Canada 150 Research Paper

Words: 676
Pages: 3

We commonly associate the term ‘birthday’ with connotations of joy, happiness and celebration. However, in some instances, this may not be the case. In this essay, I will be discussing the response of the Indigenous groups to the Canada 150 celebrations by reflecting critically on the events that triggered the memory of a variety of catastrophic events experienced by Indigenous peoples throughout history. Although I will be specifically focusing on the Indigenous perspective as to why the Canada 150 celebrations are not for everyone, I want to mention that there are many other cultural groups who have strong opinions on this topic as well; including Quebecers, who have launched counter 150 celebrations called l’Autre 150. The three articles …show more content…
This article is written by Steve Bonspiel for CBC news. Bonspiel begins the article by introducing one of the main effects of colonialism: land claims. As an Indigenous man himself, Bonspiel mentions that they were not at all recognized for their assistance in making Canada what it is today. He also mentions that through land claims came methods of mass extinction, such as genocide, which raised havoc on the Indigenous peoples. Speaking on behalf of the Indigenous peoples, Bonspiel says that they just want to grow and live like they used to; in a place free of colonialism and …show more content…
Kassam discusses several reasons why Indigenous people are not celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday, including the cultural genocide that “forcibly removed 150,000 Aboriginal children from their families”. Kassam also mentions that the Indigenous people have no reason to celebrate the BNA act because this act stole their lands, territories, and resources. He further makes note of the fact that many of these issues still occur in the world today, only with less blatant violence.
Although all 3 articles I have chosen are different, they all share three common themes: colonialism, cultural genocide, and land claims. The three writers all argue that colonialism resulted in major consequences for Indigenous habitants in Canada. They also mention that Indigenous peoples do not have power over their own land, and that their land was forcefully taken away from them. Furthermore, they all collectively agree that the cultural genocide that took place prior to Confederation was an event in which they still have not received enough justice