years they have seen some impressive changes:

Moving from zero schools in 1972 to over 500 schools in 2008; Approximately 33,000 First Nations students enrolled in post-secondary institutions yearly and more than 4,000 First Nations post-secondary graduate each year; Thousands of First Nation teachers and administrators working in our schools today; Over 80% of First Nations youth who say they value speaking their language ; And the emergence of on-reserve Early Childcare Centres, and many more signs of success.

As of the 2006 Canadian Census there were over 1,172,790 Aboriginal people in Canada, 3.8% of the country's total population. 2006 Census, Statistics Canada] This comprises 698,025 people of First Nations descent, 389,785 Métis, and 50,485 Inuit. National representative bodies of Aboriginal people in Canada include the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, the Native Women's Association of Canada, the National Association of Friendship Centers and the Congress of Aboriginal People.

Part of the reason for the increase is higher birth rates among aboriginals compared to the non-aboriginal population, according to Statistics Canada.But it's also because more people than before are identifying themselves as aboriginal.

Canada is becoming one of the most multi-culturel countries in the world. Lots of people from anywhere of the world immigrated to Canada in the past 20years. The Aboriginal people still have their rights and territories. because in the early 1976 the Nisga'a Treaty is the first modern-day treaty in B.C and is the fourteenth modern treaty in Canada, Aboriginal people are treated on recongnition and equality. The Nisga'a Treaty sets out the land and resources that form part of the agreement between Canada, B.C. and the Nisga'a Nation. Also,the Treaty sets out the Nisga'a's right to self-government, and the authority to manage lands and resources.
The Nisga'a Treaty has historic impact in Canada, and provides insights for future land claims negotiations in Canada and in other jurisdictions. The Nisga'a Treaty is often called "a beacon of hope."

Aborigines were nomadic and lived in clans that were united through common traditions in music, art, and tribal ceremonies. In the late 18th century there were 500-600 distinct groups of aborigines speaking about 200 different languages or dialects. They lived by hunting and gathering, and there was extensive inter-group trade throughout the continent. Prior to the Treaty, the Nisga'a Villages delivered health, education, social and other services through a variety of federal and provincial programs.

Then, the modern ways of life have brought dramatic social changes to Native people. Mang Aboriginal seniors are no longer considered productive members of their society. The conveniences, electronic gadgetry, improved medical treatment and changing family structures mean that many Aboriginal seniors now have little opportunity to contribute to their own community.

In conclusion, what I mentioned above shows that the Aboriginal have made the success of the recognition and equal treatment on languages land and lifestyle are the result of their continued efforts and perseverance. And their spirit is worth protecting because they are protected the history of Canada and continue .


Reference:

[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/release/aboriginal.cfm Aboriginal peoples]

[http://www.our-story.ca/TrevorJang.html]

[http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/mr/is/nit-eng.asp]

[http://www.gov.bc.ca/arr/treaty/negotiating/why.html]

[http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2009OTP0060-000606.pdf]

[http://www.gov.bc.ca/]

Inaugurating the "Lester B. Pearson Lecture Series"

Hello Everyone,

This summer, in conjunction with this course, Sprott-Shaw Degree College will be inaugurating the "Lester B. Pearson Lecture Series". From July to September we will do our best to bring you a number of exciting speakers from the worlds of business, politics, academia and the arts who will share with you their insights into key aspects of Canadian life, which will shape our future deep into the 21st Century.

You all know, of course, that Lester B. Pearson -"Mike" to his friends- was Canada's 14th Prime Minister. Despite his unprepossessing nature, he was one of the most remarkable individuals ever to have led our country: academic -with an MA in history from Oxford, veteran of both World Wars, career diplomat, then from 1948 Canada's Minister of External Affairs, Pearson was awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize - "because of his personal qualities - the powerful initiative, strength, and perseverance he has displayed in attempting to prevent or limit war operations and to restore peace in situations where quick, tactful, and wise action has been necessary to prevent unrest from spreading and developing into a worldwide conflagration": he defused the 1957 Suez Crisis though the United Nations by creating the very first UN Peacekeeping Mission. Pearson became leader of the Liberal Party in 1958, after defeating his chief rival, Paul Martin -father of Canada's 21st Prime Minister of the same name.The five years he spent at 24 Sussex Drive - the Canadian Prime Minister's official residence- from 1963 to 1968 proved to be, in many ways, a critical period which came to define and shape to this day not only our country and its values, but also the people who have governed it for the past half-century.



After being routed by John Diefenbaker's Conservatives in the 1958 election, Pearson convened, in 1960, what turned out to be the pivotal policy conference of the Liberal Party in the 20th Century: the Kingston "Thinkers' Conference", which developed many of the most important ideas which Pearson then implemented after he became Prime Minister. Next year we will be marking 50 years since this conference. In order to underline that politicians' ideas, values and visions for the future still matter most in the long-term for a country and its people, this lecture series celebrates not only Pearson the man, but also 50 years since the Kingston Conference and the policies it gave birth to - many of which have become, over the past century, fundamental markers in how we have come to define what it means to be "Canadian".

During his five years as Prime Minister, Pearson led two minority governments. As a result, he established the most remarkable partnership in Canadian politics since Confederation with Tommy Douglas, the leader of the NDP, and guided the House of Commons to adopt many of Canada's major social programs, such as universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan and Canada Student Loans, and and established the Maple Leaf as the new national flag in time for the Centennial Celebration and Expo '67. Pearson signed the critical Canada-US Auto Pact of 1965, instituted the 40-hour work week, two weeks vacation time and a new minimum wage. He instituted a number of Royal Commissions, formost among which on the status of women and on bilingualism, and recruited to Ottawa "The Three Wise Men" - Jean Marchand, Gerard Pelletier and Pierre Elliott Trudeau - in order to strengthen Quebec's role in the Confederation and give French Canadians a larger voice in Ottawa. "Mike" took the lead in instituting the world's first race-free immigration system, based on a points system which is even today being copied around the world (most recently in the United Kingdom), reorganised and unified the three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, opposed the Vietnam War by declining the US request to send Canadian troops to South-East Asia, and stood up in no uncertain terms to French President Charles de Gaulle's famous "Vive le Quebec libre" by remarking that "Canadians do not need to be liberated" and making it clear le General was no longer welcome in Canada. It will come as no surprise that Canadians recently chose both Pearson and Douglas as two of the top six Greatest Canadians of all time (Douglas at No. 1 and Pearson at No. 6).

Yet Pearson's influence on the latter half of the Twentieth Century derives not only from his personal attributes and successes or from the policies he helped to shape and adopt, but also from the extraordinary cast of politicians he moulded in so many ways. "Mike" either recruited or mentored the next three Liberal Prime Ministers who eventually followed him - Pierre Trudeau, John Turner and Jean Chretien - and greatly influenced his main Liberal rival's son, Paul Martin Jr., who succeeded Chretien as Liberal Party Leader and Canadian Prime Minister. Remarkably, Pearson's vision and leadership left an important mark even on the young generation of Progressive Conservatives, and in particular on future Prime Ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. In short, one would not be greatly amiss in claiming that, although Pearson was Prime Minister for only five years, the four decades between 1963 and 2003 could rightfully be labelled as "the Pearson Era" in the same way that we speak of the "John A. McDonald Era" at the end of the 19th Century and of the "McKenzie King Era" in the first half of the 20th Century.

Future Prime Ministers Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner and Jean Chrétien with
then-Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson following Cabinet changes, 4 April 1967, Ottawa

Today, we live again in a time when minority governments seem to be back in fashion in Canada, but without the civility and cooperation between members of different parties for the greater good of the country -when vision and leadership are more required than ever at both national and international levels in the midst of the greatest economic, social, political, cultural and environmental upheavals and challenges we have faced for almost a century. At this time, we could do far worse than remember and celebrate the Pearson Era and, perhaps, re-acquaint ourselves with an idea of politics as public calling, and of public service as a solemn duty encumbent not only on a few elected officials in far away national and provincial capitals, but on each and everyone of us, in our daily lives, irrespective of our chosen professions. If the "Lester B. Pearson Lecture Series" will contribute to even a modest degree in motivating us all to reach towards this goal, it will more than have accomplished its aims.

Indians and the Just Society

Hello All,

I was really glad to meet all those of you who took the time to come to yesterday's induction meeting. We took about 20 minutes to go over the course syllabus, marking system, and on-line tools. The books for the course have arrived too, so anyone who doesn't have them yet can pick them up from the Reception Desk.

During the meeting I also took the time to briefly mention an article discussing the evolution of the Federal Government's policy towards Native Americans, entitled: Indians and the Just Society, by William Johnson. This is a great point to start thinking about your short essay, since it briefly and clearly outlines the two competing visions - liberal and communitarian - of the relationship between Aboriginals and the Canadian state: should they be regarded as a community with special rights to self-governance, or as equal Canadian citizens with the same rights and obligations as any other Canadians?

I hope you all enjoy your week off after what I am sure was a stressful exam period. At the same time, please do make sure you all join this blog, the attached course wiki as well as my Facebook page, and start doing your readings. This course does not start with the first on-campus meeting, on Thursday, July 9, but on Monday, July 6, and you need to keeep up with work on a daily basis in order not to fall behind with your readings and assignments. Don't forget to check the calendar on the first page of the wiki to see the recommended timelines for all the work in this course.

Last but not least, with this course we will launch the Sprott-Shaw "Lester B. Pearson Lecture Series" - about which I will post a separate blog next week. We hope to bring at least six great speakers for you over this summer to discuss various aspects of Canadian history, society and politics. The scheduled first speaker (subject to confirmation) is Sprott-Shaw's own President, Dean Dupperon, who will talk to us about his Metis background, as well as his work with and views on Native Canadians' role in 21st Century Canada.

I look forward to seeing you start posting your discussion contributions regarding your first short essay on the Course Wicki Disscussion thread set up for this purpose.

Have a fun vacation week!

Canada in the 21. Century Induction Session

Hello Everyone,

The end of the second term at Sprott-Shaw Degree College is upon us - and the beginning of the third term - and therefore, of our course - only a few weeks away. As promised, I'm back with additional information about the course and with details about what you need to do BEFORE the course starts, on July 9, 2009.

The most important date to note in your Agenda is that of Friday, June 26, at 12:30 pm. This is the date and time when the Course Induction Session will be held, in the Staff Computer Room of the SSDC Burnaby Campus. Attendance to this session is mandatory: in other words, you MUST attend if you wish to take this course. The session will be very brief - only 30 minutes, but critical to the entire course. During this Session, you will be introduced to the course books, blog, wicki, work schedule, assignments, and marking system. You will also find out the Readings you must complete before coming to the first class, on July 9, as well as the assignment you must complete by then. Please make sure you attend this very important Induction Session.

For those who want to get a head start, you can already find out what you can do now, before the course starts, by accessing the course Wicki and checking out the Announcements page, as well as the Week 1 Study Guides page and the Week 1 Assigments page. The easiest, but most important three things you can do right now is to join this Blog, join the Wiki and add me (Alex Olteanu) to your Facebook friends' list (after joining Facebeeok if you are not already a member). Please also check regularly the Course Calendar on the Wiki Homepage; in addition to the weekly lectures you will find marked there all assignments' deadlines, as well as indicative times when you should have finished various assigned homework during the week. Following the Calendar guidelines and doing a bit of work every day will make your life much easier and your mark much higher!

The Course Blog and Wiki will be very important study and communication tools throughout the course. Facebook will also be very important - I will post there on a regular basis links to various articles of interest I may wish you to read, and will keep in touch with you on a more informal basis if you have any questions or issues outside classroom time.

Well that's it for now - good luck with the upcoming exams and see you soon, at the Course Induction Session!

By the way - the two short clips at the beginning and the end of this blog are both.., commercials for a Canadian beer called, surprisingly enough, Canadian. The first ad became one of the most popular commercials in the history of Canada and unleashed an entirely uncharacteristic assertion of Canadian pride in their country and origins. Isn't it interesting that it was, of all things, a beer company and not, for example, the Federal Government, that came up with such an ad?