 Protection
Some officials developing Indian policy were very
aware of the problems of alcoholism, greed and
prostitution that flourished on the frontier of Canada.
Some had humanitarian goals which sought to protect
Indians until they could be assimilated into white
society. This led to laws prohibiting the sale of
Indian land, prohibiting the use of alcohol by
Indians, and prohibiting the prostitution of Indian
women. They viewed the reservation system as a way
to isolate and protect Indians. It can also be
argued that these goals of protection were mostly
illusions to gloss over the underlying goals of
exploitation. For example, by isolating Indians on
reservations the government was free to exploit the
other vast Indian lands.
Assimilation
The central pillar or thrust of federal government
Indian policy has been the goal of assimilation.
Unquestionably the goal was to prepare Aboriginal
Peoples for absorption into Canadian society. It was
desired and expected that eventually all Indians
would give up there native customs, culture, and
beliefs and become like the dominant society. If
involved the extinction of Indians as Indians as the
ultimate goal of Canadian public policy.
The failure of this assimilation process can largely
the attributed to barriers posed by systemic and
societal discrimination. As Gibbions and Pointing
state "Government policy tried to induce Indians into
a mainstream that was unwilling to receive them".
Another aspect of this failure is the extent and says
of success Indian activism.
Christanization
A central component of assimilation was the process of
Christanization. To the colonial government civilising
the Indians was synonymous with Christanization.
Aboriginal ceremonies and cultural practices were
officially discouraged or out-lawed. In its place
education through residential schools of the churches
was seen as a way to destroy the social spiritual and
cultural systems and relations of the Indians and
replace it with the beliefs of the dominant society.
Because the residential schools isolated Indians from
the mainstream it served at cross purposes to the goal
of assimilation. They were the source of great
antagonism within native communities, and the extent
of sexual and physical abuse that occurred in
residential schools led to a hostile relationship in
later years.
Enfranchisement
As we discussed this was the method envisioned for
Indians to obtain citizenship and thus be fully
recognised a Canadians until the 1960s.
Land Surrender
The desire by the government to obtain land held by
Aboriginal peoples for the settlement of non-aboriginal
people was a primary goal for much of the policy
directed towards native peoples. Reservation were seen
as a way to move Indians into agriculturally-based
communities, both to assimilate them and also to
free-up vast tracks of land for non-aboriginal
settlement. As immigration increased the government
would move to make more and more "excess Indian land
available for non-Indian settlement.
Further to this numerous treaties were signed between
Indians and colonial officials between 1670 and 1923.
While the treaties were quite different in their terms
and complexities generally they served to establish
peaceful relations, institute payments, and gain the
surrender of land. The major treaties were signed in
the west starting with treaty #1 in 1871 ending with
treaty #10 in 1906. This allowed the vast territories
of the west to be settled and the construction of the
CP railway.
It is important to note that no treaties were signed
between the peoples of Quebec, the Maritimes and most
of BC. In fact, almost half of the population
registered Indians did not sign land treaties.
Government Authority
As we discussed a major goal of the Indian Act was to
give sweeping power and authority to the colonial
administrators. This external political control is a
fundamental aspect of colonization. In the case of
Canada is was explicitly embodies in the Indian Act.
As Munro, the assistant deputy minister of Indian
Affairs Branch, Described the Indian act:
The Indian Act is a Lands up. It is a municipal act,
an educational act, and a societies up. If is
primarily social legislation, but if has a very broad
scope: there are provisions about liquor, agricultural
and mining as well as Indian lands, band membership
and so forth. If has elements that are embodied in
perhaps 2 dozen different acts of any of the provinces
and override s some federal legislation in some
respects... If has the force of the criminal Code
and the impact of a constitution on those people and
communities that come within its purview.
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