Canada's Crimes Against Humanity

[Megas Methuselah]

I remember when I was an innocent kid in grade 8 learning about the Holocaust; geez, that was shocking. I couldn't bear to look at any pictures. Even in high school I could barely watch documentries on the Holocaust while retaining a sense of calm behaviour. It's a wonder such large-scale crimes can be commited in almost absolute secrecy. When I first read of the Armenian genocide, I was freaked, having never heard of it before. Then the Rwandan genocide entered my sphere of knowledge, and then Pol Pot's killings, and then Stalin's killings, etc. I was quick to learn that there was a compiled list of genocides on wikipedia.

Canada wasn't on that list, of course. In my innocence, I thought, "Wow, I live in such a perfect country. We're held in such good light by the global community. How nice." Currently, most of my people, the First Nations of America, are buried in poverty, alcoholism, and are generally at the bottom of the social ladder. The fact that this didn't quite fit in with the idea of a perfect country didn't really cross my mind.

My grandmother was always so stoic. My mom tells me of how, although she was a good mother to provide for her children, she never, not once, told her kids that she loved them. She always seemed cold and distant, hardly a motherly figure. Strange, isn't it? She never talked about her past, either.

And here's another thing: Why the **** can't I speak Cree, Saulteaux, or Michif? WHY?! Why am I speaking English, this strange, foreign tongue? Is my unusual accent all that I have left from a distant past?

Well, a while back, I did some digging and found some surprising things. It turns out this past isn't so distant after all. If you guys have some time, I want you to watch this documentry on google videos: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6637396204037343133&ei=QnztSfrTBKq4qAPBkvSiBg&q=unrepentant&hl=en

If you can't do that, at least read this: http://www.scribd.com/doc/7047754/The-Facts-of-Deliberate-Genocide-of-Aboriginal-People-in-Canada

And watch this quick vid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReISnQDbBE).

And finally, here's a site (http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/) with plenty of information.

It should be of no wonder, then, why my grandmother is so silent. I think the atrocities she was forced to witness (endure?) at these residential schools will accompany her to her grave. I hope many of you guys find this enlightening.

[Megas Methuselah]

http://www.itk.ca/media-centre/media-releases/canadas-record-indigenous-rights-questioned-un-human-rights-council


OTTAWA, Feb. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - The international community has sent a strong message that the Government of Canada must do more to uphold the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Canada's human rights record was reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, February 3 as part of the new Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

Of the 45 states that spoke during the three -hour session, 30 raised concerns about the rights of Indigenous peoples. Some of the strongest recommendations came from states that have traditionally allied with Canada in the promotion of human rights.

The United Kingdom, for example, recommended that Canada give its "highest priority" to addressing "fundamental inequalities" between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people including through "resolution of land claims and reconciliation of governance and self-government."

The governments of Norway and Denmark called on Canada to reconsider its opposition to the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Norwegian representative said, "We believe the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is unique as a universal framework for improving implementation of existing rights of Indigenous peoples in all countries of the world."

The government of Norway also called for "comprehensive reporting and statistical analysis of the scale and character of violence against Indigenous women so that a national strategy can be initiated in consultation with Indigenous representatives to respond to the severity of this issue."

Switzerland expressed concern over the lengthy process for resolving Indigenous land disputes and the concessions demanded by the government as a condition for settling claims. Switzerland urged Canada to "redouble its efforts" to resolve land disputes and to improve the mechanisms for doing so.

Canada was also questioned about the rights of Indigenous peoples by states with close economic ties. The government of the Philippines asked, "Is there specific legislation which covers mining activities in lands claimed by Indigenous communities? What mechanisms are in place to resolve possible disputes between private corporations, local and federal government and Indigenous communities in this regard?"

Twenty-three states did not have a chance to speak because of time constraints. They have submitted questions and recommendations in writing. For example, Zambia recommended Canada "take steps to review its position on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, consistent with the principal of international cooperation and the protection of the international human rights system as a whole."

Canada failed to consult with Indigenous peoples' organizations and domestic human rights groups before submitting its report to the Human Rights Council. Such consultation is recommended by the UPR process. Unfortunately, the failure to hold consultations was not made clear in Canada's report or in yesterday's session, which led some states to congratulate Canada on its consultations.

"The government is working with Aboriginal communities to agree on priorities," John Sims, the Deputy Minister of Justice, told the UN Human Rights Council. "The challenges are enormous. The scale of issues to confront is vast and many of the issues are technically very complex but we're moving ahead on many fronts: education, entrepreneurship, economic development, land claims, safe drinking water and so on."

Indigenous peoples' organizations and human rights groups are calling on Canada to take the recommendations of the UPR seriously and to engage constructively with Indigenous peoples and civil society to ensure their implementation.

The report of the Council's UPR Working Group will be released on Thursday, February 5. The Government of Canada will have until June to respond.
Video recordings of the session and related documents can be found online at: http://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc/archive.asp?go=090203

[Samurai Waki]

yeesh. Another long list of abuses perpetuated on America's Native Population. I actually read about this awhile back in a BBC Article, very horrifying. I think perhaps the best recourse would be a long list of apologies made by Canada's Government (mostly because of it's denial of what was really going on at the time), as well as opening up the information to the general (usually unaware) public.

[pevergreen]

No worse than what Australia did.

But we said sorry, so obviously its ok. :rolleyes:

[Fragony]

So this isn't about Celine Dion

[Samurai Waki]

I wonder what would've happen if Australia never actually apologized to it's aboriginal populace? Probably would have made the list of crimes against them longer than they already are.

[CountArach]

I wonder what would've happen if Australia never actually apologized to it's aboriginal populace?
It took until 2008.

Probably would have made the list of crimes against them longer than they already are.
I see what you did there...

[InsaneApache]

So this isn't about Celine Dion

or Brian Adams.

Damn Frag beat me to it.

[Megas Methuselah]

This is genocide. Aboriginal children forced by law to attend residential schools with 30% - 50% mortality rates maintained mostly by deliberate use of tuberculosis/smallpox, medical experiments, shock treatment(to eliminate memories?), sexual(pedophilia) and physical assaults, forced sterilization, no medical treatment for anything. These were schools meant to both eliminate First Nation culture amongst the children, which is genocide in itself, and to cull the First Nation population. That being so, it is safe to state that these were death camps.

If you think these are events that happened a hundred years ago, think again. The first schools opened up in the 1840's. The last one closed in 1996, at the George Gordon First Nation, my own reserve. If I had been born and raised on the 3rd-world country reserve, I would have attended that school. Luckily for me, I wasn't; I was raised in an urban ghetto instead.

[InsaneApache]

You want to see what Manchester looked like in the 60s. :sweatdrop:

[rasoforos]

Well Genocides come in all forms and shapes

What they have in common is that they are only accredited if there is a political reason.

So the Jewish Holocaust is important (for now). It even guarantees that its denial to be a thoughtcrime.

Wiping out a few million natives so Europeans do not have to live in slums is not important. All you will get is 'well ok it happened, we do not do it anymore, live with it'.

You mentioned the Armenian genocide. It is a great example of what you should expect and something you can contrast with the Jewish Holocaust. And the Armenians were the lucky ones in that case because other ethnocities or religious minorities are not even mentioned. Of course even today it's country of origin in actively denying it (admitting it gets you in jail) and often issues propaganda films and material directed to elementary school children and the 'great powers' are sort of whistling the other way because by doing so they sell trillions worth of military equipment.

Now imagine if Germany was actively denying the Holocaust, jailing those who admit it happened, and the 'Obamas' of this world were saying 'nevermind'. That is pretty much as 'fair' as it will go.

I hope that in the future your people will see greater control over your land. What I can wish for now is that your people manage to not become absorbed and lost.

[Hooahguy]

well said, rasoforos!

[InsaneApache]

I've read those links. Sounds like propaganda to me. Brenadette Devlin FFS!

I've changed my mind. It is propaganda.

As for manchester in the 60s. Rows of terraces sharing one outside toilet. That's depressing.


In the 20th century the First Nations population of Canada increased tenfold.[25] Between 1900 and 1950 the population grew only by 29% but after the 1960s the infant mortality level on reserves dropped dramatically and the population grew by 161%. Since the 1980s the number of First Nations babies more than doubled and currently almost half of the First Nations population is under the age of 25. As a result the First Nations population of Canada is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades.[25

A pretty poor attempt at genocide if you ask me. :wall:

[rory_20_uk]

All groups of people have fought against each other. There was no happy peace between the tribes before the Nasty Whites got there. From the Aztecs to the Zulus, the Maoris and north American tribes slaughter, ritual murder and canniballism have taken place; Tamurlame, Ghengis, Alexander the Devil / Great. And let's not forget the white on white events from history: the Vikings were hardly a pacifist bunch.

Nasty White Europeans were simply victorious over these others, as they had been over the tribes and indeed civilisations they had stamped out before them.

Does it make it right? No. But it is the way of all species and civilisations to push out until they reach something that pushes back.

~:smoking:

[InsaneApache]

Well I'm going to complain about all those nasty Frenchmen who came over here taking all our women and jobs in 1066. Makes as much sense.

[Fragony]

Well I'm going to complain about all those nasty Frenchmen who came over here taking all our women

actually, that does make sense

[rory_20_uk]

Well I'm going to complain about all those nasty Frenchmen who came over here taking all our women and jobs in 1066. Makes as much sense.

They wern't French. If anything the Normans or "Northernmen" were the descendents of Vikings, as can be also seen from the Bayeaux tapestry with the ships they used to invade.

Again how they found this area of Europe to peacefully set up home after coming to a committee meeting with the locals to ensure all rights were respected is amazing... Or they destroyed or subsumed the local culture and people. But white on white crime isn't really relevant. Only when whites are displacing others it is a problem.

~:smoking:

[Vuk]

People like to feel that they have a great past to belong to and a heritage to keep alive. Nothing wrong with that, but people gotta focus on the future, not the past. I got NA in me, I got English, I got African American, Jewish, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Scottish. I know absolutely nothing about the NA in me and have nothing but a passing interest in finding out. Same with all the other bloods. Why should I get obsessed with the government and culture that my parent's parent's parent's parent's parent's belonged to? Who the heck cares? I have no idea about where in Italy my Italian ancestors came from, and I really could not give a flying hair either. I am who I am, and I am an American, that is what matters. Think of how rediculous it would be if every person of Norwegian decent started wanted to stop being Americans/Ukers ~;)/Dutch/or whereever they now live and be vikings again. :P People in the past lived a lot more primitively and society and culture back then everywhere was barbaric by modern standards. Why would you feel any connection to that?
Sure, I could cry about all the bad :daisy: that happened to my NA ancestors and how their land was stolen...or I could whine about all the horrible attrocities the English commited against my Irish ancestors, or demand my Scottish ancestor's land back, or whatever. Heck, with my blood line, I could whine about everything and everyone. :P I hope you get my point though. How many times have European's ancestors been conquered by different people and been deprived of their land? Boohoo, it happened. Modern people are not responsible and cannot undo what was done. Live in the present and if you want to get your knickers in a bunch, do it about modern abuses, not historical abuses. You can prevent modern ones, not historical ones. NAs were killing, torturing, and sacraficing each other for a long time before Europeans. What one tribe says is their land they conquered from another, so that other has the true claim to it, etc. Don't fall for sensationalism. I am not saying it is any more horrible, but it is in the past, and NAs have no more right to the land than Europeans. The first came from Siberia and inhabited and others took it by right of conquest, and were conquered in their turn. The only right they had to it when the Europeans arrived was the right of conquest, which they lost when they were conquered.
This land is the land of all who live here and all who legally come here and become citizens.

EDIT: And I am not saying you cannot be proud of your heritage BTW. I can be proud of my Irish and Scottish heritage without wanting to enact revenge on the English and take 'my' land back. It is their land, and they are NOT the ones who did it to my ancestors, it was their ancestors. When you think of it, it is almost like family feuding. "Your grandfather stole my land, now I will rape your daughter! You great grand father shot my son, now I will burn your farm down! " You gotta move on and judge people, governments, and societies in the present for what they do in the present.

[Tribesman]

You want to see what Manchester looked like in the 60s.
see what parts of Manchester still look like .:2thumbsup:

[Meneldil]

Actually, though I perfectly agree that colonial powers behaved nastily with native population (more so with american natives), I kind of disagree with the term genocide used here.

Ethnocide? Yes. The british obviously tried to get rid of the native culture and to turn them into well-educated, "civilized" (according to british criteria) people. Doing so, they caused the death of many, and created long-term issues.
Yet, they didn't specifically tried to eliminate the native. Had they wanted to, they could have done it quite easily. They did not create concentration camps, did not try to create large scale famines and so on.

Now, I also agree that the native population is currently plagued with poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment and what not. This is terrible, and a shame to a modern-developed and democratic country.

Yet, I also think all the blame cannot be put onto Canada and canadian governments. My girl-friend is 3/4 native, 1/4 french canadian. Her mum (native) is unemployed, and lives with public money. Her dad (half-french, half-native)'s work is really crappy (he builds infrastructure): he doesn't make a lot of money, sends half of it to his ex-wife and spends the other half on booze. Both of them are, I'd say, pathologic drunkards.

Despite this rather poor background, my GF - who considers herself to be a native - achieved to graduate (quite succesfully I'd say), currently has an interesting job, and plans to work in the UK. All this was possible partly because she got large amounts of money from the governement as long as she studied. She also does not pay taxes, and benefits from various other forms of positive action.

Long story short, while she does blame the (previous) governments of Canada for the sorry state of the native community, she also does blame the traditional native ways of thinking, and the lack of self-confidence that has plagued it for so long.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

...Ethnocide? Yes. The british obviously tried to get rid of the native culture and to turn them into well-educated, "civilized" (according to british criteria) people. Doing so, they caused the death of many, and created long-term issues.
Yet, they didn't specifically tried to eliminate the native. Had they wanted to, they could have done it quite easily. They did not create concentration camps, did not try to create large scale famines and so on....

This is an important point. While it is impossible NOT to acknowledge the massive exploitation of the lands and resources of native Amerinds, it is demonstrable that many of those people working to break down and eradicate the native cultures were doing so in the sincere belief that they were making things BETTER for the native population. Our modern sense of culture screams at the horrific nature of such a project, but by the standards of their own times....

[lars573]

I've read those links. Sounds like propaganda to me. Brenadette Devlin FFS!

I've changed my mind. It is propaganda.

As for manchester in the 60s. Rows of terraces sharing one outside toilet. That's depressing.



A pretty poor attempt at genocide if you ask me. :wall:
It is proganda, but nothing they said was factually untrue. This whole thing came to light 10, 12 years ago. And there examples of all that stuff (save the medical experiments, never heard that one before) going on in the schools nation wide. And they were being run in part by the Catholic church. The government apologized and set up a system for victims to claim some kind of compensation. A government BTW that was headed by the man who set up a part of that same system. :dizzy2:


Now I support all the benefits that Canada gives native persons. They should also be expanded. We european settlers have taken so much it's the least we can give back.


Despite this rather poor background, my GF - who considers herself to be a native - achieved to graduate (quite succesfully I'd say), currently has an interesting job, and plans to work in the UK. All this was possible partly because she got large amounts of money from the governement as long as she studied. She also does not pay taxes, and benefits from various other forms of positive action.
Most of those tax breaks only apply if you live on a reserve. And quite a few of those make Darfur look like a 5 star resort. Some however are not bad. My neighbour for example is native through his father (I believe the current rules are you have to have 2 native grand-parents to claim native status). He gets a check from casino profits on a reserve near Truro, a major town here in New Scotland.

[Megas Methuselah]

Despite this rather poor background, my GF - who considers herself to be a native - achieved to graduate (quite succesfully I'd say), currently has an interesting job, and plans to work in the UK. All this was possible partly because she got large amounts of money from the governement as long as she studied. She also does not pay taxes, and benefits from various other forms of positive action.

Long story short, while she does blame the (previous) governments of Canada for the sorry state of the native community, she also does blame the traditional native ways of thinking, and the lack of self-confidence that has plagued it for so long.

Mind you, much of that lack of self-confidence and alcoholism is a direct result of residential schools. But you're right. I'm getting financially supported through university. However,I'm the only one in my generation to have graduated high school, out of all my 1st degree cousins and my 2nd degree cousins. The jails are full of native people. Sure, I'm being helped; but what about everyone else?


My neighbour for example is native through his father (I believe the current rules are you have to have 2 native grand-parents to claim native status). He gets a check from casino profits on a reserve near Truro, a major town here in New Scotland.

That's nice. But as you said, not every reserve has a casino. Also, notice the criteria for having "native" status. It's interesting how it is the government that chooses whether who's native or who's not; they're the ones who came up with that rule in the first place.


A pretty poor attempt at genocide if you ask me.

Even if it wasn't genocide, it still can't be denied that the children were deliberate culled in an effort to stem our expansive population growth.

There are government documents that state these 30%-50% mortality rates in the schools. Pictures show children with tuberculosis being mixed together with the healthy children in an attempt to spread the illness. You don't send someone with tuberculosis into a healthy crowd like that, you have to quarantine them!


In the 20th century the First Nations population of Canada increased tenfold.[25] Between 1900 and 1950 the population grew only by 29% but after the 1960s the infant mortality level on reserves dropped dramatically and the population grew by 161%. Since the 1980s the number of First Nations babies more than doubled and currently almost half of the First Nations population is under the age of 25. As a result the First Nations population of Canada is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades.

This can partly be explained by the eventual closures of residential schools over time, and the gradual shift of First Nation peoples from the reserves to urban areas, with hospitals and no residential schools.

Maybe condemning all this as genocide was too much on my part, but I'm still insulted by your attitude, Apache. I'd like to see you tell a Jewish Holocaust survivor that his/her stories are propaganda.


Sure, I could cry about all the bad things that happened to my NA ancestors and how their land was stolen

You make fair points on the rights of conquest and so forth, but stolen land is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about children being raped, tortured, and (mass) murdered, all of which is relatively recent.

I'm not angry over how the Metis and their native allies were defeated in the Red River and North West Rebellions and had their lands stolen over a hundred years ago. No. I'm angry about what my grandparents had to go through, about what the cousins of my mother had to go through. My mother and her siblings were lucky in that their parents moved off the reserve and lived in urban settings, away from those horrid death camps, leaving the rest of those poor kids to suffer.

[Megas Methuselah]

Our modern sense of culture screams at the horrific nature of such a project, but by the standards of their own times....

The last school closed down in 1996. Is that modern enough for you?

[Lemur]

While it is impossible NOT to acknowledge the massive exploitation of the lands and resources of native Amerinds, it is demonstrable that many of those people working to break down and eradicate the native cultures were doing so in the sincere belief that they were making things BETTER for the native population.
Quoted for truth. A proper genocide involves taking a look at a population and wanting them gone. Eradicated. Ethnically cleansed. I can think of vanishingly few instances of this during the colonial period (even Belgium's King Leopold had no overt intent to kill millions of natives in the Congo, it just kinda worked out that way in the course of doing business).

The colonial powers thought they had better technology, a better way of life, and the backing of the one true God. Why shouldn't they impart these blessings on neolithic tribesmen? Why, it would have been criminal to deny their primitive minds and souls the blessings of civilization.

At least, that's how many of them thought. Very different motivation from the Khmer Rouge, the Third Reich, Stalin, Mao or the various wanna-be genocidal maniacs in the former Yugoslavia.

[Megas Methuselah]

Quoted for truth. A proper genocide involves taking a look at a population and wanting them gone. Eradicated. Ethnically cleansed. I can think of vanishingly few instances of this during the colonial period (even Belgium's King Leopold had no overt intent to kill millions of natives in the Congo, it just kinda worked out that way in the course of doing business).

The colonial powers thought they had better technology, a better way of life, and the backing of the one true God. Why shouldn't they impart these blessings on neolithic tribesmen? Why, it would have been criminal to deny their primitive minds and souls the blessings of civilization.

At least, that's how many of them thought. Very different motivation from the Khmer Rouge, the Third Reich, Stalin, Mao or the various wanna-be genocidal maniacs in the former Yugoslavia.

True. But this didn't happen in the colonial period! It's a modern occurance. And is it still not a crime to eliminate up to half of the residential school children in an attempt to prevent our population from growing too fast?

[Rhyfelwyr]

It is disgusting to think this could have been going on until not much over a decade ago. The question now is how to get the native population out of their current condition. I'm not sure lots of benefits are the right answer, since that may just trap people in the povery cycle...

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The last school closed down in 1996. Is that modern enough for you?

No doubt. I suspect that in the 80's and 90's they were not teaching quite the same "abandon your native culture and go Euro" that was likely central to the curriculum 100 year previously.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The government apologized and set up a system for victims to claim some kind of compensation. A government BTW that was headed by the man who set up a part of that same system. :dizzy2:

If you're talking about the residential system apology by Harper, I would recommend that you say exactly how you believe he helped set up any of the residential school system.


Mind you, much of that lack of self-confidence and alcoholism is a direct result of residential schools.

Some of it, perhaps. However, the firewater was being consumed in abusive quantities long before the idea of residential schools had even come up.

[Megas Methuselah]

No doubt. I suspect that in the 80's and 90's they were not teaching quite the same "abandon your native culture and go Euro" that was likely central to the curriculum 100 year previously.

I think you're right, except for the "100 year previously" part. Many of these atrocities persisted until the 60's. That doesn't make them any better, though. The mere fact that these actually happened in Canada is enough to disgust.


Some of it, perhaps. However, the firewater was being consumed in abusive quantities long before the idea of residential schools had even come up.

And I'm sure the residential schools really helped in this regard, didn't they?


It is disgusting to think this could have been going on until not much over a decade ago. The question now is how to get the native population out of their current condition. I'm not sure lots of benefits are the right answer, since that may just trap people in the povery cycle...

I honestly don't know. More jobs on the reserves would help, of course. Give the First Nation people something else to do other than sit around with their beer and the wood ticks.

Continue the funding for university students is a must.

I honestly have no idea about how the help the ones in the urban ghettos, though. Poverty, drugs, alcohol, and gang violence are all very common.

And, by God, they stopped stealing our reserve lands not long ago (which, to be honest, we'll never get back), but the Canadian gov't continues to steal our natural resources. Give us our own say in how our resources are used. These could even be used to create jobs.

And seriously, if the United Nations Human Rights Council finds something wrong with all this, then something is really freakin wrong. It's amazing how Canada still refuses to acknowledge this and insists everything is well.


The report of the (United Nations Human Rights) Council's UPR Working Group will be released on Thursday, February 5 (2009). The Government of Canada will have until June to respond.