Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples

Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples
They Came for the Children
a publication by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
LocationCanada
TargetIndigenous peoples in Canada
Attack type
Genocide, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, collective punishment, sexual abuse, starvation, forced conversion
AssailantsGovernment of Canada, Catholic Church, Anglican Church, United Church, and Presbyterian Church
Motive

The Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples[nb 1] is the genocide and systematic destruction of the Indigenous inhabitants of Canada from colonization to the present day.[7] Throughout the history of Canada, the Canadian government and its colonial predecessors has committed what has variously been described as atrocities, crimes, ethnocide, and genocide, against the Indigenous peoples in Canada.[8][9]

Canada is a settler-colonial state "whose sovereignty and political economy is premised on the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and the exploitation of their land base", and therefore various concepts were used as justifications for the genocide since the very beginnings of the federation and its predecessor states.[7][10][11] The Canadian government implemented policies such as the Indian Act,[nb 2] residential schools, health-care segregation, and displacement that aimed to assimilate Indigenous peoples into mainstream society while erasing their religious and culture identities.[13]

There is debate among scholars and Indigenous people about the exact definition and type of genocide that has occurred.[14][15][16] Canadian Courts and recent governments have recognized and eliminated many discriminatory practices. A period of redress began with the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by the Government of Canada in 2008.[17] This included recognition of cultural genocide,[18] settlement agreements,[17] and betterment of racial discrimination issues, such as addressing the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women.[19] Despite the official and academic recognition, segments of the Canadian population deny a cultural genocide took place.[20]

  1. ^ "The Canadian Style". TERMIUM Plus. October 8, 2009. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "4.11 Races, languages and peoples, 4.12". TERMIUM Plus. October 8, 2009. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Indigenous Peoples". University of Guelph. November 14, 2019. Archived from the original on July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "14.12 Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Stereotyping, Identification of Groups". Translation Bureau. Public Works and Government Services Canada. 2017. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. ^ McKay, Celeste (April 2015). "Briefing Note on Terminology". University of Manitoba. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Todorova, Miglena (2016). "Co-Created Learning: Decolonizing Journalism Education in Canada". Canadian Journal of Communication. 41 (4): 673–92. doi:10.22230/cjc.2016v41n4a2970.
  7. ^ a b Richardson, Benjamin (2020). Richardson, Benjamin J. (ed.). From student strikes to the extinction rebellion: new protest movements shaping our future. Cheltenham, UK Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-80088-109-9. Canada is a settler colonial state, whose sovereignty and political economy is premised on the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and exploitation of their land base' (2015:44). Many of the most egregious genocidal...
  8. ^ Woolford 2009, p. 81; Green 2023; MacDonald & Hudson 2012, pp. 430–431; Dhamoon 2016, p. 10
  9. ^ "Genocide and Indigenous Peoples in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024.
  10. ^ Williams, Kimberly (2021). Stampede: Misogyny, White Supremacy and Settler Colonialism. Fernwood Publishing. ISBN 9781773632179. Canada is a settler colonial state, it is also what hooks (Jhally 1997) calls a white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy...
  11. ^ Lightfoot et al. 2021, pp. 134–135.
  12. ^ a b "Terminology Guide Research on Aboriginal Heritage" (PDF). library and Archives Canada - University of British Columbia. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2024.
  13. ^ Miller, J. R. (January 11, 2024). "Residential Schools in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  14. ^ Dhamoon 2016, pp. 14–15.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rubinstein was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ MacDonald 2015, pp. 411–413, 422–425.
  17. ^ a b "Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action" (PDF). National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. 2015. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2015.
  18. ^ "Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada" (PDF). National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. May 31, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Principles respecting the Government of Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples". Ministère de la Justice. July 14, 2017. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Smith, Donald B.; Miller, J. R. (September 11, 2019). "No Genocide". Literary Review of Canada. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.


Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).