History: Still in the Making
Canada paints the image that they have attempted to create bonds with the First Nations people, take back their former actions and reduce racism. However, in reality they do not treat Indigenous people any better than they did in the past. They just hide it better. They have made minimal efforts at fixing the massive hole they have made, but there is much more the government needs to do to give the First Nations people the treatment and respect they deserve. The question is, how can Canadians demolish the stereotypes and ignorance they have towards Indigenous people and give them equity in the media and public eye, and are their plans for the future good enough to correct their mistakes of the past?
Stereotypes. You can say you don’t believe in them, try to ignore them, but they’re always there in the back of your mind. The solution? To prevent thinking of stereotypes, you must block out the source, therefore creating ignorance.
Though ignorance can be devastating, your voice never being heard no matter how loud you shout, stereotyping is even worse. Psychological research done towards First Nations vs. non-Indigenous mentalities have proven that stereotyping dehumanizes First Nations people and culture, enhancing negative perceptions and bias about them. It therefore affects their feeling of self-worth and self-esteem, which could lead to devastating consequences including substance abuse, depression and even suicide, all of which we see on reserves even today(1); whereas recognizing First Nations people as ‘bad’ or ‘inhuman’ boosts esteem in non-Indigenous people, reinforcing power structures and white supremacy(2). In either case, it breaks any bonds between Native and caucasian Canadians, bringing back the racist mindsets of decades past and pushing the hope of reconciliation and forgiveness for past mistakes even deeper into impossibility.
The problem is, either stereotyping or ignorance must happen. There can be one or both, but never none. And both are utterly horrendous and will lead to mass devastation.
In the case of the missing Aboriginal women, though stereotyping was minimally present, ignorance took centre stage. The RCMP stated that over the past 30 years, approximately 1200 Aboriginal women have gone missing or been murdered(3). Although the Indigenous people make up only 4.3% of Canada’s entire population, they made up 16% of murdered women and 12% of missing women during those three decades(4).
However, Stephen Harper’s government was trying its hardest to avoid a “national commission of inquiry.”(5) In fact, it was not the federal government who ordered the RCMP to lead a study on the missing Aboriginal women.
Due to this, there was a widespread suspicion that the murders and disappearances, which, obviously, would have been a state of national crisis or even terrorism had it occurred to white women, were not a government priority due to the sole fact that the victims were Aboriginal Canadians.(6)
It was never confirmed, though based on Canada’s history of stereotyping, ignoring and even harming “different” races, “imperfect” Canadians, I don’t think it’s too hard to believe.
Want to learn more about the First Nations people in a fun, interactive way? Copy this link and check out some of the games that will help you understand them & their culture better! https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1302795811383/1302795996982
Cameras flashing. Microphones shoved into citizens’ faces. This is not just a reality for celebrities. Any time a disaster occurs, everyday people bear witness. They are interviewed and treated like royalty, given immediate - though fleeting - fame.
However, this is not a privilege for everyone. In fact, this is only a white man’s reality.
Though First Nations people go through worse and more frequent catastrophes, they are given only a fraction of the attention and media coverage that white people receive. In fact, during the Missing Aboriginal Women crisis, six times more stories appeared about missing white women than the missing Aboriginals, despite the vast difference in number of losses and murders and even the title of the crisis.(7) The stories about the white women also generally appeared on the front page of newspapers, accompanied by a full-size photograph, whereas when the exact same tragedy occurred to First Nations women, their stories were photo-less and tucked inside the newspapers, hidden.(8) Articles about the white women were four times longer than those of the Aboriginals and contained a multitude of personal details about the victims, whereas descriptions of Indigenous victims were superficial and impersonal.(9)
Unsurprisingly, the media only paid attention to this horrific tragedy after it struck a white woman.(10) Had it only impacted Aboriginals, the rest of the world wouldn’t have ever known about it.
One expert, Kristen Gilchrist, noted that the “Aboriginal womens’ lives were not similarly celebrated, and their deaths not equally grieved.”(11) Personally, I think that is pathetic. People are people, regardless of race or ethnicity. No one life should be valued more or less than another.
Media bias is nothing new. Even back 100 years ago, after the failure at the Battle of Passchendaele, media was being twisted to glorify some things and bury others. The few successes of the battle were highlighted, making the fight seem like a victory, whereas the harsh reality of extreme casualties was downplayed, minimizing the horror and twisting the dark day into seeming like a success. This is similar to how today's media highlights events that happen to caucasians and completely downplays the issues of Aboriginals and other “different” races, despite severity or being the exact same event as that happening to the white man or woman.
The problem here is that reporters and cameramen take their cues from their superiors(12), who get their instructions from their own superiors, until it traces back to the Federal government, which, of course, is headed by a white man. Whether it be Prime Minister Harper leading the inquiry of these missing Aboriginal women back in 2013, Justin Trudeau leading the country today, or any Prime Minister of the past, every Prime Minister of Canada has been white. The problem with this is that it is hard to properly empathize with issues, and therefore solve them wholeheartedly and properly, from an insider’s point of view, since they haven’t lived through hardships themselves. If an Indigenous person were to be appointed to deal with Indigenous Affairs, it would allow for more empathy towards Aboriginals when dealing with their issues, and therefore lead to not superficial solutions, but long-lasting, emotionally decent ends to all problems.
Watch this video to find out what the general public thinks about First Nations portrayal in the media!
Then, check out this TEDx Talk about changing the perception of First Nations in the media!
Fortunately, Canada has been putting efforts into reconciliation with the First Nations people. Unfortunately, whatever progress they make becomes shadowed by the mistakes being repeated.
The UN Indigenous Rights specialist, James Anaya, acknowledged that “Canada has made significant progress on Aboriginal Issues” since 2004, when a report documenting our continued mistreatment of the First Nations people was delivered. “But,” he added, “many challenges remain.”(13)
One such challenge is the third-world living conditions in many First Nations reserves. 96 of the bottom 100 communities in Canada’s Community Wellbeing Index are First Nations.(14) This is not a recent issue: when Africville was demolished in the late 1960s, it was due to its (despicably government-planned) lack of running water and electricity. If Africville was deemed a “slum,” there is no doubt these reserves could just as easily fall under that category too.
Though we harmed, not helped Africville, we can right that wrong. We have repeated our mistakes by not intervening thus far, allowing the spiral into poverty to continue without assistance. We should put our efforts into supplying these reserves with running water and adequate medical supplies. We must educate Indigenous children - voluntarily, of course, as we cannot repeat the massive mistake of creating residential schools! - so they can become a generation of knowledge and know how to keep their reserves thriving.
Another problem is, as referenced above, the image of First Nations in the media. Since 1869, they have been portrayed as lazy, corrupt and primitive.(15) One would hope that almost 150 years of improvements in technology and the introduction of term “growth mindsets” would lead to a shift in attitudes towards the First Nations people. However, during the 2013 “Idle No More” campaign, every single article published attested to the Aboriginals being stubborn, lazy and an unfit representation of Canadian society.(16)
Though this is evidently not true, it is what people want to believe. We don’t give the Indigenous people the assistance they desperately require, which can explain many of their predicaments. Of course, once they have one issue out in the public eye, people automatically assume the reason why they’re faced with that issue is one hundred percent their fault. They are then blamed for everything, whether they deserve to take the rap or not. Like I said in one of my former blogs, people like to blame others. They make assumptions towards their ‘perpetrators’ and find a way to twist a situation to make it their fault, just so they don’t have to blame themselves. In making assumptions and blaming the innocent, we are wronging them twice. Those two mistakes are entirely preventable and utterly inexcusable, but are instinctual. This awful behaviour is what we are brought up seeing. We, as the new generation, need to start looking at others with an open mind, forgetting what our parents have demonstrated to us with their hatred. If we keep continuing our ancestors’ hateful behaviour, it is what our children will see and therefore imitate and teach their children. The problem will never be solved.
Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits that there is still more we need to do to improve our relations with the First Nations people. Check out what he has to say about Canada's future in the video in this link:
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/09/21/canada-must-do-better-job-for-first-nations-kids-trudeau-says.html
I think the greatest issue is that people think that since we have ignored Aboriginals for so long, giving them the attention and recognition they deserve might go to their heads, leading them to take advantage of their newfound freedom and respect. Citizens think this will impact Canada and are afraid of change. The problem is, they need to realize that “Canada will not crumble and fall apart if we become more honest and aware of the history of these lands and the incredible diversity of contributions by peoples from all over the world,”(17) such as the diversity of the First Nations People. Only once everyone realizes “change isn’t a bad thing, it never was,”(18) can we stop repeating our mistakes and set off on the path of reconciliation once and for all.
1. Joseph, Bob. "The Enduring Nature of First Nation Stereotypes." Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples. April 14, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.ictinc.ca/blog/the-enduring-nature-of-first-nation-stereotypes.
2. Joseph, Bob. "The Enduring Nature of First Nation Stereotypes." Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples. April 14, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.ictinc.ca/blog/the-enduring-nature-of-first-nation-stereotypes.
3. D., M. "Canada's Indigenous People: A Weeping Sore." The Economist. May 14, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/05/canadas-indigenous-peoples.
4. D., M. "Canada's Indigenous People: A Weeping Sore." The Economist. May 14, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/05/canadas-indigenous-peoples.
5. Rhoad, Meghan. "It's Time for Canada to Act on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." The Globe and Mail. May 13, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/its-time-for-canada-to-act-on-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women/article18638089/.
6. D., M. "Canada's Indigenous People: A Weeping Sore." The Economist. May 14, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/05/canadas-indigenous-peoples.
7. "Media Portrayals of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Media Smarts. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/media-portrayals-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women.
8. "Media Portrayals of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Media Smarts. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/media-portrayals-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women.
9. "Media Portrayals of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Media Smarts. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/media-portrayals-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women.
10. "Media Portrayals of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Media Smarts. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/media-portrayals-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women.
11. "Media Portrayals of Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Media Smarts. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://mediasmarts.ca/diversity-media/aboriginal-people/media-portrayals-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women.
12. D., M. "Canada's Indigenous People: A Weeping Sore." The Economist. May 14, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/05/canadas-indigenous-peoples.
13. The Canadian Press. "UN Official Endorses Call for Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women." Macleans.ca. October 15, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/un-official-endorses-call-for-inquiry-into-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women/.
14. D., M. "Canada's Indigenous People: A Weeping Sore." The Economist. May 14, 2014. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2014/05/canadas-indigenous-peoples.
15. Vowel, Chelsea. "First Nations Won't 'Get Over' Your Ignorance." The Huffington Post. November 04, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/chelsea-vowel/canada-first-nations_b_3795611.html.
16. Vowel, Chelsea. "First Nations Won't 'Get Over' Your Ignorance." The Huffington Post. November 04, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/chelsea-vowel/canada-first-nations_b_3795611.html.
17. Vowel, Chelsea. "First Nations Won't 'Get Over' Your Ignorance." The Huffington Post. November 04, 2013. Accessed January 16, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/chelsea-vowel/canada-first-nations_b_3795611.html.
18. Mendes, Shawn. "Understand." Illuminate. September 23, 2016. Accessed January 17, 2017. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/shawnmendes/understand.html
