Dehumanization In Canada

Indigenous peoples of Canada have been considered inferior to all other citizens, and have been abused and neglected through European history, and can be seen as a form of genocide. In Canadian residential schools, children were removed from the home, sexually assaulted, beaten, deprived of basic human necessities, and over 3 500 women and girls were sterilized, and this went on well into the 1980 's (Nicoll 2015). The dehumanization of Indigenous peoples over the generations has left a significant impact on society today; the generational trauma has left many Indigenous peoples heavily dependent of drugs and alcohol, and the vulnerability of Indigenous women has led to extremely high rates of violent crime towards these women. A report that

Of the fifty eight studies conducted, over 700 recommendations have been made, and only a handful have been implemented; this is a very good example of how the federal government has breached their fundamental and moral obligations to protect all women without discrimination (Legal Strategy Coalition on Violence Against Indigenous Women 2015). In a discussion held at the University of Toronto, Pam Palmater (2015), an aboriginal lawyer, said that “the days of saying the federal government should save [aboriginal peoples] are long over. All of it should not be up to the state, but it starts at the top with accountability.” While Harper has agreed to keep raising awareness, he has not committed to a national inquiry; he said “it [is not] high on our radar, to be honest” (Fitzgerald 2015). It is comments such as this that deter the general public from caring about this dire issue; if the head of state does not acknowledge that this is a pressing issue, it is understandable to see why the rest of the country does not understand the severity and scope of the issue. “A national inquiry commissioned by the government would also change the

Canada already knows what the cause of this problem is; by clearly defining the term “national inquiry” we are able to start looking deeper into the issue and figuring out ways to begin to solve this problem. More attention and education also needs to be brought forth to the general public; people need to be aware that this is a human rights and colonialism issue and is riddled with sexism and racism. Finally, this inquiry needs to look into why over 700 recommendations have not been implemented, and why the government is putting up so much resistance to the issue; the government is failing to uphold its moral and fundamental obligation to protect all women without discrimination. “What a national inquiry has the potential to do is foster a national discussion. I say discussion rather than narrative, because the story is not over. It continues to unfold around us, laying our hearts to waste one grisly discovery after another (âpihtawikosisân