Quote:
Originally Posted by red-paladin
This thread should not exist.
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+1.
Some people posting in this thread don't seem to understand the fundamental nature of the treaty relationship*. The treaties are the foundation upon which our country and our constitution were built. Mass relocation, forced assimilation and a host of other paternalistic "solutions" to the "native problem" are at odds with the most basic laws of the land (yet we've still tried them all and
they don't work). They are also at odds with recent developments in international law.
We cannot view First Nations as just another ethnic group (or collective of ethnic groups) or as just another layer of government. They are sovereign nations that pre-exist the foundation of the country. That sovereignty has never been legally extinguished.
There are several social issues plaguing First Nations (and Inuit and Métis peoples). I don't think we can isolate the residential schools as the sole substantial root cause of those issues. The schools played a huge part in breaking families and breaking cultures, but there's a whole host of other factors that went into it. Canada has done some pretty terrible things in the past and continues to do some pretty terrible things today. The TRC report is a starting place. We should not squander the opportunity for constructive change we have before us right now. We cannot allow these relatively modest recommendations to sit on a shelf somewhere next to the Royal Commission report gathering dust while we wait another twenty years until the next major inquiry.
All of that said, we really must drop the notion that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to the various issues confronting First Nations. First Nations are diverse with diverse needs requiring diverse solutions. We cannot tackle the "native issue" in one fell swoop. We have a long road before us and we can chose to take small steps forward or to stand still here, our hands thrown up in mock helplessness.
(*The courts have clarified the nature of this relationship over the past few decades, but we're still a ways off from exactitude. The definition of "sovereignty" is still fairly vague and there remain large chunks of the country where treaties have yet to be signed)
(Written from the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit Nation)