I don't know what it's going to take to change this putridly racist country. Government policy towards the First Nations is informed by an attitude of Malign Neglect. Our politicians want to make things so terrible for the First Nations that they give up on their reserves (and their natural resources) and join the settler society. Towards that end, their cultures (especially their languages) are being erased as past efforts of suppression continue to have their ill effects in the present day, and poverty and neglect conduct a war of attrition. They are to be assimilated and their claims on the wealth within the borders of Canada, and their abilities to disrupt capitalist exploitation of those resources is erased.
I always hesitate to discuss the social problems suffered by First Nations communities and individuals, because I worry about sounding like a patronizing colonialist. But the suicide epidemic, and the other ailments are real and, for the most part, they are the legacy of our destructive policies. This being the case, many settler Canadians' interactions with First Nations peoples will often reinforce negative perceptions. Especially for those racists who will see what they want to see. (I'll also note that when we have a neutral encounter with a First Nations person, who does not exhibit any trauma, many of us simply ignore it, and only remember the times when we saw something that matched our preconceptions.)
Regardless of any of that, what Joyce Echaquan had to endure in her last moments on this earth was inexcusable. That attitudes like those of those hospital workers are so poisoned by racism and hate is an indictment of this country. Is it any wonder the idea of "Canada" could be hated by many First Nations people? We abuse them. We steal from them. We insult them. And when they're forced to come to us for help we abuse them even more.
Look at the self-reinforcing racist stupidity described by First Nations witness Alland Flamand, from workers at that same hospital. When he went there complaining about excruciating back pain they simply gave him pain killers and sent him home. His repeated visits to the hospital were then viewed as an attempt by him to obtain narcotics! When he finally went to a different hospital, farther away, an actual examination revealed a herniated disc in his spine.
That's why I mentioned the very real social problems that the First Nations struggle with. Perhaps those people at that hospital had encountered some First Nations peoples with problems and now generalize that they're all drug addicts. What they should instead do is to accept the fact that many of these pathologies are the direct results of our abuse of the First Nations, and that we should refrain from colonialist arrogance. Canadian racists should always remember that the First Nations are human beings with the same rights to decent treatment as anyone else. All the cops, social workers, government bureaucrats, nurses, doctors, orderlies, ... all of us, ... we should recognize that it is WE who are the root of the problem. And to take the actions necessary to fix ourselves.
2 comments:
And that is why, although I can sympathize with the BLM movement, we here in Canada do not have the same major problem that still exists in the US after "how many years"?
This is why I feel that we have a more serious problem, which I refer to as "Aboriginal Lives Matter". Our history with our native people is not at all admirable and as much as this problem persists, there has been no attempt, by any political party in power, to have a serious look at the Indian Act and address a litany of systemic problems that exist. It is only then that we can address and improve the lives of these people.
One of the most important issue is how federal money is delivered to each Aboriginal group/tribe and who gets to distribute to the various members of these groups.
Anon,
I don't think anything significant will change until the power of the capitalist resource exploiters has been broken. But the inherent racism inside of many ordinary Canadians is also a strong pillar for the continuation of this sort of shameful behaviour on our part.
We have to start treating them as who they are. Separate nations in a relationship fraught with difficulties with us. But we never conquered them and therefore there's always an opportunity to renew the relationship in a positive, respectful way.
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