Owning up to our history
If you think Canada is some do-gooder nation that promotes social justice and world peace, take off your rosy-coloured glasses. I am so sick of Canadians acting as if we are not a part of the problem, and that somehow we are better than our war-mongering neighbours to the south. We are so quick to criticize other countries for their unethical behaviour, but when it comes to ourselves we seem to be silent and can't handle the criticism. It seems as though we are just as blindly patriotic as other nations. Canada is completely aligned with the United States on every possible issue; we just cover up our evil deeds better.
The most despicable stain on our white flag is the blood of the millions of Native Americans that our country deliberately killed through various campaigns of conventional and biological warfare. It is historically proven that our government set out to wipe the Native American race off the face-of-the-earth through outright massacres and germ warfare. With the help of the big churches who provided religion as the pretext, we deliberately stole children from their homes and forced them into residential schools where they were sadistically abused in all ways, robbed of their culture, language and religion, and more often than not, killed. Historical records indicate that more than half of all aboriginal children imprisoned in the residential school system that was operated by both our government and our churches were killed. Some were violently beaten to death, others thrown out of windows or down stairs, but most were victims of biological warfare. In order to kill off as many native people as possible these schools forced children to play with others who were sick with highly contagious and deadly diseases such as Tuberculosis. Canadian doctors practiced eugenics and were paid to sterilize native women so that they could not produce offspring. We destroyed entire towns while murdering leaders and separating families. This is our legacy; ethnic cleansing, cultural destruction and genocide.
The survivors could never recover from the pain and trauma, and this has had a trickle down effect onto the newer generation who still suffer. This genocide is not ancient history; there are many survivors of these schools still alive today who experienced it firsthand. This is recent and the wound still bleeds. Canadians are taught about how evil Hitler and Nazi Germany was, but we are not taught about our own similar history of singling out a race to be wiped out. Why has nobody been punished? Why are mainstream Canadians still hostile and untrusting of Native Americans? Why are aboriginal peoples the ones targeted and brutalized the most by law enforcement? Why are we still stealing native land (Caledonia)? Why do aboriginals live in third world conditions in one of the wealthiest nations in the world? Why so much disparity? Why so little hope? The answer to all these questions is simple; racism. Our government and many Canadians are racist now, just as we were racist then.
It is time we start criticizing ourselves and hold ourselves to the same standards that we hold other nations accountable to. It is time for us to decry the actions of our forefathers and stand in solidarity with their victims and victims' descendents. It is time that we realize that all people should be treated with respect and dignity no matter what race or religion. It is time for our history books to be rewritten. It is time for a public apology. It is time for acknowledgment and serious compensation. It is time to settle land claims in favour of Native Americans and give back as much of what was stolen as we possibly can. Most importantly, it is time to right our past wrongs and move forward in solidarity.
Aboriginal Solidarity Day June 21 Victoria Park 9 a.m.
First Nations call on all Canadians to stand with them on their national day of action, June 29th. Watch the award-winning documentary Unrepentant: Kevin Annett and Canada's Genocide for more information about residential schools and Canadian genocide.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The most despicable stain on our white flag is the blood of the millions of Native Americans that our country deliberately killed through various campaigns of conventional and biological warfare. It is historically proven that our government set out to wipe the Native American race off the face-of-the-earth through outright massacres and germ warfare. With the help of the big churches who provided religion as the pretext, we deliberately stole children from their homes and forced them into residential schools where they were sadistically abused in all ways, robbed of their culture, language and religion, and more often than not, killed. Historical records indicate that more than half of all aboriginal children imprisoned in the residential school system that was operated by both our government and our churches were killed. Some were violently beaten to death, others thrown out of windows or down stairs, but most were victims of biological warfare. In order to kill off as many native people as possible these schools forced children to play with others who were sick with highly contagious and deadly diseases such as Tuberculosis. Canadian doctors practiced eugenics and were paid to sterilize native women so that they could not produce offspring. We destroyed entire towns while murdering leaders and separating families. This is our legacy; ethnic cleansing, cultural destruction and genocide.
The survivors could never recover from the pain and trauma, and this has had a trickle down effect onto the newer generation who still suffer. This genocide is not ancient history; there are many survivors of these schools still alive today who experienced it firsthand. This is recent and the wound still bleeds. Canadians are taught about how evil Hitler and Nazi Germany was, but we are not taught about our own similar history of singling out a race to be wiped out. Why has nobody been punished? Why are mainstream Canadians still hostile and untrusting of Native Americans? Why are aboriginal peoples the ones targeted and brutalized the most by law enforcement? Why are we still stealing native land (Caledonia)? Why do aboriginals live in third world conditions in one of the wealthiest nations in the world? Why so much disparity? Why so little hope? The answer to all these questions is simple; racism. Our government and many Canadians are racist now, just as we were racist then.
It is time we start criticizing ourselves and hold ourselves to the same standards that we hold other nations accountable to. It is time for us to decry the actions of our forefathers and stand in solidarity with their victims and victims' descendents. It is time that we realize that all people should be treated with respect and dignity no matter what race or religion. It is time for our history books to be rewritten. It is time for a public apology. It is time for acknowledgment and serious compensation. It is time to settle land claims in favour of Native Americans and give back as much of what was stolen as we possibly can. Most importantly, it is time to right our past wrongs and move forward in solidarity.
Aboriginal Solidarity Day June 21 Victoria Park 9 a.m.
First Nations call on all Canadians to stand with them on their national day of action, June 29th. Watch the award-winning documentary Unrepentant: Kevin Annett and Canada's Genocide for more information about residential schools and Canadian genocide.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
