Essay on the Colonization and Marginalization in Canada

This essay examines the historical and ongoing colonization of Indigenous peoples in Canada, focusing on the policies and actions of the Canadian government. It highlights the displacement of Aboriginals and the erosion of their rights through legal means and treaties, characterizing this as a First Nations Termination Plan. The essay discusses the government's aim to limit Indigenous self-governance and access to resources, referencing specific bills and the application of philosophical concepts from Locke and Hobbes to justify the actions. It analyzes the demonization of Indigenous peoples and the use of eurosupremacism to legitimize colonial rule, referencing the work of Starblanket and the concept of the Doctrine of Discovery. The assignment provides a comprehensive overview of the historical context, legal frameworks, and philosophical underpinnings of Canada's treatment of Indigenous populations, emphasizing the ongoing struggle for rights and self-determination.

Running head: INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA
INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA
The White Canadians who form the majority community in the country today are but the
intruders in the nation which originally belonged to the Aboriginals, who are today a part of the
marginalized minority. The white skinned people had come to Canada as traders and over the
years by means of clever tactfulness they have trough legal means and by signing treaties had
taken over the land that originally belonged to the Aborigines (Starblanket, 2018). This gradual
process of displacing the Aborigines is called as the First Nations Termination Plan. Through it
the white Europeans had detached the aborigines of their right to sovereign ownership of their
lands through policy decisions which were highly coercive in nature (Starblanket, 2018).
Unfortunately the affair is still continuing and the aborigines or the First Nations are still being
victimized. Basically, the aim of the current government of Canada is to deprive the aborigines
of all rights that shall enable them to self govern themselves and allow them land ownership
rights which emanates from the fear that they might rebel against the government. In the 18th and
the 19th century the aborigines had already been ousted of their right to their land and in return
they were granted compensatory self government rights which were however a farse as in several
matters of settling disputes the aborigines had to take the help of the federal government of
Canada (Starblanket, 2018). In the 21st century the aim of the government is to deprive the
aborigines totally of any special provision and bring them totally under the rule of the federal
government by making their access to the natural resources restricted, such as water and the
forest resources. The Bill C and Bill S were thus a clever way by which the Canadian
Government is trying to deprive the Aborigines of their rights as guaranteed by the Aboriginal
Treaty Rights (Starblanket, 2018).
According to the views of Locke, the Western Hemisphere is characterized by limited
government and the property rights. An individual can amass as much property as he can with

2INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA
his capacity, and for that any means is legitimate (Coates, 2018). The same logic is applicable in
the context of Canadian Government which is grabbing land from the aborigines by means of
deception. Hobbes’ characterization of the people of the state of nature as uncivilized has been
used to define the aboriginal life who were in need of being civilized, as they did not live in a
state and did not have a head to rule them (Coates, 2018). Hence the Europeans had used the
narratives of eurosupremacism and demonization of the aborigines to justify and legitimize their
rule over the aborigines. The aborigines were demonized and were considered as incapable of
looking after themselves and managing their affairs by themselves (Coates, 2018). That had been
accomplished by means of asserting the fact that the Europeans were supreme and greater than
the aborigines, hence they had every right to rule over them. Thus the process of dominating and
ruling over the aborigines was accomplished by means of hegemonization, and indoctrination of
the supremacy of the Europeans over the aborigines apart from coercion (Coates, 2018).

3INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF CANADA
References
Coates, K. (2018). Has Canadian colonialism finally been displaced?: Assessing Indigenous
economic and social program innovation in Canada. Global Media Journal: Australian
Edition, 12(1).
Starblanket, T. (2018). Suffer the Little Children: Genocide, Indigenous Children, and the
Canadian State. SCB Distributors.