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The Royal Proclamation
Issued by King George III to establish a basis of government administration in the North American Territories. It created the constitutional framework for the negotiation of treaties with the Aboriginal inhabitants of large sections of Canada. It legally defined the North American interior west of the Appalachian Mountains as a vast aboriginal reserve, which angered inhabitants of the thirteen colonies who desired western expansion . -
The Royal Proclamation
Issued by King George III to establish a basis of government administration in the North American territories. It created the constitutional framework for the negotiation of treaties with the aboriginal inhabitants of large sections of Canada. It legally defined the North American interior west of the Appalachian Mountains as a vast aboriginal reserve, which angered inhabitants of the thirteen colonies who desired western expansion. -
Reserve Sytem
The Indian reservation system was created to keep Native Americans off of lands that European Americans wished to settle on.
The reservation system allowed Indian tribes to govern themselves and to maintain some of their cultural and social traditions (Aboriginal self-government). -
Indian Act
The Indian Act is the principal statute through which the federal government administers Indian status, local First Nations governments and the management of reserve land and communal monies. It was first introduced in 1876 as a consolidation of previous colonial ordinances that aimed to eradicate First Nations culture in favor of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. -
Aboriginal Right to Universal Suffrage
In March 1960, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker pushed the voting rights legislation through Parliament. It came into effect July 1 that year and first nations were given the right to vote in federal elections without losing their treaty status. -
1968 National Indian Brotherhood & Native Council of Canada Formed
When the National Indian Brotherhood tried to reform after having a lack of support back in1940, the National Indian Council was formed in 1968 and represented 3 of the 4 major aboriginal groups in Canada. They had trouble to agree on demands. This led to the split up of the National Indian Council, by mutual agreement. The Status & Treaty aboriginal groups formed the National Indian Brotherhood, while the non-status & Metis groups remained united & formed the Native Council of Canada. -
1969 White Paper
The 1969 White Paper ( formally known as the “statement of the government of Canada on Indian Policy, 1969”) was a Canadian government policy paper that attempted to abolish previous legal documents pertaining to indigenous peoples in Canada, including the Indian Act and treaties, and assimilate all “ Indian” peoples under the Canadian state. -
1969 Residential School System Abolished but not all closed
In 1969, after years of sharing power with churches, the DIA took sole control of the residential school system. The government decided to phase out the schools, but this met with resistance from the Catholic Church, which felt that segregated education was the best approach for Indigenous children. Some Indigenous communities also resisted closure of the schools, arguing either that denominational schools should remain open or that the schools should be transferred to their own control. -
1980s Movement toward Self Government
During 1980, special committees recommended that broad, even drastic, measures be taken in Canada to recognize and implement self-government, and the issue was raised during the process of patriating the Canadian Constitution. To achieve a Constitutional state that recognizes an inherent right to self-government was debated in the constitutional conferences and during the negotiation of the Charlottetown Accord. The Accord proposed a constitutional amendment to recognize Indigenous peoples. -
Assembly of the First Nations
Founded in 1982, The Assembly of First Nations is a political organization representing approximately 900,000 first nation citizens in Canada. They advocate on behalf of First Nations issues such as treaties, Indigenous rights, and land and resources. Before this, the Canada wide representation of indigenous people in Canada occurred through the National Indian Brotherhood ( NIB). -
1985 Passing of Bill C-31
It was a somewhat controversial measure that granted women the right to maintain their Indian status upon marriage. The bill also reinstated the status to those who had lost it by acquiescing to the enfranchisement process, obtaining a university degree, or by serving in the armed forces during the second world war. -
Meech Lake
Canadian Aboriginals stopped a constitutional amendment (Meech Lake Accord), in 1990. The recognition of aboriginal peoples as members in the founding of Canada with the inclusion of this in the constitution as a distinct society, with self-government, recognized. -
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Oka Standoff
The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between a group of Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec, Canada, which began on July 11, 1990, and lasted 78 days until September 26, 1990, with two fatalities. Jul. 11, 1990 – Sep. 26, 1990 -
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Nisga’a Treaty
People of BC signed a treaty with both provincial and federal government. Nisga were given wide powers to self-government regarding issues of culture, language and family life. -
Ipperwash Ontario
The Ipperwash Crisis was a dispute over Indigenous land that took place in Ipperwash Provincial Park, Ontario, in 1995. Several members of the Stoney Point Ojibway band occupied the park to assert their claim to nearby land which had been expropriated from them during World War II. -
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Gustafsen Lake BC
Sparked by a dispute between a local rancher and a camp of Sun Dancers over access to private land for ceremonial purposes, the armed confrontation raised larger questions of Indigenous land rights in British Columbia. The RCMP and the First Nations had a violent dispute over Gustafsen Lake BC. Following the standoff, police charged 14 First Nations people and four non-Indigenous supporters with a total of 60 offenses, including two counts of attempted murder. -
Delgamuukw Case
After years of failed negotiations with the provincial government, the chiefs of first nations filed a land title action with the supreme court of B.C The suit claimed them the title for land in northwestern B.C. The indigenous nations wanted to protect the land so the two groups joined together and went against the government by each claiming title over distinct lands.The trial that began from this was in 1988, called the Delgamuukw case. The court decline to deal with these issues in the case. -
Statement of Reconciliation
Canada made a statement of Reconciliation to residential school survivors in 1998 and created the Aboriginal healing foundation. It was a formal apology that was recommended by the Aboriginal people. It was an important step on the road to stopping indigenous discrimination. -
Creation of Nunavut
On April 1, 1999, the map of Canada changed. The former Northwest Territories ( NWT) was divided into two, creating a new territory called Nunavut. In the Inuit language, Inuktitut, the word “ Nunavut” means “ our land”.
