{"id":3044,"date":"2015-06-08T14:49:46","date_gmt":"2015-06-08T18:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=3044"},"modified":"2018-01-08T10:58:28","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T15:58:28","slug":"truth-and-reconciliation-commission-canada-guilty-of-cultural-genocide-against-indigenous-peoples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=3044","title":{"rendered":"Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Canada guilty of cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples"},"content":{"rendered":"
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… HUMAN RIGHTS …<\/p>\n

An article from APTN National News<\/a><\/p>\n

Canada is guilty of committing cultural genocide against Indigenous people, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a summary of its final report released Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"trc-canada\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

The TRC builds a case that leads it to conclude Canada committed cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples and used Indian residential schools used as its main weapon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese measures were part of a coherent policy to eliminate Aboriginal people as a distinct peoples and to assimilate them into the Canadian mainstream against their will,\u201d said the TRC report. \u201cResidential schooling quickly become a central element in the federal government\u2019s Aboriginal policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TRC unveiled two volumes and a summary of its final report which is expected to be released later this year. One volume was titled, What We Have Learned, and the other was titled, The Survivors Speak.<\/p>\n

The TRC was created as part of the multi-billion dollar settlement agreement between Ottawa, the churches and survivors. About 150,000 Indigenous children went through Indian residential schools throughout the systems over century-long existence.<\/p>\n

The TRC\u2019s report said cultural genocide is defined as the \u201cdestruction of those structures and practices that allow the group to continue as a group.\u201d<\/p>\n

States that engage in cultural genocide aim to destroy political and social institutions by seizing land, persecuting spiritual leaders, banning languages, outlawing cultural practices, restricting movement and disrupting families so cultural values can\u2019t be passed on to successive generations, said the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn its dealing with Aboriginal people, Canada did all these things,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

The TRC report said Canada\u2019s negotiation of treaties with First Nations were \u201cmarked by fraud and coercion.\u201d The report said the federal government continues to stall on the implementation of treaties to this day.<\/p>\n

The TRC suggests the only reason Canada bothered to enter treaties was because it couldn\u2019t afford to subdue the Indigenous population through war. In 1870, the total of Canada\u2019s budget was about $19 million. Across the border during the same time period, the U.S. was spending $20 million just to fight its \u201cIndian Wars,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

Early post-Confederacy Canada had one goal in mind when it began negotiating treaty, said the TRC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intent of the government\u2019s policy\u2026was to assimilate Aboriginal people into broader Canadian society,\u201d said the report. \u201cAt the end of this process, Aboriginal people were expected to have ceased to exist as a distinct people with their own governments, cultures and identities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald told the House of Commons in 1883 that residential schools would be one of the main weapons used to eliminate the \u201csavage\u201d before it grew to become incorrigible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages, he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write his habits and training and mode of thought are Indian,\u201d said Macdonald, in a passage quoted by the report. \u201cHe is simply a savage that can read and write.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Question related to this article:<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n

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Truth Commissions, Do they improve human rights?<\/a> <\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The policy persisted into the 20th Century and was supported by Church leaders of all denominations running residential schools, the report said.<\/p>\n

Supreme Court Justice Beverley McLachlin echoed the TRC\u2019s findings in a speech delivered last Thursday when she said Canada committed cultural genocide.<\/p>\n

The Harper government, however, has stated it does not support the view.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s attempts to wipe out Indigenous culture failed, but not without leaving deep wounds, said the report.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite coercive measures that the government adopted, it failed to achieve its policy goals. Although Aboriginal peoples and cultures have been badly damaged, they continue to exist,\u201d said the report. \u201cAboriginal people have refused to surrender their identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TRC report said Canada is getting another chance at reconciliation. The report notes that the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples called on Canada to begin a process of reconciliation. That commission was triggered by the 1990 Oka crisis that saw armed Mohawks face down the Canadian military to protect a burial site from being turned into a golf course.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2015, as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada wraps up its work, the country has a rare second chance to seize a lost opportunity for reconciliation,\u201d said the report. \u201cThe urgent need for reconciliation runs deep in Canada. Expanding public dialogue and action on reconciliation beyond residential schools will be critical in the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TRC report said the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples is \u201cdeteriorating.\u201d The report lists First Nations education, child welfare and justice as sources of \u201cdivisive conflicts\u201d and \u201cbarriers\u201d to reconciliation.<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has failed to live up to the promise of the 2008 apology, the report said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe promise of reconciliation, which seemed so imminent back in 2008 when the prime minister, on behalf of all Canadians, apologized to survivors, has faded,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

The report said too many Canadians are still ignorant of First Nations, Inuit and Metis history and it bleeds into the government sphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the public realm, it reinforces racist attitudes and fuels civic distrust between Aboriginal peoples and other Canadians,\u201d said the report. \u201cToo many Canadians still do not know the history of Aboriginal peoples\u2019 contributions to Canada, or understand that by virtues of the historical and modern Treaties negotiated by our government, we are all Treaty people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The TRC lays out 94 recommendations it believes help mark the path toward reconciliation. The recommendations include:<\/p>\n

Ottawa, the provinces and territories should fully adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n

Ottawa, in conjunction with Indigenous peoples, should develop a new Royal Proclamation on Reconciliation.<\/p>\n

Ottawa should repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery and the concept of terra nullius.<\/p>\n

Ottawa and Treaty nations should renew the Treaty relationship.<\/p>\n

Ensure Indigenous peoples are full partners in Confederation by reconciling Crown and Indigenous legal orders.<\/p>\n

The parties to the Indian residential school settlement agreement should sign a Covenant of Reconciliation.<\/p>\n

A National Council for Reconciliation should be created.<\/p>\n

The Pope should issue an apology to survivors of Indian residential schools.<\/p>\n

Canada should mark the 150th anniversary of the country by creating a fund for reconciliation commemoration projects.<\/p>\n

Ottawa should commit $10 million for the funding the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation over the next seven years.<\/p>\n

The Oath of Citizenship should be changed to include the following passage, \u201cI will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including Treaties with Indigenous peoples, and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.<\/p>\n

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… HUMAN RIGHTS … An article from APTN National News Canada is guilty of committing cultural genocide against Indigenous people, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a summary of its final report released Tuesday. The TRC builds a case that leads it to conclude Canada committed cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples and used Indian … Continue reading Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Canada guilty of cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,91],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-3044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-human-rights","category-north-america","tag-north-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3044\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}