Post by ren on Nov 20, 2003 3:36:34 GMT -5
If anyone is interested this is the original letter sent to Castanet before it was edited by someone there...
It deeply troubles me that this day and age in Canada after so many years spent to wipe out racial walls that we still live under two separate sets of laws. There are the laws that everyday taxpaying Canadians are obligated to follow, the ones built over time by our fathers and their fathers before them. Then there is the set of laws, which are set-aside for First nations, ironically also built over time by our fathers and their fathers before them.
Where does this all end? Possibly the best way to answer that question is to look back and see how it all began. Ultimately it could be taken back to the first explorers that came to Canada and took advantage of the Aboriginals ignorance to their intentions, but more than likely the real problems were when the Government of Canada segregated the Aboriginal population taking away their lands then putting them onto reserves. Things compounded by taking away their children and putting them into the Residential Schools hoping they could assimilate into Canadian society. Unfortunately with that came some horrible cases of abuse.
These were indeed terrible acts that were perpetrated by our elected government but a point that needs to be made is that the First Nations people are not unique in their past suffering. The Japanese Canadians suffered similar circumstances, as did the German Canadians during world wars I and II yet we have no separate set of laws designed just for them. The question is, how long does the present population of Canadians have to continue to pay for the poor choices of the past population. A common response to this is that it is not the People of Canada who are being held accountable but rather the Canadian Government itself. Our government though is not a separate entity that acts on its own of its own free will, it is a body of elected officials that function on behalf of the populace. There is no difference between the People of Canada and the Government of Canada, they are one in the same, and we need to stop treating them as separate. The majority of Canadians come from families who immigrated to Canada, many of whom were not even in this country when these acts were done to the Natives, yet the onus is on them to make things right. Large numbers of these immigrated families are not strangers to persecution themselves, having lost everything, including loved ones. Yet they still abide by the law, pay taxes and make their own way in this country.
Canadians are far too polite. We always seem to knuckle under to the loud and boisterous special interest groups that like to grab the media headlines while the silent majority sits back too afraid to be labeled as racists or bigots. It is that fear that keeps us stuck in the ruts we continually find ourselves in. It is that fear that allows us as a society to be exploited. We need to stop being afraid and start asking ourselves some hard questions and be prepared to give some honest answers. Some questions like, “Why do we continue to act under two sets of laws based on race in a free and democratic society?” “When do we stop being held accountable for the actions of those who came before us?” And simply,“ When is enough enough?”
It deeply troubles me that this day and age in Canada after so many years spent to wipe out racial walls that we still live under two separate sets of laws. There are the laws that everyday taxpaying Canadians are obligated to follow, the ones built over time by our fathers and their fathers before them. Then there is the set of laws, which are set-aside for First nations, ironically also built over time by our fathers and their fathers before them.
Where does this all end? Possibly the best way to answer that question is to look back and see how it all began. Ultimately it could be taken back to the first explorers that came to Canada and took advantage of the Aboriginals ignorance to their intentions, but more than likely the real problems were when the Government of Canada segregated the Aboriginal population taking away their lands then putting them onto reserves. Things compounded by taking away their children and putting them into the Residential Schools hoping they could assimilate into Canadian society. Unfortunately with that came some horrible cases of abuse.
These were indeed terrible acts that were perpetrated by our elected government but a point that needs to be made is that the First Nations people are not unique in their past suffering. The Japanese Canadians suffered similar circumstances, as did the German Canadians during world wars I and II yet we have no separate set of laws designed just for them. The question is, how long does the present population of Canadians have to continue to pay for the poor choices of the past population. A common response to this is that it is not the People of Canada who are being held accountable but rather the Canadian Government itself. Our government though is not a separate entity that acts on its own of its own free will, it is a body of elected officials that function on behalf of the populace. There is no difference between the People of Canada and the Government of Canada, they are one in the same, and we need to stop treating them as separate. The majority of Canadians come from families who immigrated to Canada, many of whom were not even in this country when these acts were done to the Natives, yet the onus is on them to make things right. Large numbers of these immigrated families are not strangers to persecution themselves, having lost everything, including loved ones. Yet they still abide by the law, pay taxes and make their own way in this country.
Canadians are far too polite. We always seem to knuckle under to the loud and boisterous special interest groups that like to grab the media headlines while the silent majority sits back too afraid to be labeled as racists or bigots. It is that fear that keeps us stuck in the ruts we continually find ourselves in. It is that fear that allows us as a society to be exploited. We need to stop being afraid and start asking ourselves some hard questions and be prepared to give some honest answers. Some questions like, “Why do we continue to act under two sets of laws based on race in a free and democratic society?” “When do we stop being held accountable for the actions of those who came before us?” And simply,“ When is enough enough?”
. Most of generation X accepts minorities with no question. They grew up together, went to school and college together and entered the work force together with very little ,if any, discrimination against minorities. Minorities , special needs and natives are all part of the public school system, just as "whites" and minorities attend Native schools , A superior school system I might add. So, yes, there is hope for equality, and God willing and the creeks don't rise; it will happen in our lifetime. Native bashing isn't the way it's done. understanding and tolerance are the way.