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The Dominion Lands Act (Objective Statement: In 1879 the changes to the…
The Dominion Lands Act
Objective Statement: The federal government bought Rupert’s lands and the North Western Territory from the Hudson Bay Company. The majority of the inhabitants of Rupert’s land and the North Western Territory were indigenous people who were not informed of its sale.(Yarhi)
Métis
Métis Perspective:
The federal government thinks that they own us and the land we live on but Rupert’s land and the North Western Territory does not belong to the government. It belongs to everyone that lives in Canada. It is very disappointing that the government is treating us like we aren’t a part of this country and like we aren’t considered real citizens of Canada. We have the same right to our living here as any other Canadian.
Government’s Perspective:
We have to make the most of as many resources and land as long as we have access to it in order to encourage western settlement and construction of railways to claim the title to the land that belongs to Canada. If we’re going to make sure that the U.S. doesn’t invade and eventually take control of a part of our country, we need to claim those lands in western canada and make sure that they know it belongs to us. Indigenous people won’t be able to do that without their homes being colonized by Americans because they don’t have control over Rupert’s land or the North Western Territory.
Objective Statement: The government offered Métis families land (65 hectares) and money scrip ($160 or $240) in exchange for their land rights. This was an attempt to remove their title to lands in the West (Canadian prairies) and make room for white settlers. Scrip is a system of land grants created by the Canadian government offered to Métis people which was exchanged for their land rights.
(Yarhi)
Métis Perspective:
As long as the government isn’t trying to purchase the land on which we live, we are grateful. The fact that they are now offering us land elsewhere for money is a little misleading but at the same time, expected. It would not be an easy decision for our people to move to a totally foreign area where our ancestors have lived on for so long. After what happened with the government trying to buy Rupert’s land and the North Western Territory we don’t know if this is just another attempt to get what they want for their own benefits.
Government’s Persepctive:
This will be our opportunity to make some room for the white settlers and farmers who will be entitled to their area of land and live there, cultivating and farming it to make a living. The Métis will be offered a place to live, just somewhere out of their usual homes in the West where they can start a new life somewhere else without having to assert their authority to their land by creating a provisional government. Rather than trying to buy their land, we will give them areas where they can live to remove as many of them as possible from their homes.
Objective Statement: A lot of Métis were entered unfairly in scrip arrangement. Agents forged their signatures without them knowing and people were pressured into selling them for less than face value to land speculators who sold the scrip to homesteaders for profit. This caused many Métis to be homeless. (Yarhi)
Government’s Perspective: In order to see progress in our goals we need to do whatever we see necessary even if that means a few Métis will become homeless. Especially if it involves the potential risk of losing political power to America. This is only the first step, the faster we get a move on clearing the land of the Métis, the closer we are to occupying them with white settlers and cementing the titles to lands in the West to our country.
Métis Perspective:
As the government of this country, they shouldn’t be trying to remove their citizens that have in fact have a claim to their land. How can they be so sure that the Americans want control of Canada? Is it enough to drive us out of our homes until everyone is homeless? That doesn’t necessarily solve their problems if it just creates more problems for our people.
Objective Statement: There has been evidence suggested that the federal government was aware of the flaws of the scrip system. For example, scrip holders names were not printed onto the document, many scrip holders had theirs mishandled and their land claims were ignored by government officials. (Yarhi)
Métis Perspective: We are constantly being shunned by the government with the promises in regards to our land rights they fail to keep. Do they think that the fact that our cultural identities are unlike those of non indigenous Canadians is the problem? If the roles were reversed would they attempt the same deceitful system to non indigenous people?
Government’s Perspective: There is not enough land areas to make room for land titles in the West for all of the Métis without leaving enough room for white settlers. Sometimes, we have to make the hard decision of using deceit when it comes to doing what we see is best for our country. This is not usually seen as a morally right thing to do but if the Métis understood the stakes and the consequences, maybe they would change their perspective.
Objective Statement: In 1879 the changes to the Dominion Lands Act acknowledged claims that were unsettled and made amendments. They addressed land claims made by Métis in the West and protected indigenous rights which limited land for homesteaders. (Mooney)
Government’s Perspective: After 7 years we now realize what the law has empowered us to do for those who have established peaceful possession of an area of land, possession of that land. We take full responsibility for intentionally trying to remove Métis from the land that they have been living on for years. Our awareness to the flaws of the scrip system has brought our attention to the injustice we have done to the indigenous people of our country. With these new changes to the Dominion Lands Act we hope this will restore some peace with the Métis and let land claims be resolved for the future.
Métis Perspective: Our land claims and rights as indigenous people of Canada are finally being addressed by the government. Those of us who have remained homeless after the result of the scrip system will now have a place to live, but for the res of us, it will take longer to regain the trust we have lost with the federal government.
Homesteaders Perspective: This doesn’t have much of an impact on us as long as our finished homesteads aren’t being removed especially those who have already developed and built a successful homestead to sustain ourselves. For those of us who have been attracted to settle down in the prairies, it may be too late for them to do that here.
Objective Statement: To attract settlers to the West, the dominion lands act outlined provisions for granting free homesteads (160acres of land) offered to settlers with a farming background. Homesteading is when an immigrant decides to settle in the Canadian West because of government advertisements that read “free land” and are expected to build a house and cultivate the area within 3 years.
(Mooney)
Government’s Perspective: Now that we have eliminated some Métis out of the West, we can finally move on to attract white settlers to claim the previous homes of the Métis so that the Americans know that the Prairies are claimed. The free land and vast prairies will surely be enough to entice any settlers looking to build a homestead and start a life somewhere new. With the allotted time of 3 years to cultivate and develop their area of land, homesteaders will have claimed the West before the U.S. does.
Métis Perspective: It isn’t fair that foreign settlers are welcomed in as many numbers as possible into the lands in which we have a title to. We are constantly getting pushed out of our homes to make homes for people looking for a place to settle in. It is just unbelievable that the government thinks their doing “what’s best for the country” because it isn’t for our people.
Homesteaders Perspective:
Free land given to us homesteaders is a great opportunity to make a living for free by farming and improving the land for 3 years given to us by the government. We will be able to support ourselves and families by growing and selling our own produce to make a profit. It’s also extremely convenient for those of us looking for a new place to settle in for free.
Definition: The dominion lands act was a law created by Canada’s federal government to increase the growth of settlement in the Canadian prairies by granting land to individuals, the Hudson’s Bay Company, railway construction and municipalities. The act provided land for First Nations reserves, organized Métis lands outside of the act using the scrip system and set certain homestead policies to urge people to settle in the West. Besides being a means for settlement, the dominion lands act was also an attempt to prevent the U.S. from expanding into Canada by taking extensive measures to do so. This caused many issues regarding indigenous groups and homesteaders