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1763 Royal Proclamation
King George III issued this proclamation to signify that French territory in North America was now British and it laid the foundation for treaties and negotiations with the aboriginal. It reserved quite a bit of land for aboriginals and was on of the cause of American aggravation which led to the American Revolution. -
Reserve System
The system which was implemented in the Indian Act that sectioned off land for Indigenous people. They are managed by agents of the government. Most of the reserves are based off of traditional land occupations of the respective tribes but the size of the land was significantly reduced. To this day reserves are still used. As shown in the 'projects' in America, not giving the tools to success to disadvantaged people is detrimental to their economic growth -
1876 Indian Act
Indigenous leaders were not asked to participate in confederation talks and the mindset of those who were creating the confederation was to make the indigenous pop. assimilate into 'White Canada'. Pros: schools, healthcare, hunting and annual payments. Gave Indian 'status' to natives. Cons: did not allow natives to own land outside of reserves, no voting unless they gave up status, if they were to go outside (metaphorically) the reserve, they would lose status. They were 'wards of the state'. -
Aboriginal Right to Universal Suffrage
In 1960 Indigenous peoples won the right to vote in federal elections in Canada. When Diefenbaker and his team was writing the Bill of Rights, they made sure to include that everyone has the right to vote. So after it was passed, it made it legal for Indians to vote federally without losing their Indian status: Universal Suffrage. This also brought a new demographic to appeal to for politicians during elections. -
National Indian Brotherhood & Native Council of Canada Formed
Before the creation of the Assembly of First Nations, the National Indian Brotherhood acted as representative body that pushed First Nations agenda through provincial organization. Its origins predate the European arrival to Canada. When the AFN came to power, the NIB remained as the administrative secretariat. It helps put into place the policies decided by the AFN. NCC was created to represent "non-Status Indians" and Métis. -
1969 White Paper
This was an official policy statement that addressed the poverty, unemployment, and ill-health of the indigenous population in reserves. Pierre Trudeau and his cabinet believed that getting rid of the reserve system would stop these problems. They also believed that Indians should just assimilate into mainstream culture so there was less discrimination. The response to this was quite critical: most Indians did not approve. Trudeau removed it soon after the increase in political activism. -
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1969 Residential School System Abolished but not all closed
Sponsored and run by Christian religious organizations, residential schools were designed to "Kill the Indian in the child". They forcefully took children away from their parents and abused them in many different ways. Although the schools were abolished in 1969, they continued until 1996 when the last school was burned down. PM Harper formally apologized in a speech during his time in office. -
Assembly of the First Nations
It is a representative, lobbying, and political activist group made up of members from over 600 First Nations where they meet annually to discuss the direction and policy of the First Nations in Canada. The members lobby parliament. They are the main representative group for indigenous peoples in Canada. -
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1980s Movement toward Self Government
Before the 1980s the control of the indigenous land/reserves were overseen and administrated through agents of the government. With social changes and highly notable court cases, The Constitution of 1982 brought the guarantee that Indigenous communities had the right to govern themselves, meaning they get to control their own policing, healthcare, etc but still get federal benefits. -
Passing of Bill C-31
Bill C-31, passed in April 1985 to amend the Indian Act. It granted women the right to maintain their Indian status upon marriage. -
Oka Stand Off
Also known as the Mohawk Resistance was a 78 day standoff between Mohawks and the police. During the standoff, one police officer was killed which had gotten the military involved which had eneded the protest. -
Meech Lake
Canadian Aboriginals stop the constitutional amendment which was the Meech Lake Accord in 1990. Their goals were the recognition of aboriginal peoples as members in the founding of Canadia with the inclusion of this in the constitution as a distinct society, with self-government recognized. -
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Nisga’a Treaty
In 1998, the Nisga'a people of BC signed a unique treaty. They were given powers for self-government pertaining to issues of culture, language and family life. They were also given ownership of 1992 square kilometers of land which had also included all resources, fishing and hunting rights. -
Gustafasen Lake BC 1995
Other protests after Oka Standoff followed to Gustafsen Lake, BC, when Indigenous people re-occupied land that they claimed was sacred ground. -
Ipperwash Ontario
A group of Indigenous protestors occupied land on a former army Base that had been taken from them during WW2 but never returned. -
Delgamuluukw Case
The Delgamuluukw Case concerned the definition, the concent and the extent of Aboriginal title(like ownership of traditional lands). Attempt by the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en peoples to achieve recognition of ownership, jurisdiction and self-government of their traditional territories from the governments of Canada and BC. -
Statement of Reconciliation issued in 1998
In 1996, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended that the government offer a formal apology for the past wrongdoings and injustice on the Canadian Aboriginal peoples. In 1998, Canada made a Statement of Reconciliation to residential school survivors in 1998 and created the ABoriginal Healing Foundation. -
Creation of Nunvat
The new Canadian. The territory of Nunavat was created in 1999 where Indigenous Peoples were given the right to self-government over natural resources, education, and justice systems. Comprehensive land claim for Aboriginal.
