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Indian department was created in 1755. - Coggle Diagram
Indian department was created in 1755.
British wanted some Indigenous allies so they created the Indian Department, the
Indian Department was created as a way for the British to attempt to have good relations with the First Nations.
Royal Proclamation was made
Sir William Johnson heard about the royal proclamation and set up a gathering at fort Niagara with many First Nations. It was a meeting to establish new relationships with the First Nations and the Crown. The British crown wanted to make allies with the indigenous nations so they set up the meeting. At the gathering we see the silver covenant chain wampum belt being used to solidify the relationship between the First Nations and the Crown. A wampum belt is a traditional form of contract with the First Nations. At this meeting, the Treaty of Niagara was formed.
Canada starts to become a country
The country of Canada begins to take shape and the nation to nation relationship begins to shift. In 1830 the Indian Department was transferred over to the civilian governors of both lower and upper Canada(Quebec and Ontario), this means that the Indian Department was no longer under the control of the military and was now run by the government.
The bagot Commission
In 1842-1844 a piece of paper that came into play that led to the Indian act was called the bagot commission. The bagot commission was named after Charles bagot, the governor general of British north america. The commission was formed to look into the activities of the Indian Department, this resulted in the Indians needing to be civilized, assimilated and the establishment of boarding schools should be utilized(Residential schools).
The Gradual civilizations act
In 1857 responsibilities for Indian affairs had passed from Britten to the Government of Canada and a new Department was created, one of the first items of business that the new department head was to pass a statue called “An act to the gradual civilization of the Indian tribes of Canada,” this now meant that the province of Canada was in charge. The Act wanted Indians to become citizens and if you didn’t want enfranchisement you would be considered a ward of the state incapable of making your own choices.
The gradual enfranchisement act
In 1867 there was confederation happening in Canada and in 1869 The gradual enfranchisement act was created. The act established the elective band council system that remains in the Indian act to this day. The act granted the Superintendent General of Indian Affairs extreme control over status Indian, the Act also severely restricted the governing powers of the band councils, regulated alcohol consumption, and determined who would be eligible for the band and treaty benefits.
In 1876 Canada was working towards finding a policy where they can successfully assimilate Indigenous people, so they take the Bagot Commission, the gradual civilization act, the gradual enfranchisement act, and combine them all into the Indian act.
1876, The Indian Act
Ever since the Indian Act was assented to in 1876, the health of Indigenous Peoples in Canada has been tragically impacted.
They were dispossessed of their lands, traditional economies, and the traditional foods that had sustained them since time immemorial, which compromised their immune systems.
Their self-sufficiency was destroyed and replaced by dependency on government agencies and their culture and traditions were ruled illegal.
They were moved into poorly constructed housing that was often not appropriate for the environment and did not accommodate the tradition of extended family groups.
Their children (150,000) were taken and placed in buildings with insufficient heat that proved to be breeding grounds for tuberculosis; the children were malnourished, cold, ill, lonely, homesick, and frequently subjected to medical experimentation.
The gender bias of the Indian Act devalued women (and continues to do so today) and denied them their legal rights and access to services for themselves and their children.
Some changes were made to the Indian Act
In 1951 when amendments to the Indian act gave provinces jurisdictions over indigenous child welfare, this laid the foundations for the 60’s scoop.
The white paper, In 1969, Prime Minister Trudeau proposed a “white paper” policy to achieve greater equality for Indians, he proposed to abolish the Indian Act and dismantle the Department of Indian Affairs. Although it was widely agreed that the Department of Indian Affairs and Indian Act was hugely problematic, this “white paper” was overwhelmingly rejected by Aboriginal peoples across Canada who felt that assimilating into mainstream Canadian society was not the means to achieve equality.
In the 1970s, Aboriginal women began organizing to battle the discriminatory legislation and In 1979 Jeanette Corbière Lavalle and Yvonne Bedard took the Canadian government to court, claiming that Section 12 of The Indian Act violated the Canadian Bill of Rights, but they lost their case at the Supreme court of Canada. In 1981, Sandra Lovelace resumed the fight and took her case to the United Nations. The United Nations Human Rights Committee found Canada in breach of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The UN ruling in 1982 coincided with the repatriation of the Canadian constitution, which includes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that guarantees gender equality. The government allowed itself three years to change any law that was not in line with the new constitution and Charter. After consultations and negotiations, the Indian Act was amended in 1985, and Bill C-31 passed so that those who had lost their status could once again regain it.