 Defined Indian
fragmented Aboriginal peoples
Legislated Colonization
These social control aspects of the Indian Act placed
Indians in the position of a colonized people. As
Harold Cardinal asserted "Instead of implementing the
treaties and offering much needed protection to Indian
rights the Indian Act subjugated to colonial rule the
very people whose rights if was supposed to protect".
Concentrated Gov. Authority
The Indian Act extended speaking dispute power to
government to regulate and control the Aboriginal
Peoples of Canada. It was, and still is a piece of
social legislation of very broad scope which regulates
and controls virtually every aspect of Native Life.
The act was administered directly in Aboriginal
committees by the Indian agent. These new white
chiefs were to displace traditional Aboriginal
leaders in order to bring in a new way of living
which was in line with the governments. They had
extraordinary administrative and discretionary power. Clause 25 of the Act obtained the governments guardianship over Indian lands.
Defined Enfranchisement Process
The Act spelled out a process of enfranchisement
whereby Indians could acquire full Canadian
citizenship by relinquishing system there ties to
their community. This involved giving up once culture
and traditions, and any rights to land. The cost of
Canadian citizenship for an Aboriginal person are
surpassed the cost for a immigrant from another
country. The government of Canada saw the Indian Act
as a temporary measure to control Aboriginal Peoples
until they were fully assimilated through
enfranchisement. Accumulation through enfranchisement
clearly failed in Canada, as the rate of
enfranchisement was extremely low. If was not until
the 1960s that this policy changed and Indians were
granted the right to vote in federal elections. This
was the first time that the government acknowledged
citizenship for Aboriginal Peoples without the
condition of the assimilation into the Canadian white
society.
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